In this spec experimental short, analog and digital filmmaking are meshed to showcase the prowess of a Tesla Model S car. Filmmaker Tim Damon donned his DP cap and teamed up with Digital Giant directors/founders Alex Pickup and Dallas Carroll (with Reuben Wu) to create this film titled LightDrive.
The piece begins with streaks of light erupting from a dark void. Sparks fill the frame, symmetrical light patterns emerge, intercut with interior shots of a night drive through a dense urban landscape. Light blasts through a tunnel, suddenly shifting us to exterior shots of sun rays dancing over the Tesla’s dark exterior. Light ignites from the Model S headlights as the viewer is propelled outside for a fast go around a canyon. Fully materialized from the stage onto windy road, the car dances through switchbacks, sunlight and hillside revealing more detail. The entire film is propelled front to back with a majestic, yet mysterious sci-fi soundtrack.
“Dallas and Alex wanted to collaborate, do something, exciting, graphic, epic,” said Damon of Damon Productions. “I just love working with everyone at Digital Giant; for this short we wanted to create a balance between computer graphics and live action. Merging the two mediums created something spectacular.”
Pickup and Carroll said that their small, close-knit crew of filmmakers and collaborators tapped into the latest cameras, camera cars, drones and bespoke technologies to create a piece that they hope appeals to the sci-fi junky and fellow car enthusiasts alike.
Damon added, “We used Kino Flo lighting for the stage shots, Russian Arm 6 and Flight Arm 7, a 675 horsepower Porsche Cayenne Turbo to keep up with Tesla for the fast runs on Latigo Canyon. We also used a drone for aerial views and a robotic camera car for ultra low angle shots. It was a project where everybody on the team really had to be on their game. Nowadays, most great films are a combination of CG and the practical. LightDrive shows how far you can push it.”
