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Until they go flat or lose traction, tires are often taken for granted. Not so with tiremaker BFGoodrich. In their latest spot titled, “No Can Do,” directed and shot by Tim Damon, viewers see that tires make cars, trucks, jeeps and the world go around.

The Right Stuff

“No Can Do” starts with a vintage Chevrolet Camaro cruising the pavement, channeling streams of water through its tire tread. “We don’t hesitate, waffle, balk, linger or pause, even for a second” says the hardened voiceover, now showing a Ford Raptor kicking up dirt on a desert road. The spot then grows intense as we see a Jeep taking a path through the forest, kicking up mud until the view is obscured. “We don’t do things halfway, half-baked or half-heartedly.... don’t, won’t, cant.”

“Firm Gripped and Laser Focused”

Locals refer to Malibu, California as being “in the “Bu,” for short, but to Damon, Malibu is a great location for shooting a variety of action footage. “We shot the whole spot in Malibu, all the vehicles over a variety of terrain, including a huge load of mud,” says Damon. “For the Jeep shots, we needed to bag the camera and use a rain deflector.” For the shoot, Damon was reunited with agency SapientNitro. “It was great working with the same group that I collaborated with on an earlier campaign for Michelin. Reed Coss, Michael Diaz and the rest of the creative team at the agency are the best to work with.”

Help From A Strong Russian Arm

Key to getting the low angle traction shots was Filmotechnics’s Porsche Cayenne Camera Car with a Russian Arm 6. “I was blown away by how well the off road tires worked in the mud,” says Damon. “It was no easy task, we choreographed moves, going through the mud at 40 miles per hours, shooting at 1400 frames per second to record just three seconds. Timing was crucial and the work had to be precision.”