Lookers – Living the Lifestyle
Lookers is a chain of motor dealers stretching from Kent to Glasgow and Northern Ireland, covering brands as diverse as Ford, Nissan, Volkswagen, Aston Martin, Bentley, Maserati and almost everything in between.
Lookers is a chain of motor dealers stretching from Kent to Glasgow and Northern Ireland, covering brands as diverse as Ford, Nissan, Volkswagen, Aston Martin, Bentley, Maserati and almost everything in between.
It was a compelling brief for Director Steve Salam, because Lookers’ agency, The Works wanted to make not only a series of TV commercials, but a brand film to establish the company’s ethos via the line “For you, for life”. Most important to the client was to convey the idea of Lookers being one great family business built on great service and relationships between customers and staff.
Steve, working alongside Mark Lediard and with DoP Scott Coulter, decided that two hand held Arri cameras, with a set of classic Cooke S2 uncoated, panchromatic lenses would deliver the natural feel required in scenes of people going about their days, whether at work or at play. The lenses also added an atmospheric soft flare to the light and Mark operated the second camera himself.
Once lights were in place and cameras turning, it was then Steve’s job to put the actors into the scene and gently direct them into doing things that come naturally, to avoid it looking staged.
As well as the usual bonnet and side mounts, a stabilised OSMO mount was attached to the front of the tracking vehicle to give us great angles on the moving cars. Mike also did his usual Top Gear style shots while strapped into the back of a van. Drones were also tested to the limit, as a shoot which spread into mid-October had us racing against the light and the stiff winds of Northern England and the Northern Irish coastlines.
It was a marathon of a production, and certainly one of the longest shoots Steve has ever directed, with 14 camera days all over the UK and a lot of travelling in between.
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER