Los Angeles-based production company A Common Thread and director/cinematographer Jordan Valenti recently produced a running footage package for Kia Motors of America and Los Angeles advertising agency David&Goliath to help launch the automaker’s 2015 line.
Valenti captured driving footage of the Kia Cadenza, Optima, Sorento, K900 and other model vehicles in a variety of urban, suburban and rural settings. The material will be used in national and regional ad campaigns, on the web, in showrooms and other outlets throughout the year.
Valenti used an Edge camera car system as well as other state-of-the-art rigs, cranes and heads to capture dynamic views of the Kia cars’ performance. Smaller cameras and specialty rigs were employed to record unusual and idiosyncratic details. “Our approach is to choose locations and design shots that express the personality of each individual car,” explained Valenti. “We deliver a lot of textures, a palette of footage that can be combined and applied in many ways.”
Valenti, who has shot many automotive projects with A Common Thread, is always looking for new and interesting ways to shoot cars and capture the driving experience. “Everything hinges on location and light,” he observed. “Variations on those two attributes are infinite.”
In addition to the running footage package, Valenti directed a 30-second television spot for Sorento. Titled “What About Bob?” it follows two couples heading on a weekend trip with an incredible amount of stuff packed into their vehicle, including a friendly St. Bernard named Bob.
“It was tremendously rewarding to work with the agency, especially the creative team in taking on the challenge of combining automotive with lifestyle,” Valenti said. He added that combining a conventional commercial production with a running footage package makes a lot of sense from the perspective of efficiency and value. “We’re there, the cars are there, why not get the most from the resources?”
