Toyota spots – the art & science of filming automobiles

When Toyota Motor Sales began preparing to produce running footage promoting the company's 2008 and 2009 line of automobiles, they envisioned stunningly beautiful images of the cars in a variety of settings that speak to the target demographic of each model. The running footage is used by dealerships across the United States in local commercials, websites and in showroom displays.

The creative team assembled to make that goal a reality included Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles Creative Director Kevin Murphy, Art Director Mike Czako, and Producer Pamela Parsons. The Millennium Pictures production team included director Tim Damon, executive producer Caroline von Weyher and staff line producer Kellee Cragin. Bill Bennett, ASC was chosen to capture the spots on film.

They identified a variety of locations in San Diego County appropriate for the personality of each model, including urban streets, green highways, coastal settings, dirt roads and picturesque backdrops like the Coronado Bridge. The shot list called for both day-and-night-time work.

It was the night-time urban footage of Toyota's Yaris, Matrix and Corolla models that raised eyebrows. The shot was planned for the inside of a transit station, looking out to the urban skyline beyond. The production only had access to the station for about an hour, in the early morning when the trains had stopped running. Officials ruled out using any lighting or camera cranes in the station because of the high-voltage wires overhead.

(L-R) Director Tim Damon, Gaffer Dennis Wehr and cinematographer Bill Bennett, ASC prepare to shoot a scene for the Toyota spot while on location in San Diego, California (Photo by Ambar Capoor)

"That's when I realized that, based on preliminary testing, the new KODAK VISION3 500T 5219 film stock would be a phenomenal advantage," says Bennett. "We shot some KODAK VISION2 500T 5218 film and then switched to 5219, which enabled us to see a direct back-to-back comparison of how the two performed. The 5218 has been a favorite of mine, and of many other cinematographers, but the 5219 has more latitude at the high end, and more importantly if you're working at night, about half the grain. It has the apparent grain of a 200-speed film, even when you 'push' it to 1,000."

Bennett explains that the reduced grain means that in post, more detail can be dug out of dark areas without inducing noise in the image.

"As the cars drove into the transit station, we could see out the opening to the city beyond, and we were amazed by the buildings half a mile or more away that were clearly visible against the night sky," he says. "We weren't lighting anything that far away. There was just the ambience of the street lights bouncing up off the streets below and bottom-lighting these buildings very faintly. Using 5219, combined with the ARRI/Zeiss Master Prime lenses at T1.3, allowed me to capture that."

The 2008 Toyota Corolla in a scene from Toyota Motor Sales' running footage promoting its 2008 line of automobiles, shot by DP Bill Bennett, ASC. (Photo courtesy of Pamela Parsons of Saatchi & Saatchi)

"On location, my naked eye had not been aware of those buildings," says Bennett. "It's pretty amazing that we've now come to a place where the film stock and lens combinations are seeing better than your eye can see. It opens up tremendous possibilities for cinematographers working in situations without the time or budget to light up city blocks. In this case it allowed us to make these cars look very, very nice, and place them in the appropriate environment, in a very short period of time."

Damon's vision for the footage grew out of his perception of the Toyota brand, which has been shaped over 20 years of working for the company, mostly in the world of still photography. "I look at Toyota as a positive, hopeful brand, especially with their hybrids," he remarks. "I always try to bring that into the picture in the work that I do for them. Toyota is bright and clean, and the images must be big with lots of depth, and the car is always framed so that it feels like it is part of the environment, not overtaking or challenging it. I wanted the lighting to be as natural as possible, just the streetlights and the store windows."

To create that look, Bennett was rating the 500-speed stock at E.I. 1,000. The car in the foreground and the buildings in the deep background were relatively balanced.

"We had one Bebee light about two blocks away, with only two of the 16 lamps on," Damon says. "I trust Bill completely, but that night I reminded him that I didn't want things too moody or dark. He was very confident that the film would handle it, and he was right. The first time I saw dailies, it was mind-boggling. The depth at night was unbelievable. That new film has really changed things for me, in terms of creative freedom, budgeting and how I will approach the next job. It saved us a lot of time and money on that job, and next time we'll know in advance what's possible."

The 2008 Toyota Sequoia in a scene from Toyota Motor Sales' running footage promoting its 2008 line of automobiles, shot by DP Bill Bennett, ASC. (Photo courtesy of Pamela Parsons of Saatchi & Saatchi)

Cragin also found that the film stock had a positive impact. "Ultimately my job is to make sure everyone is happy," she says, "and having the right tools makes people happy. The new film made a world of difference, and it turned out to be a fantastic scene. Even in dailies, you couldn't believe the depth. You could see the edges of window frames on distant buildings that we hadn't put any light on. There was no grain, which is a big deal to the client."

"We have ultimate respect for Bill and when he comes to us with a new idea, we listen," says von Weyher. "He's one of the guys who is out there on the forefront, always testing things. This new film gives us another option for shooting in low-light situations with the added potential to save a lot of money in lighting costs."

As agency producer, Parsons oversees the logistical aspects of the shoot and keeps an eye on the budget while serving as liaison between the client, the advertising agency, and the production company.

"The night-time footage was a specific request of the client," she reports. "We were shooting running footage of the new 2009 Corolla, Yaris and Matrix models, and those cars have a younger demographic. Toyota wants footage of these cars that communicates a very hip and energetic feeling. We keep that edgier aesthetic in mind in designing every aspect of the footage, and the night-time urban setting is part of that. With Tim and Bill, we talk about the right film personality for each vehicle, and that extends into the speed at which the cars are photographed, the camera moves, and the road surfaces, et cetera. Part of Bill's job is to translate that into which tools and technology are needed to create each personality. Bill and Tim brought a number of key pieces of equipment and tools to the table to add to the creative . avor of each shot. This new film stock was another example."

Liquid metal

Dailies were produced at FotoKem in Burbank, and selected images were rescanned at higher resolution at RIOT in Santa Monica. "It's always difficult to shoot cars at night and keep them looking attractive," Parsons says. "It's difficult to have controlled lighting in downtown city environments, and Bill just did that effortlessly. As we were doing color correction at RIOT, I found that the night-time detail captured on film was more amazing than anything I had seen in the past. The cars looked like liquid metal, and the client was very happy. This was one of the best packages we've produced."

Bennett adds that the new KODAK VISION3 film helped him in other ways on the Toyota shoot. "One challenge for a cinematographer working with cars is shooting a dark vehicle interior," he says. "Often the seats are leather, which at least allows you to create highlights, but the interior of the Toyota Sequoia we were using had black fabric seats and black carpet. To get any light reflecting back is a big challenge. I shot most interior scenes with KODAK VISION2 200T 5217, because I like the fine grain. For the Sequoia, I switched to 5219, and suddenly we could see all kinds of detail in the black interiors, all the way down into the foot wells, while the grain was equivalent to that of the 5217."

DP Bill Bennett, ASC and crew in front of Disney Hall prepare for a dolly shoot for the Toyota spot.(Photo by Ambar Capoor)

"I really appreciate that flexibility and speed, and the tremendous variety of film stocks I can put into the camera from moment to moment for different applications," says Bennett. "Changing magazines takes 30 seconds, and you have a different emulsion with a whole different set of characteristics."

Bennett depends on film to consistently deliver knockout images under tough time constraints. "Tim has a firm grasp on the concept that to be successful in this business, you have to work fast, and create amazing images," says Bennett. "A good example is the footage we shot for Toyota on the Coronado Bridge. They gave us one hour to shoot on the bridge, and we actually didn't have the whole hour because it took five minutes to clear and hold traffic between takes. Once the bridge was clear, we'd launch one camera car with a picture car, and then a minute later another set of cars. We would shoot all around the vehicle – high, low, side, front, back – and we would see the background, get up high and see the road surface, look out over the rail and see boats and then come back to the car."

"When you're working that fast, under time pressure, with speed ramps and the whole range of frame rates, you need the latitude and flexibility of film stock," claims Bennett. "I know that film can give me the ability to work very, very quickly and at the same time create stunning images."

The increasing number of viewers who see advertising images in high definition is a consideration for professionals like Damon and Bennett. "I think more about the detail and the depth of images," says Damon. "But I come from a print background. I started out as a still photographer, so I come from a background of shooting one frame. That trains you to look at every last detail, and I think that's served me well."

"You've only got a few seconds of opportunity to deliver a compelling image before the viewer snaps the TiVo button or changes channel," says Bennett. "It's a team effort, and at all times our goal is to create absolutely compelling images of the car."