NEXCEL + ASTON MARTIN - Circuit of the Americas 24 hour race
Agency: CSI
Client: NEXCEL
Purpose: This is the first time the Nexcel unit was used in a race in North America at the COTA race track in Austin, TX.
Process: Pre-Production, SONY FS7, Cooke lens, GoPro Hero 6, DJI drone, Premiere Pro, Da Vinci Resolve Color, Sound Design by Panetta Studios
Director: Stephen Girasuolo
DP: Scott Snell
AC: Tom Moore
Audio / 2nd AC: Taylor Hagan
You can certainly skip right to the video . . but you might appreciate the story below that goes with the making of this production:
Last fall I had a pretty crazy stretch of work for about 28 consecutive days. I remember being very close to the end of that run (home stretch - but not done), and was driving home from NYC thinking about what I was going to do with the 5 days I would have off before having to travel again when my cell phone rings (insert dramatic music sting here). But wait . . . it's my good friend Chris Connolly, who I think is following up on another job we were trying to figure out. . . . I was so very wrong. He tells me he needed a good DP for a job at COTA (Circuit of the Americas) in Austin,TX . . .(They say timing is everything . . . right?) He then tells me the dates . . . and guess when they were?? Yep, he threaded the needle and they were on the exact same days as my time off. UUUUUGhhh . . . but then he told me the next part, which made it so much easier to say yes (although I was really looking forward to the downtime). This job was for NexCel (CASTROL Oil) and Aston Martin!!! WHO?? ASTON MARTIN!?!?! Like . . . REALLY, the James Bond Car ASTON MARTIN!?!?! "Uh yeah Chris, let's figure it out!" . . . .(some of you might remember my posts from that shoot last fall). and the next thing you know the Director: Stephen Girasuolo and other members of The CSI Group Agency including Aiko Lockmeyer were all on the phone planning the shoot and logistics for Austin, TX. A thousand thank you's aren't enough . . . to Chris, thanks for trusting in me and for considering me for such a great project, even though you managed to squelch my only days off ( which I would have given up no matter what, just because you asked me to).Your edit of the piece is nothing short of spectacular! BRAVO my friend BRAVO!!
A HUGE thanks to my Director Stephen Girasuolo who was an incredible team player and who also helped to remind me that . . and I quote . . . "Scott, it's OK to take a break . . . I'm the director . . . now take a break". He was so VERY correct. We were in constant go mode with a skeleton crew, so it sometimes isn't easy to step in front of that fast moving train and remind me to take a few moments and take a break. Plus, he's just a great director and very creative. A big thanks to Aiko Lockmeyer and Christine DiSebastian for all their tireless time and effort of keeping on top of the ALWAYS changing logistics and planning. Constantly checking in and making sure things ran smoothly while we were on location. Well done!
Last, but FAR from least . . a most sincere thank you to Tom Moore for joining me on that shoot, I would NEVER have survived it, nor acquired even half of the footage we did if it weren't for you. From pre-pro . . . to me losing my wallet on the plane, (HA remember that?!?) you were right there for me (as were you Stephen). Thanks to EVERYONE!
So, for me to watch this piece not only helps me to deeply appreciate all the hard work that goes into each and every production no matter how big or how small and that it's the TEAM WORK that rises above all challenges and gets the job done with AMAZING results. I'm EXTREMELY Proud to have been a part of this production and to have worked with the fantastic team at The CSI Group.
