Baja 1000 Documentary and Race Production
We recently wrapped up production on two pieces for Baja 1000 race car driver Steve Appleton. Steve may be better known for his day job, CEO of the Fortune 500 technology company, Micron. But in his spare time, he’s managed to become one of the best drivers on dirt. Planning for the shoot in Baja, Mexico began several months before the race. Coordinating shooting permits and import/export documents for all of our crew members and gear in Mexico took some doing, but the Mexican Consulate here in the U.S. was extremely helpful and, fairly quickly, we put all of our documents in order. While our producers prepared the paperwork, our photographers turned their attentions toward the logistics of shooting a 1000 mile, point-to-point race through the Mexican desert. With the subject of our film traveling at a speed of 130 miles per hour through some of the most rugged terrain you can imagine, staying with him and shooting the race presented a serious challenge. Steve already knew we’d need a helicopter in the air to get much of the action once the race began. But we didn’t want to produce a piece entirely with aerials. So we staged a series of six, vehicle mounted POV cameras (GoPro HD units) inside and outside the vehicle.
In the end, we chose to stage two photographers at the starting line, two at the finishing line and a three person helicopter crew with a still photographer and a Tyler Mounted HD Camera in the air. To view an excerpt of one of the two, 30 minute documentary style pieces we produced on the race, click here.
