


Behind The Scenes | Conquer the Cape
From Red Bull Media, by Jazz Kuschke (13 October 2016) The production of Mad Mike Whiddett’s latest edit Conquer The Cape wasn’t without its challenges. Firstly, Mike had driven BADBUL only a few times since 2014, at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed and during the Magic Roundabout project. But then, he considers each of his five cars an extension of his body, so it took only a few corners to be back in the groove. Secondly, he didn’t have too much chance to recce the drive, due to the tight time constraints of road closures. For the production team, time was also the biggest hurdle. “By far the toughest challenge was getting it done in such a short space of time,” explains producer Wayne de Lange from Silver Bullet Films. “Rigging the cameras in the car and on the tracking vehicles took lots of time. Always making sure we are ready for the next shot and moving-on as quick as possible was really hard,” he says. “Mike and the camera team did not have the luxury to do a corner too many times – we just did not have the time – so everyone, including Mike, had to get it perfect on the first or second take most of the time. The production crew of some 40 strong, used five cameras over the single day of shooting. This included two land-based rigs, one inside BADBUL, the Shotover F1 system on a helicopter, as well as a rig on a Subaru for the close proximity tracking shots. “The Subaru was kitted out with best equipment for the tracking shots,” De Lange...
#BornToDare
It’s a real pleasure when a progressive brand approaches us with a project that hits our sweet spot. So when KIA came knocking with a request to make a film series using the new KIA Sportage and energetic sports influencers, we were thrilled. A comfortable fit for Wayne, whose second nature is producing high quality sports content, the challenge was more about how to create sponsored sports content that tells a refreshing story; a true collaboration with our influential athletes and KIA. A few months and a roundtrip to Peru later, the film series #BornToDare was born. Each of the three films tell an emotive story focusing on a fearless athlete’s adventure across the panoramic landscape of Peru. Painting the all-new KIA Sportage as the ideal travel partner, our treatment pushed for the sport and its spirit to be at the forefront of the films. We passionately believe that the success of an influencer campaign lies in embedding the brand into the lifestyle of our heroes in a credible way. Sportage X Slade Prestwich, takes the viewer on an emotive and cinematic journey with professional surfer and South African native, Prestwich, as he chases waves along the Peruvian coastline. A solo adventure, Prestwich must surf every day at least once, no matter the weather conditions. This carefree and spontaneous voyage captures Prestwich’s sheer determination and pure talent as he traverses open desert landscapes towards the waves that await him on the other side. Sportage X Landie Greyling, captures the determination and endurance of South African ultra-trail runner, Greyling, as she embarks on an extreme trail running challenge across the...
Nederberg Stories
‘Without a doubt, we’re going to witness a shift from obsessing over what advertising looks like, to what advertising feels like’ says Amy Kean*, head of futures at Havas Media. Silver Bullet recently produced seven short films for the new Nederburg website in collaboration with the digital agency, Liquorice Digitas LBi. The new Nederburg positioning, ‘There’s always a story in Nederburg’, paved the way for rich branded content. And three cheers to Nederburg for venturing away from traditional and numbing ‘ad land’, to a more emotive and entertaining terrain. All the stories are inspired by actual events and characters that make up the Nederburg legacy, from their current female wine master, Andrea Freeborough, to the heritage heroes dating back to 1791. The styling cleverly dabbles between the old and new so that the films feel timeless. And since the stories are based on the estate, most of them were shot at the winery. The cellar master blends the wine with his lover in the old cellar. The original wine master explores the Manor House longing for his passed wife. And the tango dancers glide over the estate drawing parallels between the basic tango step and the nature of the vineyard. The outcome of shooting on location is that the films steer away from being pretentious; instead they feel more authentic and true to the brand. ‘We wanted to make these films because we were given the space to think creatively, to apply our experience in telling stories and making films. We weren’t constrained by the traditional limitations of commercials,’ says Diana from Silver Bullet. ‘This flexibility afforded us the...