Toyota C-HR Advert

A closed street in Shoreditch, a 72 camera curve built in four hours, and a rig lifted over parked cars by ten people in the middle of the night.

What Did We Do?

Working with German company 3DS and Orillo, we shot part of a car advert for Toyota Europe on a closed off street in Shoreditch, London. The 72 camera rig went up on an 8 metre curve in four hours during the afternoon, ready for a night shoot, run by 8 computers and our custom wiring systems.

Position one captured the male model walking along the street in very little light. Every set of photos was previewed to the director and first AD in under a minute, so they could immediately check the step, the position and the light before going again.

Then the rig had to move across the courtyard. Unfortunately the area’s wealthier residents had arrived home in the meantime, driven through the police barriers, and parked on the set. So ten of us lifted the entire rig over the top of their cars to get it into position. We are still gutted nobody filmed that, because it would have been at least as good as the advert.

In position two we pumped smoke up through a street grate and filmed the female model walking through the rig. The night’s tally: 24 shots of the male model, 18 of the smoke, and 8 of the female model at 2am.

Common Night Shoot FAQs

Can bullet time shoot at night on location?

Yes. This whole advert was shot on a closed street after dark, in very little light, with instant previews keeping every take checkable.

How fast can the rig move position?

Normally it is a controlled teardown and rebuild. On this job it was ten people lifting the whole rig over parked cars. Both work.

More From The Set

More from the build and the shoot. Click any image for a closer look.