The brief.
Weber Shandwick needed a short film about the role high-performance lubricants play in Formula 1 engineering, fronted by two spokespeople: one from Red Bull Racing and one from ExxonMobil. The location was Red Bull Racing's MK-7 facility in Milton Keynes, with historic Formula 1 cars dressed into the frame.
The constraint was keeping the interview controlled and comfortable while making the venue do some work in the background. Easy to over-light it and lose the cars. Easy to under-light it and lose the subject.
What we shot.
- Two-camera pieces to camera, on autocue
- B-roll of the two spokespeople together, the facility, the historic cars and the lubricant samples
- Stills from the same day
- Cutaways for editorial breathing room
How I lit it.
The challenge with a dark workshop space is range. The subject needs to read as the focal point; the cars need to register as more than a silhouette. I worked off a controlled two-source key with a soft fill and let the venue's own practicals carry the depth behind the speaker. Callum held a wider frame on B-camera, which gave the edit room to breathe.
Delivery.
The rushes went to Weber Shandwick at wrap, backed up on their drives before we left, along with the stills. Weber cut the film in-house.
The second visit.
Weber booked us back in July 2026 for another day at Red Bull in Milton Keynes, with the same crew and the same set-up: Callum on the second camera, Daniel on autocue.
More on filming talking heads in London.
