Nothing says opulence like a Bentley

Buyers of the Bentley prestige marque benefit from a personal experience that guarantees that the car is tailored to their exacting specification. Creating a promotional film that communicates the vehicle’s virtues calls for a crew and camera equipment that can create an equally polished video, with impeccable production values.

Presented by GQ Magazine and produced Spring & Mercer, Bentley – The Journey was directed by Alex Kryszkiewicz and Tom Geraedts and shot in 4K by Paul Ozgur. The completed film is beautifully framed, expertly graded and extremely slick, a true reflection of the brand.

“We opted to film with the Red Scarlet for a number of reasons,” says Alex Kryszkiewicz. “Firstly, we thought the classic Red look would suit the subject matter. Secondly, it’s more portable than the Epic but still captures great RAW images. And third, the on-set data and post production workflow is now excellent – reliable and fast.”

While Kryszkiewicz is quick to point out that content originated on a large sensor HD camera can also achieve great results, the crew filmed in 4K in order to give them more freedom to crop shots without losing resolution:

“Against a Canon 5D Mark III, the Red obviously has a number of clear advantages. DSLRs just don’t offer the frame rate flexibility or codec choice. Plus, the recorder and capture media are great to work with. On the other hand, the Canon gives me fantastically clean results at ISO 3200, better probably than the Red.” He argues.

In order to deliver dynamic tracking shots at all angles and various heights, the team used a number of supports, including a Steadicam and a Floatcam Dolly Crane, hired from VMI.

“The Floatcam enabled us to get some iconic great shots very quickly. Rising above the moving car, sweeping across the floor – it’s simple to operate and produces great results. It’s great for a run-and-gun shoot. It’s a piece of kit I’ve wanted to work with for a number of years, and it didn’t disappoint.” Notes Kryszkiewicz.

The director has a final word about the Red workflow: “With the latest version of Adobe Premiere Pro, you can now drop the RAW files straight into the edit, without transcoding. You even have a fantastic RAW module and grading tools that can guide the post facility in terms of the look you want to achieve. It’s an incredible advance and makes the Red so much more approachable.”