Of all the brands to prove that video productions don't have to be elaborate, overpriced boondoggles, the last name you'd expect would be Bentley.
And yet here we are, with a slick short film shot entirely on the iPhones and edited on iPad Airs that come standard in the backseat of the $300,000 Bentley Mulsanne.
The goal was, of course, not to celebrate affordable efficiency. Instead, the creators were hoping to convey the auto's connectivity features, which include a WiFi hotspot and the "twin electrically deployed picnic tables with concealed iPad holders."
The brand obviously risks looking like an old codger waving around a popular kid's toy, and many 99 percenters will likely see the clip's dialogue between design execs as elitest windbaggery that conveys little actual information.
But the video definitely seems to be striking a chord for quite a few of the brand's passionate fans. It's been viewed more than 700,000 times on YouTube, where users have given it nearly 3,500 thumbs up compared to just 199 thumbs down.
To see how the video was cut together, watch the making-of footage that begins around the 3:15 mark.
UPDATE: We've gotten a hold of the short film's creator and director, Austin Reza of Reza & Co., who sent us quite a few more details. Check out his description of the shoot after the clip:
From the video's director, Austin Reza, in an email to AdFreak:
Bentley approached us with a challenge: Produce a professional quality film about the iPad integration feature in the Bentley Mulsanne using only iPhones to shoot and iPads to assemble/edit.
We undertook the challenge utilizing three Apple iPhones (5s) and a few, select, third-party products.
For our handheld rig, we used an iPhone 5s with a BeastGrip case, which worked seamlessly with a handful of threaded lenses, most notably the Neewer 0.3X Baby Death 37mm Fisheye Lens.
Our second iPhone was mounted to a new prototype BeastGrip case with suction cups for interior and exterior mounting. This was a smaller unit built for speed and additional b-roll angles.
For our steadycam rig, we equipped our third iPhone 5s with the Movi 5 case and Schneider iPro lens. Movi 5 was among one of our most important pieces of production equipment. It made every shot dynamic and increased the production value far beyond what we anticipated. The Schneider iPro played an important role as well, easily removing and attaching optics, with a modified iPro case.
Finally, with the help from Filmic Pro software—which records at 24fps and 50 mbits—we were able to increase dynamic range and maximize production quality.
The film was assembled in the comfort of the Mulsanne's back seat with fully integrated iPad Airs. Using iMovie we were able to complete initial cuts and review rushes. We were also amazed at the quality of the phone footage once we moved to the black and white timing. The entire production staff was shocked to see how beautiful the final shots actually looked.
We'll continue to use these highly versatile setups on future projects, large or small. Great optics, software, and hardware were key. The results exceeded expectations, especially having accomplished them in the most luxurious piece of production equipment we've ever had the privilege of driving. Thanks, Bentley!
