Introducing the Ford Bronco on ABC
Built Wild
Ford Bronco
This was one of those projects that kinda sorta felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity— not only to work with one of the most iconic brands in the automotive world— but its relaunch no less. So when our good friends Riverside Entertainment called and said, “We have a Bronco project,” we said, “Shut up and send the footage!” Then we promptly hung up and waited by the front door for a week. The deliverable was a 3 minute short featuring country artist Kip Moore. It was one of three pieces in a series with Jimmy Chin as the creative director (ya know...Free Solo Jimmy Chin). The other two would air on ESPN and Nat Geo. Ours was set to air nationwide on ABC during the CMA’s Best of Fest. The footage arrived and we dove in head first. Below is a bit more about that process.
- Production Company Riverside Entertainment
- Executive Producer Jeff Molyneaux & Pastor Alvarado
- Creative Director Jimmy Chin
- Director Nina Meredith
- DP Adrian Kirchner
- Post House Bruton Stroube Outpost
- Post Supervisor Sunshine Clay
- Editor Lucas J. Harger
- Post Sound Steve Horne
- Colorist Brian Singler
Production
With our film being one part of the three part series, production had to coordinate with the other production companies creating the other two films to make sure the series was cohesive. Production was fast, furious, and rain-delayed, but a huge success. The footage was stunning and the Bronco was DOPE. Riverside's co-founder and executive producer, Jeff Molyneaux brought the heat, put together a great team and pulled off something special.
Editorial
Once the footage landed in St. Louis, we were off and running with the cut. We wanted the Bronco to be a co-star of the film. To show how Kip’s lifestyle is in sync with what the Bronco provides, we really relied on a line that Kip said in his interview “The wild is thrilling and serene.” The entire cut was inspired by this line and we used this sentiment to inform pace and shot selection. Jamming gritty, quick-cut sequences up against contemplative, thoughtful moments. The Bronco was our vehicle (literally) through those worlds. Scored by Kip's track “Red, White and Blue Jean American Dream,” we oscillated between the studio track and his beautiful live fireside performance, again leaning into both the thrilling and serene aspects of the track.
Color
Since the film needed to fit within the series, we all took tonal cues from the Bronco Anthem video. However, each location has its own unique textures and tones. So we had to build the look from the ground up while maintaining the consistency with the brand, and the uniqueness of the specific environment. We worked closely with Riverside’s executive producer, Jeff, to build out those worlds. With multiple live streaming color sessions, we were able to land on a look and build out the palette.
Audio
They say, “Audio is 100% of a movie” or something like that. And there's no difference here. Post audio worked with production audio to capture the unique elements of the Bronco itself, but more importantly the Bronco interacting with the specific environment. Tires in that stream. Tires on that gravel. The Bronco driving through that field. We wanted to create as specific and unique a soundbed as possible.
VFX
We approached VFX as the garnish. Elevating the shots into the world of “how did they get that shot?” Adding deer, skies, lightning bugs and moons...they got the shot.
Partnership
There's nothing we love more than partnering with production companies again and again. And that’s the case with Riverside and Outpost. The history builds rapport and trust between the two aspects of the process and yields greater results than the sum of their parts. This approach is echoed in the marketing strategy for this campaign, which was unheard of. Ford partnered with Disney to take these three 3-minute films to broadcast. With airings on National Geographic, ESPN, and ABC, the campaign redefined what a partnership between a brand and a broadcaster now looks like. Check out this article from FastCompany to read more about the process.
And that's the end. It was a great ride. Always a pleasure partnering with Riverside Entertainment and getting the opportunity to do what we do with them. If you have a thirst for more check out the write up from Frame.io on the process of the project through and through.
But wait, there's more. Check out the Outpost Car Reel below.
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