Last week we got an invite to a commercial shoot for NOS Energy Drink, featuring '09 Formula Drift Champion Chris Forsberg. Not knowing quite what to expect, I jumped into the car on Friday morning and headed north to Willow Springs, passing the endless string of commuters heading the opposite direction on Route 14 into the LA basin.
Upon arriving, I noticed to two things. One, it was damn cold. I think there's only about two weeks out of the year when Willow Springs is actually pleasant. The rest of the time it's either very hot and windy, or very cold and windy...
The second thing I noticed was this was a big production. I was expecting a couple cameras and a van maybe, but this was a full-on professional setup, with a huge crew, too much expensive equipment to count, and even Hollywood style catering.
The commercial is going to focus exclusively on Chris Forsberg, showing a "a day in the life" of a drifting champion.
One of the really cool things is that it's not going feature just Chris as a driver, but his crew as well. Formula Drift MC Jarod DeAnda was also on hand for a cameo spot.
I was thinking it might have been a little nerve-wracking for "blue collar" guys like Chris and his team to star in a big time commercial, but the production staff was easy going, and it looked like everyone was enjoying themselves.
One thing I found interesting was that even with all of the high tech equipment on hand, a lot of the actual shooting was done with Canon DSLR cameras. The ability to shoot video with these things is a game-changer...
This should give you an idea of the number of people on hand for the shoot. Even I felt like a big shot, hearing the seasoned crew members giving tips on how to order from the catering truck...
I'm not allowed to reveal much about the actual contents of the commercial, but it sounds like it's going to be pretty cool.
The finished product should be ready go within the next few weeks, and is actually going to be aired during NASCAR races on TV - meaning it will show drifting to a huge audience. Other commercials have featured pro drifters before, but this is going to be the first one completely about drifting.
Aside from the commercial, it was also nice to watch Chris slide the Z around Horsethief Mile. It's been too long since I've seen a pro drift car in action...
I've also come away with a new-found appreciation for the work that goes into a "simple" TV commercial.
Thanks to NOS Energy Drink and the ID Agency for letting us coming out to observe.
We'll be sure to let you guys known when the commercial is done, so you can check it out for yourselves.
-Mike Garrett