Back on the Road with MINI
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
Field Notes
Locations Lisbon, Portugal & Madrid, Spain.
Seasons: Two productions, two countries. Summer.
Favourite Moment: Realising we'd been trusted with a second MINI campaign. It felt less like a new client and more like picking up where we'd left off.
Coffee Count: Enough tiny Spanish and Portuguese coffees to keep us going through every sunrise.
What We Packed: Our Sony and RED cameras, a drone, our favourite lenses, a boot full of kit and the excitement of heading back out on another adventure.
One Thing We Learnt: The best client relationships aren't built in one production. They're built over time.
There are some emails that you never forget. The first one from MINI was definitely one of them.
We'd been asked to head over to Portugal to capture photography and video for the MINI Countryman, spending several days travelling around Lisbon and the surrounding coastline creating a library of imagery for the campaign. It was one of those jobs that combined everything we love doing. Beautiful locations, long days outdoors, a brilliant crew and the chance to tell a story through both film and stills.
We packed what felt like our entire office into the back of the car, double checked the batteries for what must have been the tenth time, and headed to the airport with our trusted second DOP Fraser Harrop, Sam on photography, Alice directing. At that point, we had no idea it would become the start of an ongoing relationship with. A little while later another email arrived. MINI and their creative agency wanted us back. This time, in Madrid.
For us, that second production meant just as much as the first. Any freelancer or production company knows that winning new work is important, but being invited back is something completely different. It tells you that the client enjoyed the experience, trusted the process and felt confident enough to pick up the phone again.
As a small production company, that's something we never take for granted. Looking back now, it's funny how different the two productions felt despite being centred around the same sort of vehicle. Portugal was all about the journey. Most mornings started early so we could make the most of the softer light, and from there we'd spend the day moving between locations, driving along coastal roads and stopping whenever something caught our attention. We'd have a plan/deliverables, of course, but some of our favourite images came from moments that weren't on the schedule at all.
Madrid felt completely different. Where Portugal had been relatively small and nimble, Madrid was a much larger production. Suddenly there were producers, agency teams, clients, hair and make up artists, wardrobe stylists, assistants and a fantastic cast all working together to bring the campaign to life. There were more moving parts, tighter schedules and far more people involved in every decision, but there was also a real energy that came with it.
It's something we genuinely enjoy. Every person on set brings their own expertise, whether that's styling the wardrobe, perfecting hair and make up before each take or making sure every detail of the brief is being delivered. Watching all of those departments come together is a reminder of just how collaborative commercial productions really are.
As photographers and filmmakers, we're only one small part of that bigger picture. The atmosphere couldn't have been more different to Portugal, but that's exactly what made the two productions so enjoyable. One was about travelling lightly, reacting to the landscape and making the most of quieter moments on the road. The other was a carefully coordinated production with a brilliant crew, where everyone was working together towards the same creative vision.
Despite the difference in scale, the feeling stayed the same. We were still creating imagery for the MINI Countryman, just in a completely different environment.
Looking back now, we're really grateful to have experienced both sides of commercial production. One week we're pulling over on a quiet Portuguese road because the evening light has caught our attention. The next we're standing in the middle of Madrid surrounded by dozens of talented people, each playing their part in creating something much bigger than themselves.
Having the opportunity to work with MINI across both productions gave us a real appreciation for how varied this industry can be. No two jobs are ever the same, and that's exactly what keeps it exciting.
See the results here:
Thank you for reading!
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