Getting free stuff

[gorillaonabike]

A very small part of my first short involves a flashback for a motorcycle racer. This means a motorbike on a track and some 'artistic' shots of a motorbike in an attractive, indoor (so I can light it) location, preferably in an environment which looks like a professional motorcycle racing setup. It will be 10 - 15 seconds of footage max, the majority of which will be indoor shots.

Being on a budget (i.e. I want to do this for zero cash), I am in discussion with the PR department of a motorcycle manufacturer. We have exchanged a few emails and I am asking them (nicely) for access to their factory racing team so I can get the footage I need. They have not said 'no' but they have not said 'yes' either and my opinion is they will need a little convincing.

However, being a noob, I am 'winging it' and would appreciate the experience of others on this forum. Does anyone out there have experience of blagging, I mean putting forward reasoned arguments in order to get access to kit of this value? If so, would you be so kind as to share your thoughts?

Note that I am a noob, have no, real track record (if you excuse the pun) and my experience so far is helping out in small ways on other productions. And hey, I'm under no illusions and know my first short is likely to be terrible but I'd still like to give it my best shot.

And naturally, I am pessimistic rather than optimistic and have a plan 'b' in that I know a couple of guys who regularly do track days. They have reasonable looking bikes but of course, nothing like a full factory setup.

The other question is filming motorcycling so if anyone has any experience, I'm all ears! Get the f stop as big a number as possible, make sure I am shooting as fast as possible and hope for the best. As it's a flashback, I can make the footage grainy, discoloured and generally cover up the imperfections which will appear because I am shooting with a budget camera (Sony VG10).

 

[directorik]

Note that I am a noob, have no, real track record (if you excuse the pun) and my experience so far is helping out in small ways on other productions. And hey, I'm under no illusions and know my first short is likely to be terrible but I'd still like to give it my best shot.

They aren't as interested in if your short is going to be good or bad as
they are in how much time they are going to have to donate and what's
in it for them.

You mention that you will use 10/15 seconds of footage max - you don't
mention (here) how long it's going to take to shoot. You do mention lighting
which leads me to believe you will be taking a lot of time to do this right.
You also mention two locations - indoors and some shots on a track. Two
locations means more time and a move of the bike, the people and equipment.
Take into consideration how much time they are going to have to donate for
you to get your 10/15 seconds of footage.

The PR wing of any company will look at their costs. Even if they will not
charge you, the people who need to be present while you shoot will need to
be paid by them. That is direct, out-of-pocket expenses. Sometimes the PR
wing will see a benefit from some exposure even in a no budget short film
made by a "noob".

So your reasoned arguments should include what they can get out of donating
time, money and people to your project. Many new filmmakers think mostly
of their final film and not the time and money others will need to donate
when asking for this kind of help. Make sure they know you understand how
much this shooting day is going to cost them for 10/15 seconds of a flashback
in your short movie.

 

[gorillaonabike]

They aren't as interested in if your short is going to be good or bad as
they are in how much time they are going to have to donate and what's
in it for them.

You mention that you will use 10/15 seconds of footage max - you don't
mention (here) how long it's going to take to shoot. You do mention lighting
which leads me to believe you will be taking a lot of time to do this right.
You also mention two locations - indoors and some shots on a track. Two
locations means more time and a move of the bike, the people and equipment.
Take into consideration how much time they are going to have to donate for
you to get your 10/15 seconds of footage.

The PR wing of any company will look at their costs. Even if they will not
charge you, the people who need to be present while you shoot will need to
be paid by them. That is direct, out-of-pocket expenses. Sometimes the PR
wing will see a benefit from some exposure even in a no budget short film
made by a "noob".

So your reasoned arguments should include what they can get out of donating
time, money and people to your project. Many new filmmakers think mostly
of their final film and not the time and money others will need to donate
when asking for this kind of help. Make sure they know you understand how
much this shooting day is going to cost them for 10/15 seconds of a flashback
in your short movie.

Fantastic, really useful steer.

Naturally, I was thinking of doing everything at the track where they were testing. The 'on track' stuff is probably quite straightforward as this would cost them nothing and as long as I had access to their section of the pit wall, I could get footage. All I need is their permission.

Probably the best way is to get the footage I can from the amateurs and see how it plays out. I could treat it as test footage to work out how the right setup to quickly shoot the professionals.

 

[directorik]

Naturally, I was thinking of doing everything at the track where they were testing. The 'on track' stuff is probably quite straightforward as this would cost them nothing and as long as I had access to their section of the pit wall, I could get footage. All I need is their permission.

Which is why I was careful to say you didn't fully explain here
on the boards. I assume you have fully explained what you
need to the PR people.

Good luck. I hope it works for you.

 

[gorillaonabike]

Which is why I was careful to say you didn't fully explain here
on the boards. I assume you have fully explained what you
need to the PR people.

Good luck. I hope it works for you.

Thanks. I have some amateurs who have agreed to let me shoot their bikes on the 16th. If I can get the time to do this and someone hasn't burnt down my house (at the moment, a real possibility), I will use that as an initial experiment.

I need to work out how to shoot the interior shot. This is trickier and is something to think about.