Landracing Forum
Bonneville Salt Flats Discussion => SpeedWeek 2020 => Topic started by: GearHeadTour on May 17, 2020, 04:00:36 PM
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Hello everyone! I'm currently planning for a trip to the Bonneville Speed Week 2020 for filming a segment for our show GearHeadTour. While I am a car fanatic, and a fan of racing of many kinds (in general) I have never been to the salt flats, nor to the Speed Week event. I'm wondering if anyone can help me out with a few things:
1. Where should I be planning to focus my time? Is there any particular area where more is going on, or is it spread out along the entire course?
2. Is there anything you think might help me to understand what it's like to shoot at Speed Week? Are you able to get good footage from the ground, or do spectators become a problem?
3. Does anyone have an interesting story or vehicle and would like to have an on-camera interview? Or, do you know someone that has an interesting story or vehicle and they would like to be interviewed? If so, feel free to use the contact form on our website, or email me from this forum (email is listed publicly)
I know some of this might get answered by the media contacts for the event, but I always like to get input from people in the mix. I'm just trying to get a feel for what it's like to shoot this event, before I have to figure it out on-site.
Our show doesn't launch until sometime in August, 2020. Not sure when the Bonneville stuff would air. Probably some time in December or after. I attached a picture of our show's host, Amanda.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
(https://www.gearheadtour.com/forum_pics/amandamertz-lrf.jpg)
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PM sent.
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Hello everyone! I'm currently planning for a trip to the Bonneville Speed Week 2020 for filming a segment for our show GearHeadTour. While I am a car fanatic, and a fan of racing of many kinds (in general) I have never been to the salt flats, nor to the Speed Week event. I'm wondering if anyone can help me out with a few things:
1. Where should I be planning to focus my time? Is there any particular area where more is going on, or is it spread out along the entire course?
2. Is there anything you think might help me to understand what it's like to shoot at Speed Week? Are you able to get good footage from the ground, or do spectators become a problem?
3. Does anyone have an interesting story or vehicle and would like to have an on-camera interview? Or, do you know someone that has an interesting story or vehicle and they would like to be interviewed? If so, feel free to use the contact form on our website, or email me from this forum (email is listed publicly)
I know some of this might get answered by the media contacts for the event, but I always like to get input from people in the mix. I'm just trying to get a feel for what it's like to shoot this event, before I have to figure it out on-site.
Our show doesn't launch until sometime in August, 2020. Not sure when the Bonneville stuff would air. Probably some time in December or after. I attached a picture of our show's host, Amanda.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
(https://www.gearheadtour.com/forum_pics/amandamertz-lrf.jpg)
Start with a day at technical inspections on Friday
The drivers meeting on Saturday is a "must do".
A Bonneville sunrise viewed from Impound has got to be on your list. That will start on Sunday.
The rest of the time is spent running around the pits, hanging out at the starting line(s), buying swag from the merch trailer and generally just having a good time.
Don't forget the car show at the Nugget.
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You can't shoot too much B roll. IMO this is where most Bonneville videos fall short. Multiple cameramen are very useful because you have a huge area to cover.
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Might make someone a good avatar 1drink
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You need to contact the SCTA / BNI for permission to film to start with.
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You need to contact the SCTA / BNI for permission to film to start with.
Yep, you get a little better access with a press vest... they will furnish the rules for filming.
Good Luck with your project, public exposure is always good for our sport.
Yes Jerry and Johnboy, I know it is not Friday :cheers:
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Oh sure Bob....single me out...again. :cheers: :-D
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You can't shoot too much B roll. IMO this is where most Bonneville videos fall short. Multiple cameramen are very useful because you have a huge area to cover.
I think you're right, you can never have enough B roll for any shoot! It certainly sounds like the space is a challenge. Thanks for the info!
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Start with a day at technical inspections on Friday
The drivers meeting on Saturday is a "must do".
A Bonneville sunrise viewed from Impound has got to be on your list. That will start on Sunday.
The rest of the time is spent running around the pits, hanging out at the starting line(s), buying swag from the merch trailer and generally just having a good time.
Don't forget the car show at the Nugget.
Thanks for te info. How much traffic does the car show at the Nugget get?
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I'd guess it's somewhere around 500 crowded into a small area with cocktail service. Mixed bag ? hot rods, shot rods, supposed "vintage" rods, etc. The race cars are all out on the salt (unless they know rain is coming).
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Start with a day at technical inspections on Friday
The drivers meeting on Saturday is a "must do".
A Bonneville sunrise viewed from Impound has got to be on your list. That will start on Sunday.
The rest of the time is spent running around the pits, hanging out at the starting line(s), buying swag from the merch trailer and generally just having a good time.
Don't forget the car show at the Nugget.
Thanks for te info. How much traffic does the car show at the Nugget get?
The Nugget show used to be way more wide open. I believe they have pushed everybody to the top of the parking structure now. The Rolling Bone's crew seems to always have a very cool collection of traditionally styled rods that they drive out from New York. Certainly worthwhile to see at least once.
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Last year they moved the "show" to the East side parking lot... overflow was on top the parking structure... either that or there were just some cool cars parked up there next to my tow rig. They don't allow their entrance to be blocked off any more.
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Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but don't our dear friends at the Salt Lake BLM office like to be informed if a commercial film project wishes to work on the flats? Gives them the opportunity to make like they're working and shake the production company down for some large bills for a permit.
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When you think, you don't know....why you make than such a so comment and start to get us all in trouble.......
if you don't know....than write nothing or inform yourself at first that you know it right....
but this here is BS.....
by the way....why is this thread not called the right way....maybe than there will be the right answers....
"Need help from some Speed Week Media veterans..."
maybe the know :roll: :roll: :roll:
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but don't our dear friends at the Salt Lake BLM office like to be informed if a commercial film project wishes to work on the flats? Gives them the opportunity to make like they're working and shake the production company down for some large bills for a permit.
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Or, just call the SCTA office and get the skinny directly from the source?
It's not like they haven't had this request before........
J
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Brian Leckey has the most experience shooting footage and managing crews at land speed events I would talk with him.
https://www.contentcanning.com/
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If you are filming for any reason, team or professional, you must register with the SCTA's Holly Martin. She will give you the guidelines of what you can and can't do and where you can and can't go. and what you need to have in your vehicles - CB radios and such
Team videographers are not charged to film/shoot (sorry old school), but commercial, not matter large or small, are charged a day rate to shoot.
And don't break out the drones without special permission (official flight training) and fight rules, no flying over the crowds or running down the course.
But is it worth it??? You BET!!!
I started out as a photographer of sorts, some like my work, and now I own a race team with my wife and major help from my friends and we even have sponsors!
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Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that GearHeadTour is not very active on LR and asks but never answers questions?
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I would like to add that Bonneville is one of the last venues that an average guy can build a car by himself in his own garage and still set records. Get photos/interviews with average guys and their cars. Don't just focus on the big dogs with deep pockets that pay everyone else to build their cars.
Jeff
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For a few shots you might want to rent a scaffold (with BNI permission) and position at the edge of the north end of the pits. It gives you a different perspective and provides some interesting options.
For sure you need to get at least one spectacular shot from about the 3 mile. Listen on the CB for one of the fast streamliners and then get ready. Looking south toward the start line you will barely see anything. It's almost like looking over the curvature of the earth. Soon you will see a small speck in the distance and the beginning of a rooster tail. No noise at this point (unless it is coming through your CB). You will start to hear the harmonics of a hard pull at full song! A tiny spec of a car rapidly appears leading a rooster tail growing bigger. You may or may not hear a gear shift. Still looking south, and about 1/2 mile away the speed will be incredible and the car will appear to be racing ahead of the sound. As it goes by the exhaust pitch will change due to Doppler shift as it disappears toward floating mountain. Standing there at the three when the speed, the furry of the motor pulling hard, and the Doppler shift all come together is about as close as any man will come to the emotion a woman feels when she hears the baby's first cry.
If you can capture that you have succeeded in only one part of SW. As mention above, Speed Week is a total experience greater than the individual parts.
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"No noise at this point.."
You could here Al Teague being pushed off while you're at the four.
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For sure you need to get at least one spectacular shot from about the 3 mile. Listen on the CB for one of the fast streamliners and then get ready. Looking south toward the start line you will barely see anything. It's almost like looking over the curvature of the earth. Soon you will see a small speck in the distance and the beginning of a rooster tail. No noise at this point (unless it is coming through your CB). You will start to hear the harmonics of a hard pull at full song! A tiny spec of a car rapidly appears leading a rooster tail growing bigger. You may or may not hear a gear shift. Still looking south, and about 1/2 mile away the speed will be incredible and the car will appear to be racing ahead of the sound. As it goes by the exhaust pitch will change due to Doppler shift as it disappears toward floating mountain. Standing there at the three when the speed, the furry of the motor pulling hard, and the Doppler shift all come together is about as close as any man will come to the emotion a woman feels when she hears the baby's first cry.
I sure hope someone can capture that feeling on film,
my first experiance like that was the Hadfield/West car in Australia
Odd atmospheric conditions. We were in the pits at about the 4 and you could hear the big motors start line clearly but very hazy with only a mile or so of the track clear viewing
to hear the car start, run through all the gears and come into view just as it hit top gear , fly by with a veil of salt following to dissapear back into the haze and just the rolling thunder of the exhaust going on and on gave me goosebumps all over
second experiance that moved me so much was watching Speed Demon at the 2011 or 12 shootout from one of the timed mile marker positions
both next best thing to actually riding
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"No noise at this point.."
You could here Al Teague being pushed off while you're at the four.
That was then, but we are talking now, Stan.
With these turbo'd motors, and a north wind at the 3 or 4, its sometimes hard to distinguish whether the start is coming from the long course or over on the short course! :-D You can't see either one and the wind is at your back.
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"No noise at this point.."
You could here Al Teague being pushed off while you're at the four.
That was then, but we are talking now, Stan.
With these turbo'd motors, and a north wind at the 3 or 4, its sometimes hard to distinguish whether the start is coming from the long course or over on the short course! :-D You can't see either one and the wind is at your back.
Not everyone runs those bloodless siphers :-D
jl222
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Not everyone runs those bloodless siphers :-D
jl222
Now that was funny. :cheers:
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Small tip learned the hard way - for that long "on song" shot make sure you are set up well away from any blabbery people who will, with some precision, talk over the best bits of that doppler effect. The cars are plenty loud for pretty much any style mic, but a shotgun mic will help keep out that off-axis jibber jabber. A parabolic mic might be fun to try if you have a sound assistant.
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For ambient sounds (engines!) on the audio stream at SpeedWeek I use a cardioid (pattern) mic on a stand - about 30-50' feet away from the announcer/timing slip trailer. The pattern and the distance help reduce extraneous noise so we can enjoy the motors (whether they be whisperjets with big turbos or thundering titans running 90%). :clap
If you want some really cool sound - try recording it in binaural with a properly-built mic holder, then listen back in good headphones. You'll be stunned at how good it sounds. Headphones, not speakers, okay?
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And if you get a really good video with all the great sounds from the three mile mark, then play music or talk over the sound, you will be on everyone's poop list for life. Maybe longer.
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Gearheadtour hasn't logged onto the site since May 27. :dhorse:
Mike
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Yeah. He sent a few notes to me and I responded - nothing since then. . .
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I think the best watching is at the tech line in the first couple of days. Then there is the starting line for some great views. It's always cool to watch cars come through at the 4 mile, you can see the speed and watch the parachutes deploy. In the pits are lots of stories and most people are more than happy to talk to ya. Good luck and have fun. Oh and something else important is to have a way to get around because everything is so spread out. Like 3 miles from the pits to the starting line. A car is fine for this.
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A lot of cars don't make it to the 4. Its gets lonely out there! :-D
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You need to contact the SCTA / BNI for permission to film to start with.
Beyond that permit I believe the salt flats fall under BLM land. The BLM has their own set of guidelines and permits for commercial filming. I mention this because I was working w a company and filming a show on BLM land. After spending a week in very rigorous conditions filming the show One of the people on the crew realized we needed a BLM permit which we did not have. The entire show was scrubbed. The BLM gets very particular on the regulatory side of all this. If you guys already know this please forgive me I am only trying to help.
Speed week is an amazing event and way of life for many people.
The common goal of so many people at this event is to go fast have fun and be safe. You will meet many amazing friendly people who would do anything to help their fellow Racer. You will see top race teams working on their cars and talking to the public about what they do. The spectators can walk through the pits and stand right at the start line which is something that doesn?t happen in a lot of motorsports. Camping out at the bend, the car show at the nugget and more are fun side events. Perhaps interview officials, racers and spectators who have been attending this for decades! I wish you luck in capturing all of this!
https://www.blm.gov/programs/lands-and-realty/leases-and-permits/filming-on-public-lands/film-permits
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If a camera is interested in what I have to say my first question before it starts is.."Is there going to be a profit for YOU in this as to the sale of the filming to some one" If the answer is yes i ask them to please go else where and find someone else. There are exceptions to this but not many.
I've found there are plenty of folks with EGO's out there who will gladly give an interview even if they don't know the a** from a hole in the ground.