Normally, I would start the treatment here and get right down to business about the concept and execution, etc. However, I wanted to take a moment to thank the team for their time the other day to talk us through the deck.
I know we haven’t had the oppurtunity to work together yet but jobs like this are truly the ones I enjoy working on most. I’ve had a chance to learn a bit more about Torsten and he is such an incredibly inspiring human. Stories like his remind me of the importance of perseverance and grit. It’s also a treat that Joey and him are excited to meet one another and learn from each other. Oh and I’m a big petrolhead myself (I got an older Porsche a few years ago and am waiting for my motorcycle build as I write this) and so the combination of real people storytelling and vehicular joy riding is irresistible.
I want to make this piece special. Once we get going, whatever the creative team needs to make this thing big, let's do it. I don’t hide under layers of production or email. You guys can reach out anytime and we can dig into how we make this story come to life.
Anyhow, I find work like this important, and I am glad to be a part of it. Let’s jump into the details.
Joey & Torsten: Long May We Drive - Social Activation
Director’s Treatment by Lorenzo de Guia
Hands On
Congrats on the Long May We Drive campaign. Not only is it such a visual experience to watch but you can tell it was incredibly fun to make. For this concept, I want to carry those torches on and craft something that has the visual flares but also puts an immense focus on story.
For me, this is a story in two parts. On one hand we experience the joy of driving. The grip of the steering wheel, the g forces, and the absolute link between human and machine. On the other hand we see triumph over adversity. Persistence over obstacles. Torsten and Joey will be the lens at which our story unfolds. We want both their personalities to shine and unveil for us a compelling mini doc that is fun, touching, and full of tire smoke.
A Focus On Story
The creative team has done a thoughtful job of laying out the story beats and I’m glad we are aligned on the fact that since this is a doc, the story by design has to be a little loose. That doesn’t mean however that we won’t have a plan. We should have clear goal posts in mind that can help drive our narrative. For me, there are a few key elements that I believe will give us the best story:
Torsten’s background and story
The creative team called this out and it truly is the heart of our story. Torsten is the emotional center of this piece and as much as he is willing to share we should capitalize on. He has a wonderful POV on driving being an equalizer and that thread will be front and center once he goes head to head with Joey.
Joey’s pedigree
Joey is our big dog. Obviously his background in Nascar and his accolades could not be overstated. Let’s understand his perspective going into this and how he is continually challenging himself as a driver in ways that give him the edge.
The Drive
If Torsten is the heart and Joey is the brawn then our driving is the whole cake. It’s the reason why Pennzoil viewers watch. They want to feel like they are behind the driver's seat both visually and audibly. I want this to be as engaging as possible so let's make sure we put in the time and work to make this thing standout.
The Equalizer
Story wins. Period. Everything else is window dressing without a foundation of story to support it. There are three key ways I want to break down the execution and each is backed by telling the best story. Let’s talk about the Approach, Visual Style, and finally, what I’ll call Conversations.
Approach
I want to approach this as purely doc with the exception of having some key moments where we capture visual eye candy to heighten the whole piece.
With that in mind, we want to let life unfold but with guardrails. We’ll break out our day into specific parts, all the while keeping hot mics on our heroes and allowing them to be them.
Torsten and Joey
While most of the interactions and conversations with Torsten and Joey will be off the cuff and on the track in the form of conversations (that we guide off camera) I think it would be useful to spend a little bit of time getting a quick hero interview with each guy to tell a little bit about their story. This may only live as VO for the final piece but it will allow us to chat with them in a controlled environment to capture the bones of our story.
Meeting on the track
I want this to be as authentic as possible. We will have cameras running and following their first meeting to chat and greet each other, shower admirations, and get ready to drive.
Car Prep
This simply amounts to beauty b-roll of what it takes to get the car prepared for all hands driving.
Training Wheels
Torsten walks Joey through how to operate the vehicle, first in a sit down non-moving setup which culminates into a slow lap around the course. This will be captured in a variety of ways that include GoPros, cinema cameras, 360s, and drones.
All out
Once comfortable, Joey and Torsten go for a hot lap in the car. They then challenge each other to a friendly time trial.
Specialty footage
This will be the fun stuff. I’ll dive into more detail in the next section but this is where we spend time capturing all the slick stuff that we will litter throughout the edit. Car to car (arm car), drone, backlit burnouts… etc.
Journalist Ride Along
Production will ensure that we’ve saved a little gas in the tank for this additional ask to capture what is needed. We will also work with any other teams in anyway possible to make sure we are covered and feel good that any outside partners are being met with the time they need.
A Note On Timing
Although we are limited on our timing with Joey, the 4 hours slotted should be more than enough to capture what we need. We’ll design a schedule around his window of time to focus on our story elements and maximizing his impact for the edit.
Visual Style
Pennzoil’s visual language is impactful. Full stop.
I love what the creative team has created with Long May We Drive. Pennzoil has always done their job in crafting a visual experience that (sorry for the pun) puts you in the driver’s seat. I see no reason to stray from the strong visuals the team has already crafted. My goal is to take some of those elements and mix it into an elevated doc format. A lot of my work is crafted in what I call cinematic realism.
This means big cameras paired to glass that has character and interest so we get that heighten imagery but cut alongside authentic, grounded storytelling. We will work primarily handheld giving impact to key moments. This will be mixed with stylish car to car footage, drone (FPV possibly), and mixed media sources like GoPros, 360 cameras, and I may even bring my old Sony Handycam to add an even extra layer of flavor.
The goal will be a piece that has intensely visually moments anchored by thoughtful storytelling and smart sound design.
We have a few story beats we will want to blend but here is an example of some of the things I would love to shoot.
Cinematic portraiture of each of our heroes with the car. Slomo, epic visual moments to introduce our mains.
Epic beauty shots of the car both static and in action. This will include arm car stuff, drone shots, interior and exterior bits. Imagine a hit list of hot shots as our guys push hand driving to the limits. This stuff is the spice shots we use throughout and especially in the beginning of our doc to get people interested.
Poor man driving shots. Let's get all the juicy bits of our heroes faking the drive. This will include backlit steering wheels and hands, shaky cam footage of RPM gauges, etc.
GoPros. We will have a handful of GoPros, 360 cameras, and maybe even a small Sony FX3 to get some of those car mounted shots. This might include wheel and fender shots, helmet cams, dashboard cams, etc.
Additionally we want the Pennzoil brand to be front and center and utilized where it makes sense organically. We can also try to incorporate the brand colors subtly throughout from wardrobe to livery. Something to think about - do we want to integrate Pennzoil product in any way during our day?
GoPro ext mount examples
Close up details examples
Conversations
My recommendation would be to have our story unfold in two different but equally important ways. In one instance, we capture all the banter and magic between Torsten and Joey both in and out of the car. This is crafted as a guided conversation that we prompt to get the guys engaged and excited. Ultimately we want their authentic voice to ring through and get a piece of their personalities as drivers.
But secondly, I believe it would be beneficial to sit down with Torsten (and Joey separately but entirely time dependent) to dig deeply into his story and what he is all about. In this way, we can hyper focus on the heart of our narrative before we go wild on the track. We can work together to craft a series of questions to drive home all the important points.
Interview Questions
This is a sample set of questions for our day. I imagine we will continue to supplement along the way and fine-tune as our day comes into focus. Here are a few big picture questions I would add to the mix but by no means is this a comprehensive list.
Torsten
Tell me your name and a bit about what you do.
Talk to us about the Just Hands Racing Foundation. Why did you create it?
What is your background in the world of racing?
Why is it important for you to share your passion of race cars?
Talk to us about the driving system you’ve created. How did it come to be?
What were the other iterations like? How have you perfected it? What are you further developing?
What is your hope for the foundation?
What does it mean for you that someone like Joey Logano is interested in what you’ve created?
Anything else you are excited about beyond racing?
Joey
Tell me your name and a bit about what you do.
What do you know, if anything about the Just Hands foundation?
What do you think it will be like using only your hands fo racing?
Are you excited about the prospect of trying out the tech?
How was the experience?
How would this change or influence your approach to the track?
What are the types of things you do to prepare for a big race?
What are the things you do to keep an edge on the track?
You want to convert any of your cars to this?
Guided Prompts
We always want to steer the conversation. Here are some guided prompts to get the guys bantering naturally throughout the day.
Introduce yourselves to each other.
(Joey) What are your apprehensions or fears about using just your hands to drive?
You guys are both obviously competitive, why don’t you challenge each other to a little time trial. Loser buys lunch.
Tell us about the system? How does it work?
(Joey) How was the feeling in the cockpit for you? Was it intuitive? Could you imagine yourself learning this a bit more?
Would this system be allowed in Nascar?
(Torsten) Tell us about the core goals about your foundation.
Could this bring a new wave of driver to professional racing?
How It Might Go Down
Open on a quiet shot of Torsten in his wheelchair looking off into the empty track.
Voiceover: Driving is freedom….
Suddenly we cut to a slow motion shot of a car coming around a corner. The wheels grip into gravel, chucking debris at 72 fps before revving into full speed. We suddenly cut into the cockpit and watch the tachometer bounce off the redline before we quick cut to gloved hands negotiating the steering wheel using a specialized knob. The car’s tail wants to kick out and the driver corrects for oversteer. We cut into a quick progression of shots accompanied by sharp, tactile sound design. Suddenly we are back in slow motion as the car breaks through a wall of smoke. The voice of Torsten breaks the tension. Driving is the equalizer… when I was 15 years old… but that didn't stop me….” The sequence climaxes into a a flurry of quick stylish shots of the two guys taking their turn in the Just Hands vehicle before cutting to…
A sweeping drone shot of the track. We hear the guys introduce themselves as we cut into hero portraiture of Torsten and then Joey. We cut into the two guys approaching the car and chatting about the setup.
The two banter joyfully as Torsten takes Joey through the car and how it works. We hear Torsten explain the mechanisms and all the thinking behind the design. Torsten continues to describe the importance of the passion and why he wants to open it up to ALL drivers. Joey is impressed. Torsten, “Wanna go for a spin?”
We hard cut to cinematic footage of Torsten behind the wheel full throttle as Joey hangs in the passenger seat, face full of joy. They round each turn expertly as the camera car struggles to keep up. Finally they come to a stop.
Joey, “Can I try?”
Joey’s first lap is a learning one but he gets the hang of it quickly. We hear him in VO describing the experience. Once he gets it down though, he is addicted. He challenges Torsten to a friendly time trial.
The two go for a ride back to back. We cut between drone, helmet cam, arm car, and more. It’s an experience for the senses.
Joey: "Absolutely incredible. I never imagined driving like this could feel so natural.”
Torsten: “And I never imagined I’d be beating a NASCAR champ.”
Joey: “Woah now, OK. Time to take this a little more seriously.”
[INT. JOEY'S GARAGE - POST-DRIVE] Joey and Torsten reflect on the experience.
Joey: “Torsten, I'm blown away. I’m inspired. What you’re doing is a real game changer and I’m so thrilled we got to do this.”
Torsten: It's all about changing perceptions, breaking stereotypes, and showcasing the potential of disabled driving. And hey, check out your lap times – not bad at all!
The two laugh it off and thank each other before dapping as we hard cut to one last flurry of driving footage ending in a burnout of the car driving off into the sunset.
A Note On Post
I started my career as an editor and I know jobs like this live and die in the edit. I will be available for as much as the creative team will allow. Happy to work with the post team on a first pass, to look at edits, and suggest what might be missing. This piece can be incredibly visual and sound design heavy while also allowing for the story to shine.
LOOKING AHEAD
I’ve gone over a lot of info here but there is still ton more that we will need to sort out as we get closer to our shoot day. Please hit me for any clarifications or if I’ve somehow missed the mark here, let’s make sure we make the appropriate changes to make it right. My goal with this campaign, as with all the projects I undertake, is to craft something we can all be extremely proud of. I appreciate the time and consideration.
Thank you.
-Lorenzo
For fun, here’s me doing my first autocross. I picked the numbers “808” but was bummed when most people thought it said “BOB.”
😬🙃