Maryland-based architecture photographer Eric Kiel has been working with Bader Rutter for five years now. The agency first contacted Eric after seeing his work in Communication Arts, and has continued to develop their relationship since that first conversation. Eric’s most recent Bader Rutter assignment was a combination of motion and still for the worldwide company, John Deere.
Eric was immediately attracted to the project after learning it would have him shooting both still and motion.
Having the opportunity to shoot six print ads along with a minute-long motion piece is rewarding. The stills and motion translate through the campaign and it makes for a great project.
This type of assignment—motion and still combined—is becoming more and more common for Eric. Over the last year, every client he’s shot a print campaign for has also hired him to direct a motion component as well. Eric attests that motion “has become a very important part of my work.”
The John Deere motion piece would complement the six print ads conceptualized by the Bader Rutter creatives. The ideas and layouts were pretty set for the print pieces, but Eric was given freedom with the motion aspect of the campaign. He was charged with creating something that complemented the print ads in an engaging and flattering way. According to Eric, his goal was “to creatively make their print ads come to life and tell a story through the moving pictures.”
As for the actual shoot, Eric and his crew worked with “real” farmers, although they did hire “back up” talent in case of a farm emergency. He describes the shoot days simply: “sun up to sun down, freezing cold and lots of coffee.”
It was worth it though, as the client was “blown away that the six ads seamlessly translated into the motion and the motion seamlessly translated back into the stills.” John Deere is now using the print ads in trade publications, point of purchase displays and on the web. The motion piece is being used on the John Deere website and is played on flat screens at John Deere locations. Eric also adds why he believes they were so impressed, “I don’t think they thought we could pull it all off in two days of shooting…the stars were aligned.”