Photographer Nick Nacca worked with Ford, Xbox, and Nick Andrew, a professional gamer with a Youtube channel retaining over one million followers, to produce social media and print collateral for the Xbox design lab and Ford’s upcoming 2019 Ranger. Nick created polished photos and videos to establish the 2019 Ford Ranger as the ultimate gaming truck, which he and his crew only had one day to shoot while the truck was being transported cross-country.
Can you tell me more about this project?
We had one day to shoot stills & video. The truck was being transported from Phoenix to Las Vegas for the SEMA show, so we had to find a location somewhere on the way. My producer found an off-road vehicle area near Flagstaff, AZ that worked great for everything we needed. The shot list included action & beauty shots of the truck, an interior view with Nick Andrew, a close up of the Xbox controller in front of the truck, and the hero shot of him gaming at night under the stars. This was a challenging shoot that turned out well with the help of my great crew.
The primary use was for the Ford, Xbox and AR12 social media feeds, plus a large print of the camping shot in Ford’s booth at the SEMA show. I art directed all the images. With over a million YouTube followers Nick Andrew aka AR12 Gaming is a video gaming rock star. Ford and Xbox invited Nick to help design the ultimate gaming adventure truck, The 2019 Xbox Ranger. The truck’s colors and modern camo pattern were inspired by the Xbox Design Lab, a program where gamers can customize their own Xbox wireless controllers. Passengers can game with two rear-seat custom-mounted Xbox One Xs. The truck also has screens that mount on top for evening gaming in your favorite remote campsite.
What were the shoots like?
It was weird to search for a campsite, set up a tent, build a fire, and then play video games. It was cold, but everyone had to stay away from the fire to stay out of the shot.
Did you face any challenges with this project?
Lighting the campsite image was a big challenge. We had to blend and balance strobes–a lantern in the tent, the truck’s built-in lighting, the video screen, the fire, and the night sky. The only solution was to shoot separate plates for all the elements and layer them together in post-production while keeping it all believable.
Credits:
Assistant: Jerry Chen
Producer: San Diego Productions
Talent: Nick Andrew
See more of Nick’s work on his website.
Further Reading:
Read more about Nick Nacca on our Published Blog.