For this commercial testimonial, we were tasked with telling the story of Niagara EMS and Demers Ambulances’ relationship with Mercedes-Benz Vans.
Niagara EMS were extremely helpful and welcoming in working with us to coordinate the production. We conducted one interview remotely with the president of Demers, who was located in Quebec. Everything else was shot in one production day inside their headquarters, and in the nearby surrounding area. We had the pleasure of working with real EMS workers at their real post location. Because we only had them for a short amount of time, we created some simple circumstances to film with them to capture a ‘day in the life’ of the paramedics and their connection to the ambulance.
For the shots of the vehicle driving, we used our car-mounted camera rig, that has suspension built into it, and a gimbal attached, which allowed for remote panning and tilting while in motion on the roads. We also captured a couple shots from outside the ambulance looking in on the drivers with what’s called a ‘hostess tray,’ which attaches to the side of a vehicle, and holds the camera and tripod head. These in combination with a few shots with our motorized crane, as well as lots of intimate and immersive hand-held camera work allowed us to show some interesting visual dynamics, and capture interesting perspectives to help bring energy and excitement to the piece.