{"id":19609,"date":"2013-08-16T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-08-16T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/?p=19609"},"modified":"2016-05-12T16:10:04","modified_gmt":"2016-05-12T20:10:04","slug":"dallas-charleston-crews-hit-the-road-for-tnts-nascar-summer-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/2013\/dallas-charleston-crews-hit-the-road-for-tnts-nascar-summer-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas & Charleston Crews Hit the Road for TNT\u2019s NASCAR Summer Series"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Our<\/a>
Our six-week journey with TNT’s NASCAR Summer Series started here at Dover.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I recently spent six weeks on the road for TNT shooting features for their NASCAR pre-race show.\u00a0 If that wasn\u2019t cool enough, I also got to work along side GTT Charleston DP, Dave Baker.\u00a0 AND just when I thought it couldn\u2019t get any better it turns out the gig involved spending each week with one NASCAR driver and seeing what their lives are like when they aren\u2019t at the track.\u00a0 Armed with some super cool gear, Dave and I hit the road.<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>
I met “Tony NASCAR” along the way too. \u00a0Who’s Tony NASCAR? \u00a0I have no idea but he does have a Facebook page.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seven races, six weeks, six drivers, two DPs, two producers, one audio guy, and a ton of air travel best sums up this adventure.\u00a0 This was such a travel intense gig, it\u2019s hard to know where to start this blog.\u00a0 I guess I\u2019ll just start at the beginning.\u00a0 Our mission was to capture the essence of what our NASCAR driver of the week does between races.\u00a0 TNT called these pieces \u201cAll Access\u201d features which tied into the whole theme of their race coverage.\u00a0 The end result was that not only did we get to see how six NASCAR drivers spent their week we also got an insider glimpse into the personality and priorities of these drivers.\u00a0 As a life long NASCAR fan it was like experiencing heaven for six weeks.<\/p>\n

We used a lot of different gear to get the job done.\u00a0 Our primary camera was the Panasonic HDX-900 with a Nano Flash attached.\u00a0 We were shooting 1080p -24p.\u00a0 This was a super run-and-gun shoot so the HDX-900 was a perfect choice.\u00a0 For specialized b-roll and sit down interviews we used the Sony F3 and the Canon 5D.\u00a0 We also used the Hero 3 Go Pro for various shots inside the racecar and in other interesting spots.\u00a0 To really kick the production up a notch we also put the MYT Slider to good use.<\/p>\n

\"Dave<\/a>
Dave Baker rocking it on the MYT Slider at Michigan International Speedway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dover was our first location.\u00a0 Denny Hamlin was our first driver.\u00a0 Wait, I should stop for a second.\u00a0 I wish I could give you a play by play of our six-week adventure but I would end up writing a book.\u00a0 Instead, consider this a highlight reel of some of the coolest things that happened during an already super cool six-week shoot with TNT.<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/a>
Michael McQueen (audio guy), Dave Baker, Alix Jones (producer), and I pose in front of Tripple 7 jet engine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I was saying, Denny Hamlin was our first driver and we met up with him at Dover. \u00a0Denny\u2019s main sponsor is Fedex.\u00a0 Via the Joe Gibbs Racing private jet we ventured out to Memphis with Denny and the team.\u00a0 They got a personal tour of the Fedex World Headquarters.\u00a0 It was amazing to see the massive scale of their sorting facility.\u00a0 It was also pretty amazing to learn that every single piece of express mail from all around the world goes through that facility. \u00a0Here’s a link to the Denny Hamlin all access feature:\u00a0All-Access with Denny Hamlin<\/a><\/p>\n

Pocono was the site of the first TNT covered NASCAR race.\u00a0 While our Denny feature was airing we started our week with Brad Keselowski.\u00a0 Spending the week with Brad was awesome.\u00a0 We did a media tour with him in New York City and spent some time at the Penske Race Shop.\u00a0 The coolest thing we did with last years champ was ride shotgun with him as he test drove some new Fords at the Ford Motor Company\u2019s test track.\u00a0 I was literally thrown around, clinching to a Canon 5D, while Brad drove the hell out of these streetcars.\u00a0 I know I\u2019ve already said this but I was in heaven.\u00a0 Oh, did I mention he got us air borne in a Lincoln.\u00a0 Heaven. \u00a0Here’s a link to Brad K’s all access feature:\u00a0All-Access with Brad Keselowski<\/a><\/p>\n

After the Michigan race we met up with Columbian native, Juan Pablo Montoya and his family at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.\u00a0 I grew up about 90 minutes away from there in a suburb of Cleveland.\u00a0 I spent a lot of summers there.\u00a0 I never imagined I\u2019d be spending the day there with a NASCAR driver and his family.\u00a0 Heaven. Here’s a link to Montoya’s all access feature:\u00a0All-Access with Juan Pablo Montoya<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Juan<\/a>
Juan Pablo Montoya and his son enjoy Cedar Point’s “Gatekeeper.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the race in Sonoma behind us we ventured out to the D.C. area to go all access with Kurt Busch.\u00a0 Kurt and his girlfriend do a lot of work for the Armed Forces Foundation.\u00a0 It\u2019s something that Kurt has been very passionate about for years.\u00a0 While we were in the D.C. area we attend an Orioles game that he threw out the first pitch.\u00a0 He spent the rest of the game with veterans from the armed forces.\u00a0 The next day we ventured to Capitol Hill where Kurt and his girlfriend met with some congressmen to discuss the Armed Forces Foundation and a bill in limbo that could benefit the organization.\u00a0 I think the Kurt Busch feature may be the best one we did simply for the fact that we see a driver who\u2019s passionate about making a real difference in other peoples lives. \u00a0Check out the all access feature on Kurt Busch here:\u00a0All-Access with Kurt Busch<\/a><\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>
My self, Lee Shelton (producer), and Michael McQueen (audio guy) before first pitch at Camden Yards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Kentucky we met up with Carl Edwards and followed him to Daytona Beach.\u00a0 We got a tour of his private jet in which he flies himself.\u00a0 Carl was also nice enough to let us join him as he works out at the Daytona Beach infield gym.\u00a0 Our week with Carl was capped by a gorgeous looking interview we shot with him using a Canon 5D and a 50mm f1.2 lens. \u00a0Here is a link to the all access piece on Carl Edwards:\u00a0All-Access with Carl Edwards<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Interview<\/a>
Interview with Carl Edwards in his hauler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The last driver we followed was Marin Truex Jr.\u00a0 Martin may be one of the most down to Earth guys on the circuit.\u00a0 After an unfortunate wreck at Daytona we met up with Truex in Charlotte.\u00a0 We spent the day fishing with the driver and his trusty dog.\u00a0 From there we followed Martin as he visited some cancer patients at the local children\u2019s hospital.\u00a0 Our journey concluded with Truex at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.\u00a0 We filmed him and his team as they prepared for Sunday\u2019s race.\u00a0 After the final practice we officially wrapped with TNT. \u00a0Here is a link to the final all access feature:\u00a0All-Access with Martin Truex Jr.<\/a><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get serious here; this six-week shoot was no picnic.\u00a0 It was grueling at times.\u00a0 The travel was extensive.\u00a0 We bounced around all over the country.\u00a0 We went from race track to race shop to random city and then did it all over again.\u00a0 Countless hotel rooms and restaurants certainly made me miss the grill on my back porch back in Dallas, TX.\u00a0 However, if you asked me to do it again I\u2019d say, \u201cHell Yeah!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dave<\/a>
Dave and I shooting Martin Truex Jr. waiting to qualify.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was a pleasure working with the people at Turner Sports.\u00a0 It was also an amazing experience getting to collaborate with Dave Baker.\u00a0 The cherry on top was that not only did Dave and I work on this project but a few of the other Go To Team guys got to as well.\u00a0 It was a true team effort in every sense of the word.\u00a0 If I could sum up my experience in one word it would be \u201cHeaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"One<\/a>
One of the best things about this experience was that we got to know members of the race teams as well.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Caught<\/a>
Caught a ride on Kurt Busch’s private plane. Sweet!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"It<\/a>
It wasn’t all clear skies and sunshine. We got a little wet too.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently spent six weeks on the road for TNT shooting features for their NASCAR pre-race show.\u00a0 If that wasn\u2019t cool enough, I also got to work along side GTT Charleston DP, Dave Baker.\u00a0 AND just when I thought it couldn\u2019t get any better it turns out the gig involved spending each week with one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":24613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[259,139,140],"tags":[2271,1908,761,109,2272,1706,686,856,33,666,1641,425,2273],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19609"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/120.72.95.94:55167\/assignmentdesk\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}