BMW Motorrad unveiled its groundbreaking BMW C evolution to the world’s
media with an international press event in London on 27 July. This
eye-catching electric scooter with its clever regeneration technology
underlines the BMW Group’s commitment to sustainability across all model
lines, and the BMW C evolution’s launch in the midst of the Olympic
Games came at a time when the world’s eyes were firmly fixed on the UK’s
capital city. Preparing press images and videos in London in advance of
this date – and keeping them out of the public domain – required a
skilled, multi-national, multi-agency operation, planned with military
precision…
In this age of high-speed, wireless communication,
file-sharing and internet hot-spots on every street corner, keeping
anything secret is just about impossible, especially as most
smart-phones now have cameras capable of shooting high-quality images
and recording HD video – and being able to upload them to YouTube and
other user-generated video sites at the touch of a button.
In
the good old days, ‘spy shots’ of heavily camouflaged prototype machines
were usually only acquired by daring photo-journalists willing to hide
out in trees or behind hedges, with cameras equipped with long
telescopic lenses. Not so any more, as many motor manufacturers have
found out to their cost, with photos or films of forthcoming models
captured by unsuspecting members of the public and then shared worldwide
– thanks to the viral effect – within hours.
Therefore, keeping
the BMW C evolution ‘under wraps’, while shooting film and photos in
central London was the task facing German agency M4, who were
commissioned by BMW Motorrad to deliver audio and visual materials in
time for the new model’s official unveiling, several weeks later in the
capital.
Several members of the team, including a director,
producer, cameraman and general assistant, arrived in London late in
June, accompanied by a security guard in charge of protecting the one
prototype BMW C evolution assigned to this project. A team of
technicians from the factory in Berlin travelled with the prototype to
carry out safety checks, recharging, cleaning and maintenance if
required (it wasn’t). Furthermore, a team from BMW Motorrad UK’s
London-based PR agency Jardine International was recruited for their
local knowledge of the area, to assist with securing all the necessary
photography and filming permits from local councils, and to help with
the actual logistics of the film shoot.
A prior ‘recce’ had
revealed locations that would take in some of the capital’s most notable
areas, including Soho, Chelsea and Westminster, as well as prominent
landmarks such as Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, Festival Hall, the London
Eye and even a graffiti skate park on the South Bank. With all of these
places attracting tourists, office workers and also residents, filming
would need to start early – and finish late.
So it was that the
team would meet at a BMW dealership south of the River Thames in
Battersea at around 5am every day, to film as much as possible before
the capital came to life. Of course, like all major cities, a place like
London never really sleeps and has a 24-hour culture, so routes were
carefully chosen to avoid delays and congestion, with the intention to
always ‘keep moving’ so that by the time a passer-by realised that the
interesting scooter whooshing by was not only a BMW, but also
electric-powered and not yet on sale, then it was already too late to
get out a camera and start filming.
The BMW C evolution was
transported from location to location hidden from view in a truck, while
a camera car was used by the crew for ‘tracking shots’, as was a
specially modified R 1200 RT, complete with rear facing platform,
mounting points for the heavy filming equipment and special seat trays
designed to accommodate slim panniers containing all the batteries and
transmission equipment required to power the film cameras.
All
that remained was for the rider – picked for his model looks – to always
be ready to jump on the BMW C evolution, twist the throttle and head
out on the city streets. The ride took in exclusive residential Chelsea
addresses, bohemian Soho haunts, cool inner-city hang-outs, tourist
attractions and even a trip into suburban Cobham in neighbouring Surrey
to explore the innovative scooter’s performance in less built-up areas.
Back in the capital city though, the BMW C evolution cut
through the traffic with ease, looking every bit a part of the modern
movement and new direction BMW Motorrad is heading towards with its
latest range of Maxi-Scooters. As these pictures show, the bright lights
of London have been illuminated even more with the innovative BMW C
evolution. One thing is certain: Urban Mobility will never be the same
again…
