BE A SEA-DOO INSIDER

Many of you probably viewed the video for BRP’s “Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan” contest this past Spring.  The video with a handsome 40 something riding an actual veiled watercraft through a winding river only to have the veil flying off and ending with the voice over, “You’ll want to BE THERE”.

When you’re a passionate enthusiast you want to be at all the cool places and in this case, win a chance to personally be in Montreal when the real 2012 Sea-Doo models would be introduced.

Just in case you didn’t see “The Unveiler” you can view it here.

THE PROJECT

The Sea-Doo Marketing Team wanted to promote the Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan contest, teasing the model year 2012 Sea-Doo line at the same time. They had to communicate a specific message and had to overcome some challenges in producing a teaser video. They asked, “How do we show the new 2012 RXP-X and at the same time hint towards the GTR 215… but not show it, leaving them wanting more?” The videos had to end with the viewer wanting more and encourage them to enter the Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan contest to see what the veil actually flew off of.

BRP also wanted to tease a riding style that epitomized what is special about the new RXP-X – the fun it provides while turning – with out making it obvious they were launching a new musclecraft. They also brainstormed about how products have been teased and introduced in the past… The cliché pulling the sheet off style unveiling came to mind, but to make it captivating the unveiling would be done in the new products environment –  in action, on the water.

But not any water. The 2012 Sea-Doo RXP-X’s uniqueness is how much fun it is to turn and this could not be conveyed running in a straight line across an open lake or bay and they couldn’t use buoys; that would be too obvious of what type of product was coming.  A watery road course was the right visual where the rider was forced to turn. The St. Johns River in Central Florida offers this landscape.

THE CHALLENGES

The timing of this project presented some challenges. The first was the prototype RXP-X units were not ready in the late April time frame this video needed to be shot. In reality, an actual RXP-X unit was not needed. The solution was to use another model (in this case a Sea-Doo GTI SE 155) and add some shaping details that gave the watercraft a different appearance when under the veil.

The second challenge was the St. Johns River was near historic low water marks, making it shallow in many spots but more threatening, was the fact this forced a much more condensed living area for the large alligator population. And it was mating season!

World renown, 2X X-Games Barefoot waterski champion, Peter Fleck, who some call “Aquaman” because of his watersports prowess was chosen as the talent (rider) as he is a good looking guy in his mid-40s and most importantly, fearless. Much of the running footage was shot via helicopter and the shooters (videographers) said they could not keep count of the number of “gators” they saw as Fleck meandered down the river. If you knew where to look in the video you can actually see a few alligators on the edges of the frame.

The St. Johns River footage came together with the intro footage being collected in; Lake Irvine, CA, Parker, AZ, Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, AZ and Tampa, FL.

In the next edition of BEHIND THE SCENES – we will share some of the images from the 2012 Sea-Doo watercraft and boat photoshoot showing how they captured some of the amazing visuals you see in the promotional materials in print, online and on television.

PLEASE NOTE: ALL OF THE TALENT AND PRODUCTION PERSONS INVOLVED WITH THIS BRP-SEA-DOO PHOTO/VIDEO/FILM SHOOT WERE PROFESSIONALS AND SOME OF THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DO. THE ACTION ALSO TOOK PLACE IN A CLOSED COURSE/WATERWAY. DO NOT TRY ANY OF THIS YOURSELF.

AGENCY: WaterTop Unlimited

PRODUCTION: Fiction Studios