GIVI Magazine - Novembre 2016

ENGLISH TEXT In the motorcycle world, as for all outdoor activities, videos provide a fundamental contribution to companies... As is demonstrated by the rich contents of our YouTube channel. Tutorials, spectacular sequences, hard tests, reports, sometimes short but strongly emotional... have behind them more complex and hard work than could be imagined. This is how we do it at GIVI T he public is showing growing interest in this way of presenting products or simply telling the company’s story. Being active in the motorbike world simply amplifies the emotional aspects of what a video can transmit. Over the last years GIVI has invested a lot in video productions and the results are for all to see. What remains hidden is the work, the process behind the realisation, the people involved and their roles. WHERE DOES ONE START?WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS STAGES? First of all the type of project is decided, whether emotional or technical/descriptive. In the first case we usually rely on freelancers with whom the story-board is discussed, once the plot has been defined. Once the general aspect are decided on, possible locations are evaluated and, if close, are inspected first-hand, otherwise we rely on the incredibly useful Google images. The choice of the actors is conditioned by the kind of scenes to be shot: if these are exclusively scenes on the saddle, with the bike moving, there is no need of a model, but of a good biker of standard build and with a smooth handling of the bike. The figure may change according to the type of vehicle (sports, tourer, off- road...). If there is a couple in the story-board, usually a man and a woman, who interact, the search is for models who can ride a motorbike (not that easy). Why not simply a good-looking boy or girl? Because we need actors who can move naturally and be credible in front of the lens. Avoiding wasting time is one of the most important parameters (the weather may change, costs start spiralling, etc.). Other aspect not to be underestimated is the bike that will appear in the scenes: it must be brand-new, functional to the reference target we are aiming at... and especially it must work perfectly. This aspect is sometimes... forgotten: “The bike is this year’s, it’ll surely be perfect!” If the story has spectacular scenes at high speed it is necessary to do a complete mechanical check before doing anything. GIVI does not produce motorcycles, but accessories, so consequently the vehicles we use for photo shoots and videos are the result of arrangements with friendly dealerships. Misunderstandings can happen, and the bike you expected ready to be used, arrives without fuel, with the battery not connected, tyres and liquids to check, test plate and with zero kilometres... Kilometres... To shot a video you do a lot of those... A lot. For example, to shoot the footage of the video dedicated to the GIVI DOLOMITI cases, less than 2 minutes long, we did about 200 kms. We invite you to see it (you will find the link in the article) and then come back to here: scenes like the passing of the hair-pin bend are shot an average of ten times before being sure of having the right one. As stated earlier, the time factor is essential. Usually we aim at concluding the job in a day and this implies starting shooting at 7am to stop around 7.30/8pm. The use of drones is increasing a lot, as they guarantee spectacular aerial shots. If this support is chosen, there is the need for a specialised operator, with licence to operate in inhabited areas. THE IMPORTANCE OF POST-PRODUCTION Once back at headquarters with vehicles, men, and all the footage, post-production can start. Basically, the editing of the video, synchronisation, voice-over, transitions, titles, graphic and technical info in support of the images, etc. Also the music plays an important role. It helps create the right atmosphere and keep attention high. The choice is not easy as it must be coherent and synchronised with the scene changes or anyhow with the overall rhythm. The music can be created specifically by a musician or bought (drawing from the catalogues of sites specialised in the production of copyright-free background music). If the choice is for an international hit, we are subject to the binding regulations on copyright (SIAE, Italian Society of Authors and Publishers) at rather high costs: no social website allows to publish a video without these prerequisites and no company that cares about its image, like GIVI, would share it. Talking of image, once all the footage has been seen and having selected the best scenes, a first edit is made, on which changes will be made until we reach the result and message we intended, always paying attention to the length, which is rarely above 5 minutes.This phase requires many hours of work and continuous adjustments. The final version is tested and made in multiple versions (in terms of weight of the file) and video standards. The following step is the diffusion via the traditional company channels (the website, possible support portals, specialised press, national and international distributors, dealers, press offices, etc.) and those of the web (You Tube and Facebook at the forefront). This is why all captions are in English. GIVI produces ‘internally’ all technical videos, the so-called Tutorials. We have two photo studios at our disposal, along with the prestigious show room used to present new products and meet the press and retailers. For these productions there is no need for external scenes, but the procedure is roughly the same: we choose what to present, where to shoot the scenes, the most indicated person in the company to present the product naturally (without having to read the technical sheets, which would sound sterile and without passion). The main problem, in these cases, is noise. People passing by, doors opening, a ringing phone...everything is captured by the microphone wired to the person speaking in the video. For this reason, when in GIVI the staff that produces the video tutorials is in action, everybody is warned and asked to collaborate and, for a few hours, is asked to “be quiet and close all doors gently”. For this kind of video productions we don’t use professionals but the self-taught enthusiasts that work in GIVI. We are not looking for the perfection of emotional videos but for clarity of information. Results tell us that the public appreciates these videos too, and if they are not perfect it’s not such a big deal. What is important is giving information which is not deceitful, able to clear doubts and show those details that written or photographic communications cannot supply. GIVI believes strongly and enthusiastically in this form of communication which it will continue to explore with ever-growing conviction. TOUGH-GUY OFF-ROADWITH CASES AND ACCESSORIES With the making of the videos ‘Honda Africa Twin. No limits with GIVI’ we wanted to show how it is possible to do real off-road even with a completely accessorised enduro bike. The result is absolutely convincing (look for it on GIVI’s YouTube channel) and we are proud of it, but completing it was not easy. The long preparation work started with the search for an ace rider. The Honda HRC rally team, which we sponsor, gave us a hand, putting us in contact, due to their championship commitments abroad, with RedMoto, company which imports and takes care of all of Honda’s off-road activities. The manager Michele Berera proposed their pilot of the ‘Enduro Junior’ category, Giacomo Redondi who in the past season won all the stages of the world championship. A 23-year-old kid from Bergamo whose talent left us all speechless. We immediately connected with him, the director included. To make this video Giacomo mounted on our Africa Twin at 9.30 am and got off at 7 pm, with just a short break for lunch. We assure you that the footage shows only a few of the tricks he improvised for us. Without considering the advice on passages so hard that we considered them absolutely impossible for a motorbike weighing well over 200kgs, in its factory set up (only exception the tyres, knobby, which had to be thrown away at the end of the day). A team of people shot the video from different angles. Using the drone was not easy, due to a persistent wind and for the difficulty for the operator to follow our actor (who was travelling at German-motorway speed on the dirt roads of Passo Crocedomini, high in the Alps). The experience was great and very demanding for all of us. The bike held perfectly but the real surprise regards the behaviour of the mounted accessories, which did not suffer the least mechanical stress. OUR VIDEO PRODUCTIONS... BEHIND THE SCENES captions 1) SHOOTING OF THE EMOTIONAL VIDEO ON THE NEW DOLOMITI CASES. THE OPERATOR PREPARES A ‘GO PRO’ TO FIX TO THE BIKE. THE LINK TO SEE THE VIDEO: HTTPS://WWW. YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=X2HKIRXFUCS 2) ABOVE, BEHIND THE SCENES OF TWO PHOTO/VIDEO SETS. AS YOU CAN SEE THE EFFORT IN TERMS OF STAFF AND EQUIPMENT IS CONSIDERABLE. WATCH THE VIDEOS SEE MORE PICTURES 28  Tutorial