Where are you from?
Germany
Where do you live?
New York City
What was your first
job? What did it teach you about business?
I cannot recall my
first job. My first job in “films” was as a production assistant in Berlin. I
was studying communications at the University of Arts. It taught me that I had
a natural understanding of the filmmaking process. It was clear right away that
filmmaking was “my thing”
My first job as
director was to direct a 30 second MTV promo that was a spoof on the shower
scene from the movie “Psycho”. When the camera looked down at the bloody water
disappearing in the drain, the audience saw a sponge with blood shaped like an
MTV logo. It was quite popular and the promo, seen by a billion people, ran on
all continents.
Directing this spot
for MTV was not planned. I was working with music video director Marcus Nispel
(now a Hollywood movie director) at the time. We typically worked on concepts
together or pooled the ones we both came up with. This particular one I had
come up with and Marcus was scheduled to direct it but was overbooked. I didn’t
really want to do it alone but was talked into it by Marcus and MTV didn’t
mind. After that day, I knew I had to become a director.
What's
your background, did you go to school for this?
I studied at the
University of Arts in Berlin. The program is called Social and Commercial
Communications and finishes with
a master’s degree.
When did you first
realize you had a passion for cars and racing?
I grew up in Germany,
the land of the Autobahn where the most people are passionate about cars. The
Germans view their right of driving without speed limits as an expression of
their personal freedom like Americans view the right to own a gun.
When I was very small,
I remembered that we (my older sister and I) could earn some money (50 Pfennig)
if we could spot a Volvo P1800 and point it out to my father. That very rarely
happened. One day I was lounging around near the living room window when a red
P1800 pulled up and parked right in front of our house.
As I was still
contemplating the disappointment that my father was not around at the time,
thus me not being able to earn the money, he himself stepped out of the car. I
could not believe it. It made me so happy, knowing how much he had wanted that
car. And he looked so happy, too. Today I believe that the joy I felt then -
that my father treated himself with this very cool car started my passion.
When did you first
discover videography?
As a commercial
director I came from shooting proper film, 16mm and 35 mm. For most of my
career I had been a die-hard film guy, contemptuous of anything video or
digital. I originally planned to shoot motor-racing documentaries “on film”.
However, for years I was not able to raise the required budget. When historic Aston-Martin
racer, collector and supporter George Miller stepped in with financing, I had
to find a creative and economical solution.
At the time I was
discussing the project with Jeremy Braben, fellow Aston-Martin enthusiast and
friend living just around the corner from me in London’s South Kensington
neighborhood. He’s a famous director of aerial photography with blockbusters
under his belt such as Titanic
and the Bourne Trilogy. Fortunately at the time he was just testing all kinds
of HD video cameras to match 35mm cameras for Bourne Ultimatum. It was Jeremy who advised
me exactly what cameras to use and how to shoot with them in order to get this
wonderful cinematic feeling that I was after and that the GT RACER Series has delivered ever since.
We
had some technical issues on the very first shoot and I was not able to screen
the in-car footage during the shoot at all. I could only look at the other
footage through the tiny monitor we had with us. When I finally loaded the
material back in my editing suite in New York City and was able to see it on my
HD screens, I was blown away. Just blown away! I need to credit my initial
shooter Mark Barrs here as well. He really got the most out of the
equipment. He has such talent. That day, while looking at my HD
screens - 35mm film died for me.
What
did you use?
We
have always shot with Panasonic VariCams. I have done many more camera tests
with other cameras but I always come back to the VariCam. People have huge
arguments and debates regarding resolution, numbers and what not. In the end
(for me) only the look matters and the look can only judge by, well, “looking”
at the footage.
Inside
the cars we use Sony HVR-A1U Camcorders that record HD onto Firestore
hard-drives, uninterrupted for up to six hours.
What
do you use now?
We
are currently testing new technology. It’s too early to say what will pan out.
What's
different about your early stuff and what have you learned?
You
learn constantly on every shoot. You streamline your production process and how
you work with your crew. The in-car-shooting aspect needs constant
improvement. At the same time, new technology is constantly available and not
all of it improves things! We are pushing the technological and the creative
envelope. I am never satisfied. At the same time, there is a material reality
to things. I am talking about budgets. It is just so hard to scrape up any
financing today. In fact, budgets are getting smaller but I do not want to
deliver less next time around. It’s a big and constant headache. You always
learn.
Have
you always chosen to film vehicles and races?
I
have shot all sorts of topics and formats.
Why
are you so fond of cars?
Cars
and in particular luxury, sports and classic cars or racecars are
three-dimensional art forms. They can captivate all of your senses. Running them
successfully requires teamwork between owners and makers and mechanics. At the
same time, you can have your very private moments with cars while driving them.
We are living in a three dimensional world and its premier features are
distance, gravity (G-forces) and time. Few things can give you the most direct
experience with all three.
Where
are some of the places you have filmed?
GT
Racer has
been shot in California, New England, ‘Old’ England (aka UK), Germany, France,
Mexico, Belgium and Portugal. As a commercial director, I have also shot in South Africa, Brazil, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and several other countries.
What's
the farthest you've ever traveled to do a shoot?
Sao
Paulo and Cape Town were equally far away from where I was at the time.
Is
this your main profession?
No,
but if I tell you my main profession I’ll have to kill you.
Do
you do business related to still photography as well? Explain?
Usually
my photography is also car related. Sometimes I take stills at a Concours, as I
have done for the Fairfield County Concours d’Elegance over the last two years
(http://www.fairfieldcountyconcours.com/gallery.html). Sometimes I write the
review that goes along with the photographs as I did for the New York City
Concours d’Elegance, (http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/magazine/3700.asp?id=12674). Sometimes I shoot
events for manufacturers and car clubs such as the Open Day at Gaydon, Aston-
Martin’s Headquarters. I have also shot other race events i.e. the AMOC
(Aston-Martin Owners Club) race meeting at Lime Rock, Connecticut (http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/magazine/3700.asp?id=12164). I shot the 2009 event
for the club for their magazine, The Vantage Point. I also sometimes jump in
last minute when a shooter is needed: For Audi I photographed soccer legend
Franz Beckenbauer arriving by private jet in New York. A fleet of brand new
Audi Q7s escorted him to the Ritz Carlton at Central Park. Stuff like that.
Some of my photography has been exhibited. I had a couple of shows a few years
back in the UK and in the US. I sell limited edition prints to collectors from
my website www.AlexanderDavidis.net
Where have your
films appeared?
In the USA my films
have appeared on Treasure HD (VOOM) and Discovery HD Theater. In the UK they’ve
appeared on UKTV’s channel Dave (right after Top Gear). My films pretty much
always land prime time slots. Worldwide they run on Discovery HD in countless
countries as well as on a number of other networks.
How hard was it to
get your films picked up by a network/other?
Getting picked up by
the networks was not the problem. Finding the initial financing for the first
one was difficult. People would just not believe that owners and drivers of
rare, historic racecars would let me fiddle with them in the middle of a race.
I tried without
success for three years. As so often in life you need luck and in this industry
that often comes in form of one single person that believes in you and has the
means to float your project. In my case it was Aston-Martin Club racer and collector,
George Miller from England, formerly owner of First Choices Coffee. He made the
first show Shaken & Stirred – Racing Astons at Spa possible. Once it was done Discovery HD bought
it.
Another instrumental
believer was George Lansbury, Director of Programming and Executive Producer at
Treasure HD of VOOM HD Networks. VOOM sadly folded as a result of a $2 Billion
lawsuit with the Dish Network and no longer exists. At the time, George
commissioned six more episodes and the series was born. After VOOM’s demise, my
agent David Piperni of Cargo Film & Releasing and I
(http://www.cargofilm-releasing.com) went back to Discovery. They commissioned
Season II.
What was the
biggest challenge?
Was? Is! Times are
very bad. No one has money. People love my work including the networks, but
nobody has any money. Everybody says, “Hey Alexander, don’t you want to shoot
this event here or that over there? Why don’t you come over and shoot this?” I
say, “Sounds great. Shall I put a budget together for you?” Boom! Silence. What
needs to happen is that some people from the car and motor sport industry need
to come forward as investors and/or sponsors. It’s perfect for them.
My films are not like
motor sports reports that are shown once during an event or shortly after. People
buy the DVDs and collect the stuff. They watch them over and over and lend them
out to their buddies. The car and motor sport industry would get a super
long-form commercial that stays on the shelf for years. The films don’t need to
be forced on the audience because the audience is already asking for them.
We’re running a very lean operation in terms of budget. I have spent two, three
times the money that one show costs to make a 30 sec. commercial. It makes
much more sense for someone to support one of my films as a sponsor rather than
invest in a commercial. It’s much more cost-effective and the exposure lasts
and lasts.
On the other flipside,
most networks (with the exception of Discovery, Speed and VOOM which no longer
exists) still view my shows as “niche”. What the protagonists in my films do is
“niche”; racing historic cars. But the show itself clearly has mainstream
appeal.
What kind of
reaction do you get when people first see your films?
They go nuts. People
call it the best stuff on television. I’m not making this up. It’s all out
there on the net, on the car enthusiast forums and chat rooms. There is a
consumer driven poll website in the UK called www.TVGuide.co.uk Shows are rated from zero (worst) to 10
(best). For the last two years, my show constantly ranks above 8, recently
approaching 9. If you look at the top-rated shows you see that only the really
big smash hits ever go beyond 8! (http://www.tvguide.co.uk/reviews.asp?title=GT%20Racer&)
What haven't you
filmed that you want to film?
There is so much going
on. One particular event I really want to shoot this year is part of the “Le
Mans Classic”. It’s called “Little
Big Mans”. I just got a glimpse
of it two years ago when I was busy shooting the real races. A parade of
children were driving seventy mini vintage race cars powered by combustion or
electric engines around the Bugatti track. The kids in their suits and helmets
and the whole nine yards where all super focused on driving their beautiful
machines. It was completely off the hook, like in a surreal but wonderful
dream. I would LOVE to shoot that for a children’s program.
Can people purchase
your films? Where? How much?
Yes, on DVD. Prices
vary but are average DVD prices. Inspired by some customers of the pilot-film and Season I we gave Season II two soundtracks. With the remote control of your
DVD player you can - on the fly - switch the background music on and off. Some
people really love to blast themselves with engine noises of 50s and 60s GT
cars. It’s pretty cool. The mastering quality is excellent. Season II looks as good as HD on TV even though it can be
viewed on all formats on all players! Depending where you live you can get them
here:
http://store.discovery.com/detail.php?p=109167&v=discovery
http://www.amazon.com/GT-Racer-Season-Gregoire-Audi/dp/B002O0QPVW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1265765314&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/GT-Racer-Classics-DVD/dp/B0029PTNWA/ref=pd_bxgy_d_img_b
http://www.amazon.com/Shaken-Stirred/dp/B0029PTJOW/ref=pd_sim_misc_2
http://www.spiritlevelfilm.com/special-offers/gt-racer-pack.html
http://www.spiritlevelfilm.com/motoring-dvd.html
Have any networks
discussed a seasonal show with you?
There are a lot of
concepts in development right now: Historic racing, modern GT racing, the
American Le Mans Series, car collections. The classic car and racing world is
very much alive but money is tight. We will see.
What's your
business goal over the next year? Five years?
For DVD (and any form
of downloadable-media) I am working on building out a Concept Market for luxury, sports and classic cars and historic
racing related titles. My films have yet to reach the tipping point. Having
them shown on major national and international networks has helped a lot and
the potential is clearly there, looking at feedback from audience and available
TV ratings. Hopefully it will not be long before the car and racing related
industry recognizes its positive image-transferring potential and decides to
step in with financing of which not much (in relative terms) is needed. I am
also working with some leading figures in the historic racing and
car-collecting world on a new concept that is rather exciting but I cannot talk
about it yet. All I can say it’s going to be very exclusive.
What do you
personally drive?
I am a New Yorker. I
ride the subway. It is very good to stay grounded and in touch with the real world
and your surroundings. I am fortunate that I sometimes get offers to
drive fabulous cars to great events. Personally, I like to keep it real. I
think that comes through in my work and people appreciate it. I have to admit
that I was in love with my ’89 Aston V8, which was perfect except for being a
right-hooker (I was living in London at the time). I’m looking to replace it
eventually with a left-hooker of equal standard. But I’m in no rush. It’ll come
to me when the time is right. Due to the economy, there are more V8s from that
area up for sale than ever. Prices are still high but some are now sitting
around for a year or more so prices will definitely drop.
Do you have any
classic or racecars or have you ever had any?
I had my V8 for 6
years driving it 50,000 miles across Europe. That choice was also determined in
my youth. I totally remember it. I was in my early twenties, at night in my
Beetle, at a red light in the rain. Before I heard it I felt this low frequency
vibration in my stomach. And before I could see it I heard this unbelievable,
solid, rich and intimidating rumble of a V8. In the rear-view mirror this big
black muscle car, hugging the wet and shiny street pulled up right next to me.
(Think John Carpenter movies). It was an Aston Martin V8 Vantage. When idled,
the engine sounded like Berry White slowly giggling,
"Huhuhuhuhuhuhh..." Nevertheless, it felt like my Beetle's door was
about to fall off.
I peeked into the
interior and since it was night I could only catch the highlights on the wood
and the size of the cushioned leather headrest. I couldn't make out the driver,
only a silhouette. The traffic light switched to green and the Aston pulled
away. Just in a normal lawful fashion, nevertheless with incredible pace.
Ahhh... and the sound was amazing. Rising now from giggle to full blast
laughter, never ever had I heard anything like this before. I followed the
sight of the fat, wet rear tires and the two straight tail pipes coming out
from under the car emitting this divine noise. Right there and then I told
myself: "This is my car! This is definitely me!"
Later in life I ended
up frequently traveling back and forth between Europe, the States and South
Africa and finally started to sample some Astons; A DB6 in Cape Town, later a
DBS in Hamburg, which seemed to be going in the right direction. One day in
Geneva a V8 Vantage was smirking at me out of a classic car showroom window. A
test-drive followed the next day. The salesmen got quite pale as I pushed the
car through all gears on the highway. The way the car felt was right, heaven in
fact, but it did not have the right specs! I called up the factory to ask how
much it would be to do a little paint job here and there, and to get rid of the
brown piping. The answer was astronomical of course! I came up with a new
approach: I thought: If I want the perfect V8 why not ask the factory to sell
one to me directly?
Mr. McCloskey who
initially answered my first call and to whom I have been speaking ever since,
politely replied: "Well, we are not really in the used-car business but I
am more than happy to make a few calls to see if any of our dealers has a car
in stock with the specs you have in mind." I liked that. And amazingly two
brief weeks later the car was found. A manual 1989 V8 Vantage, X-pack with
435BHP from 5.3 liters - in Cumberland Grey with black hide and dark wood.
Through cost efficient re-conolising grey leather to black I got rid of the
gray piping, and later on, after a fortunate little accident due to another
motorists fault, the Vantage’s air-dam went as well and was replaced with a
P.O.W. spec-type spoiler. The result was a car in its original V8 shape, true
not to the factory's add-ons but to the pencil strokes of genius William Towns
himself, combined with the final technical incarnation of the X-pack '89
Vantage”. Encouraged by AM Work Service and members of the Aston-Martin Owners
Club, I took the V8 to the track and almost totaled it. That was when I decided
to shoot racing rather than race myself. I am still pretty happy with that
choice.
What do you like
best about what you do for a living?
I tried to answer that
question before. I really love the entire process from thinking up a concept
for a film or a documentary, planning it, putting it together, shooting it,
crafting the editing with sound design, music, graphics etc. to arriving at the
final piece that others enjoy. Naturally, sometimes during shooting you have
golden moments when you just know (mostly through pure luck) that you have
something special. That is always the highlight. And I love when I learn that I
made others happy with it. This is brutal, very hard work and acknowledgement
makes it worthwhile.
Who would you
consider your heroes in the film industry?
John Frankenheimer,
Claude Lelouch, as a photographer Michael Cooper, whose sense of framing and
composition inspired Frankenheimer. Outside the car genre I love some
contemporary directors who understand how to roll serious documentary subjects
into feature films like Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck who did “The Lives
Of The Others” and Fernando
Meirelles. His company represented me in Brazil in the 90s and did “City Of
God” and “The Constant
Gardener”. But I think on the
top of the list are still the Wachowski Brothers with “The Matrix”, “V For Vendetta”, and of course the 2008 “Speedracer”!
Do you
automatically dissect movies when you watch them?
GOOD movies draw you
in and you forget the reality you exist in and you live for some hours inside
the movie, therefore I do not dissect them when I watch them. I dissect the really good ones for
weeks and months afterwards….I dissect the bad ones immediately regarding their
shortcomings.
How has the
Internet affected your business?
Like with all new
emerging computer based technology, my business benefits from it tremendously.
How can people
contact you?
Phone, email or
through my website. Google me!
Do you like owning
your own business? Why?
Independence gives
freedom, which has to be paid for with a huge amount of uncertainty. That is
not for everybody. I think that certainty (or the anticipation of it) is an
illusion - wishful thinking. So for me it is difficult to imagine anything
else.
Special Thanks to
Alexander who took the time to work with us on this interview.
Please enjoy the production stills from GT Racer below. Of course to really get the feel for the show you must experience it on DVD.
Photography: © by Alexander Davidis
Stills from the TV-Series: © by John Galt Films Inc.
Media Inquiries: Cindy A. Meitle CAR PR USA LLC cindy@carprusa.com
[Interview by By Cindy A. Meitle]
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