Capturing the Wild with Angénieux EZ2 for the New Ram 1500 TRX

The famous American trucks company invested in an ambitious commercial “The Power Has Shifted” to launch its new 1500 TRX pickup truck. TRX for Tyrannosaurus Rex, the super predator of the Raptor in Jurassic Park. Why this cinematic reminder? Because its direct competitor is the Ford f-150 … Raptor!

Extreme conditions of shooting

The shooting lasted three days on July 10, 11, 12 in multiple remote UTAH desert locations.

Two directors who also DPed the project: Renan Ozturk and Eric Crosland of Expedition Studios collaborated on this project. By both directing and DPing at the same time they were able to shoot a lot of content in a short period of time.

“It was the hottest time of the year with 100+ degree days F (40°C) which was very very challenging for us and the crew…also because we wore mask for COVID protocols the whole time.  It was one of the hottest, most dusty and dirty mad max shoots of our lives pushing our bodies and equipment to the limit!” told us Renan.

“The areas where we shot are designated off-road areas and it was heavily permitted with the Bureau of Land Management monitors watching over every shot to make sure we kept impact only to areas previously driven on.”

Massive content in a very short period of time

“The goal was to create powerful imagery for the new RAM 1500 TRX truck which is one of the most capable off-road vehicles ever built.  We wanted the truck to feel like a wild desert animal in the environment to match with the animal imagery.”

“On the shooting, we had the EZ2. We used it in FF mode (22-60 mm T3) on the Sony Venice camera in Rialto configuration. The camera was mounted on a stabilized arm installed on the 4×4 pursuit Polaris vehicle. This vehicle was such a beast. We dubbed it the Kraken. The lens had been performing flawlessly across all shoots.”

“We raged over rugged off-road terrain through massive mud, snow and rain and were able to get so much content in such a short period of time because we had the ability to zoom in on the fly without sacrificing image quality.  It is now our go-to off-road or on-road for any automotive work”  

“I really appreciate the EZ2. This isn’t only because of the small form factor – I already carried one Angenieux short zoom to 20,000 feet on Mt Everest last year – but also because quality and warmth of the image.  When I want artful lens flares it seems to know what I’m thinking and produce them and when I want to suppress the flares for a tack sharp clinical image I also can get that. It is such a versatile piece of glass.”

About Renan Ozturk

Renan is at least three men in one: expedition climber, landscape artist and filmmaker. Renan lives to tell stories about our connection to the natural world, often set within the most challenging environments on Earth. He loves shooting with Angénieux Optics. Wide angle zooms are his favorites. “It’s been a long love affair with all of the Angie glass over the years.” as he is used to say.

Production Details

Client: FCA led by Jeff Summers

Agency: Richards Group led by Producer Paul Nelson and Creative Director Parker Bell.  

Executive Production: Jeff Snyder of Hammer Productions

Produced by Darrin Ballin

The Angénieux EZ2 was provided by Bandpro Film & Digital