Fiido Fiido X - The Future Starts Here

I shot the Fiido X launch film as Director of Photography for director Sergey S and CHILLFILMS. We worked across Shenzhen, Guangdong, from around 3pm until sunrise, building a futuristic world around a folding e-bike.

The brief

Fiido wanted the X to feel fast, powerful and a little ahead of its time. The film was made for the bike’s launch ahead of its Indiegogo campaign. We were after a cyberpunk feel: colour, contrast and movement that made you want to get on and ride.

The bike needed to hold its own in that world. The lighting and camera movement had to give it presence while keeping the product readable.

The challenge

We had several locations to shoot in one overnight schedule. Every move meant packing down, travelling and building the next setup. The night was our visual setting, but sunrise was also our deadline.

The team’s scouting, route planning and schedule made a real difference. Knowing where we were going and how we would move between locations gave us more time to work on the images when we arrived.

The approach

I shot on the Sony FX6 with DZO Vespid primes and Sony G-Master lenses. The FX6’s high-sensitivity mode let me work with a leaner lighting package within the time and budget we had. Starting from its ISO 12,800 high-base setting, I treated it as ISO 3,200 for exposure, giving the image two stops more light. A monitoring LUT pulled the image back two stops so I could judge the intended night look on set. That extra exposure gave me the shadow detail I wanted before bringing the image down.

RGB SkyPanels and another large LED panel gave us colour without a cumbersome setup. Battery power helped us move quickly between locations.

On the bridge, a water truck wet down the surface. Suddenly the light had somewhere else to go. The reflections extended the colour through the frame and gave that location much of the atmosphere we wanted.

I also worked with slow shutter and shutter stepping to make the movement and light feel more expressive, giving the riding sequences a sense of speed and power.

Getting close to the riders with the camera gave the sequences energy. I kept encouraging the actors to bring that same energy to the movement. Their styling helped them belong in the world we were making, and their commitment made it feel alive.

The result

What I’m proud of is how the riders, lighting and camera movement came together. The film has the futuristic feel we set out to make, with the bike carrying the attention through it.

I always enjoy working with Sergey, Vlad and the CHILLFILMS team. Sergey’s vision, taste and editing brought the film together. The collaboration gave us room to make images I’m proud of, through a demanding night.

See more product cinematography or discuss a shoot in Shenzhen.