Fast, unrepeatable, and too faraway. These seemingly unrelated words are what Mu Youfeng, a videographer/director/editor/color grader, chose to describe the Porsche-themed short film his 5-person team shot in early December, 2024. To coordinate the small team over long distances and unpredictable conditions, they relied on WiTalk9 SE to keep everyone on the same page. "The system played a pivotal role in our team communication, made our efforts aligned, and elevated our efficiency and coordination," says the director.
（The Porsche on the winding road on the shoot day.)
Shooting car films has never been easy, as vehicles go fast, scenes are sometimes hard to come by but easy to go, and the crew are often faraway from each other.
"Most of the time, we find ourselves in two different vehicles — one equipped with filming gears and the other one we shoot. Everyone needs to be on the same page," says Mu about the challenge.
(Fixing gear onto one of the cars.)
Relying on walkie-talkies for this condition would spell hectic for the team as the cameraman needs to be 100% on the scene, drone pilot on the movement, director on the monitor, drivers on the cues, road conditions, and drive. "It is infeasible and dangerous for us to use a phone or walkie-talkie during the shoot because we all have our hands full. Plus, we are more likely to end up mis-aligned and missing opportunities should we reach for something mid-shoot," says Mu.
To highlight the sports car's high performance, the filmmaking team chose a winding road up a mountain in China's Sichuan province. The outdoor environment posed yet another challenge — unpredictable weather and road conditions.
"You never know what's going to happen. So everyone on our team needs to be fully aware of what every one of us is doing and coordinating well. We need to get things done as condition permits and as fast as we can," explains Mu.
Distraction-free
The WiTalk9 is a single-ear full-duplex headset system that frees up users' hands and allows them to be fully immersed in tasks at hand — driving, monitoring, piloting. "You know that we were basically chasing each other in cars. Distraction meant danger for us. But with intercom headsets like WiTalk9 SE, we were talking to each other in the middle of the shoot without reaching for something that distracts us," says Mu.
（The drone pilot and the director.)
Stable Transmission
To fully demonstrate the sports car's fast movements, the team used a drone to shoot aerial footage in the mountains, which meant that the Porsche driver and the drone pilot had to communicate over a long distance in a place where the signals might drop. "Initially, we were worried about transmission as the hills and mountains might threaten the signal stability. But we were wrong. The moment we heard the real-time conversation between the pilot and driver, we knew we were in good hands," comments Mu.
Wet yet Still Performed
As feared before the shoot, it sprinkled in late afternoon that day. But the shoot was not yet finished at that time. To wrap up the day before total darkness, the small team decided to proceed. "Our cameraman had to be out there in the rain for the shoot and the headset was wet," says Mu. "But we didn't experience any difference. No dropouts. No clippings. It was all stable as usual. We appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into making the system waterproof."
（The team decided to proceed with the filming even if it sprinkled.)
As of December 2024, the WiTalk9 and WiTalk9 SE are available in 36 countries and regions worldwide, with their availability continuing to expand.
Any content creation teams, filmmakers, and rental companies are encouraged to head to www.saramonic.com/buy/find-the-city to find their local distributor for a free demo and hands-on experience.
