BMW Apprentice Training Program – Ichiro

We were approached to conceive of, produce, direct, and edit a testimonial video to help promote the BMW Group Apprentice Training Program.  This video series called for a B2B focus, presenting not just the Training Program but also to spotlight the BMW brand as the first choice for the brightest young talent considering a career as an Automotive Service Technician.

BMW Canada had selected two candidates to appear in the videos: Steven, a BMW apprentice and Ichiro, a BMW technician. The standard approach for these sort of profiles would be on-camera interviews with Steven and Ichiro followed by cutaways to b-roll footage. But we wanted to creatively push the limits – to create a pair of videos that felt both visually impactful and emotionally resonant.

We accomplished this through an innovative use of projections. Instead of cutting away to b-roll, we projected imagery – family photos of Steven and Ichiro, video footage shot by our team, and type animations – onto the walls of the BMW repair workshop. These projections flicker in the background and tie-in to the voiceovers that drive the central narrative. Front and centre in each video, we feature BMW vehicles – Steven and Ichiro are working on 3- and 5-series cars over the course of the story – and each video concludes with a hero shot of Steven and Ichiro stepping out in front of a BMW M-series and X-series vehicle. The BMW repair workshop – clean, minimalist, efficient – is the fitting backdrop for everything that unfolds.

The one minute and thirty second spots contain hushed lighting and inspiring stories that sets an intimate tone, framing heartfelt personal stories meant to influence