Ad of the Day | Royal Enfield Hails a New Generation of Motorcycling

Aug. 15, 2022

NCA and FAMILIA have teamed up to showcase a brief history of the Royal Enfield heritage in the UK and the love for the legendary Indian motorcycle brand. Directed by Adriaan Louw, the spot celebrates the enduring community spirit that Royal Enfield is known for, whilst welcoming a new generation of riders to the fold. Recognising that the category of motorcycles has often been seen as insular and out of touch, Adriaan was keen to evolve this perception, focusing on the key elements of community, energy, and authenticity.

Set to Richard Hawley’s iconic track "Tonight the Streets Are Ours", the film follows a community of motorcyclists as they embark on a day trip around London. Blending 16mm analogue film with digital elements, Adriaan captures raw, authentic moments between the riders – as well as reactions from passers-by. Such an aesthetic embodies the timeless spirit that Royal Enfield has always stood for, combining a documentary style with smooth, dynamic scene transitions. The narrative spotlights the brand’s unified, diverse community as we watch the group ride along empty streets, pick up food in Brick Lane, and meet up with other friends. The film culminates with a group photoshoot alongside their motorcycles, as the camera pans away as if on the back of a departing rider.

Wanting to keep the cast within frame whilst the city streets move past in the background, the crew faced the challenge of capturing such quick-moving characters whilst staying true to the handheld nature of the shoot.

Adriaan Louw said:

"We wanted to dive into the style of my earlier work to inspire a run and gun feel, similar to capturing skateboarding from another skateboard, feeling part of the action".

 

Utilising crane arms on the back of tracking vehicles, the camera-work was integrated into the action, making the audience feel like they are riding alongside the characters.

To ensure an authentic, effortless feel, Adriaan looked to secure his desired aesthetic not only through the film’s look, but also through its cast. Prioritising the casting process with the help of LANE Casting, the team set out to locate an engaging crew that felt like they had toured together for a long time. Securing the desired effect, the final spot strikes the perfect balance between effortlessly cool and inviting to the audience.

Director Adriaan Louw commented:

"It can be hard to create an 'edgy/cool crew' commercial, but still making them feel warm and welcoming to the viewer, and I’m proud that our ad does exactly that. It feels like you can totally be a part of this crew, riding alongside them, and that’s also down to efforts we made to make the camera feel like its part of the action too."

 

Producer Tom Birmingham added:

“FAMILIA, they are an ideal production partner for this, they are really tapped into youth culture and what’s cool at the moment, they have an amazing roster of young directors that are really clued up on this. It's a big project that combines stills and film and a very agile way of working means that you get the best of both of these in two shoot days."

 

He continued:

"Shipping over Royal Enfield’s latest model motorcycles led to a few logistical issues that resulted in delays to the original shoot dates. In retrospect the extra time ended up being very beneficial and we used it to meticulously plan what was quite a tricky logistical shoot and really iron out all the creases in the planning to ensure the two days we had to capture all stills and video for the project was perfectly fluid."