GO! The speedster blasts forward from a low-lying position. The powerful thrust forces the driver into his bucket seat. Close to the limit, the sports car throws itself into the curve. The rubber squeals on the 19-inch tires. Coming out of the curve in fifth gear, sixth gear – now the drivetrain shows what it can do. A fierce screech is heard from the exhaust system as the tachometer nears the red zone. This is motor racing – the Opel Astra OPC EXTREME. Opel Post had a look on set at how photographers capture all of this in photos.
Don’t move. Not even an inch! The star is in position with the handbrake on, the engine silent. It is a February afternoon in a photo studio in Wiesbaden. The photographs being shot here will make the viewer swear he could smell the gas. But for now, it just smells like lighting gel. Coconut curry chicken is being kept warm to give the hard workers some sustenance. Photographer Axel Wierdemann, strikingly tall in a yellow hoodie and jeans, sits on a chair in front of a laptop with an anti-glare shield. Next to it on the right is a high-end camera. The legs of the heavy tripod are attached to the railing with cable ties.
Giving it his best shot: The photographer sizes up the front end from higher up. When the light is right, he strikes.
FORGET FAMILY CAR
The railing runs along the semi-circular gallery; the set is underneath it. In the middle of the room is a 2014 300-hp Astra OPC EXTREME. Silver-gray, rear wing, carbon appliqués, racing decals. Its motor sport genes are also evident in the interior: the aluminum roll-bar towers over the bucket seats from behind. Forget family car. The sports car is surrounded by a dozen spotlights of different intensities, shining directly or indirectly on the chassis. Black rubber mats have been laid out across the studio floor. Their surface structure adds the desired asphalt look to the set.
“We transmit our visual and design language through the media,” says Gerhard Gräf, Visual Communications Manager at Opel. His target: photos that bring the vehicle’s motor racing heritage to the fore. “Today is day two of the three-day photo shoot. We will get four to six photos out of it, including detailed shots of the exterior and interior. They need to be finished at the beginning of March before the Geneva Motor Show. They will be published on the Opel website and loaded onto USB flash drives for reporters.
View from the ladder: Axel Wierdemann gets one more test shot of the sporty rear before the shoot moves into the next round.
“We portray an abstract situation with extreme backlighting on the start/finish straight. The background light is meant to flow around the car,” says Gräf, describing the set. From his elevated position, Wierdemann acts as photographer and director at the same time. He looks down at the front and driver’s side of the car. The left front wheel has to be perfectly lit for this shot so that the carbon structure of the rim can be clearly seen. Wierdemann checks the composition. He takes in the scene through his naked eyes, then through the viewfinder of one of the two cameras, and even checks out a detail through a pair of binoculars. His assistants install fluorescent lighting, filters, spotlights, and tripods on the set. Wierdemann checks the arrangement one last time and says: “I’m ready.” He grabs the shutter release. Click, click.
WLAN SUPPLANTS WINDING STAIRCASE
The image data eschew the winding staircase in favor of WLAN to make their way down from upstairs. The shots are transferred to Bernd Mayer’s computer seconds after they are taken. Mayer sits at a rolling desk a few meters away from the vehicle where he handles photo-editing and postproduction. Working on his computer, he takes many partial shots, each featuring a perfectly lit detail, and puts them all together in one image to achieve the perfect racetrack atmosphere. He zooms up close to components and details, juggles with light and shadow, cuts out sections, and drops them back into the big picture like pieces in a puzzle. Wierdemann glances over Mayer’s shoulder: “I’m curious. Do you have anything yet?” He certainly does. The two of them discuss the lighting of the crease down the center of the hood. “The Astra OPC EXTREME features a combination of a multi-coat paintwork, shiny decals, and matte carbon components,” says Wierdemann. “Such a wide range of surfaces requires many image layers.”
Two-man rule: Gerhard Gräf (right) and Axel Wierdemann feel around for the Supersport model’s most sumptuous view from the rear.
It is now 5 p.m. The race car has been shot from its best side. Wierdemann clears away the heavy floor protection mats with the help of Köhler and Engels. The car can finally move. But first the asphalt needs to go. That’s life in the studio. The 180-degree turn requires muscle power – and four GoJaks. Dollies are shoved under the 19-inch wheels. The sports car is cranked up using foot pedals and, with combined forces, rotated in one spot so that the sumptuous rear is turned towards the camera. Fingerprints are quickly wiped away and everything is ready again. But the rich sound of the racing car exhaust, the smell of the gas, and the drifting, wide-base tires are all gone. What a shame.
PERFECTION WORKS LATE
Wierdemann now gets close to the subject, trying to find the best view for the next shot. He circles the car, squats down, and climbs onto the ladder. Then he kneels again, lies down on his belly and does some test shots with the second camera. He takes two steps to the right, three to the left, discusses possible angles with Gerhard Gräf. They come to an agreement. They both go up the winding staircase. It is now after 6 p.m. Gräf has taken a seat at the conference table near the entrance and has his laptop open in front of him. “It went really late yesterday,” he says. “I hope we can finish up today before 10 p.m.” But Wierdemann’s perfectionism cannot tell time. “Martin, please put a 2000 W spotlight right under the softbox.” Köhler moves the big spotlight into position. “Closer, it should almost be touching. No, back a little bit…” It is going to be a long night in Wiesbaden.
FROM THE RACETRACK ONTO THE STREET
A breathtaking sports car prototype is about to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show (6–16 March). The Supersport model takes the racing technology from the Astra OPC Cup that competes in the VLN Endurance Championship onto the street. Premium carbon fiber components, including the hood, roof, rims, and rear wing, take off a full 100 kilograms in weight compared to the Astra OPC. The two-liter turbo engine with over 300 hp makes the sports car the most powerful Opel four-cylinder of all time. Multi-coat paintwork, decals, a front spoiler, and side skirts reinforce the athletic design. The interior is also uncompromisingly sporty and features Recaro bucket seats, safety bars, carbon appliqués, and yellow stitching for that Opel Motorsport look. The street legal Supersport model is to be launched as a limited edition series sometime this year.
One other racing car based on the Astra has already found its way onto the street. The Astra OPC X-treme concept, a bright red prototype with gull-wing doors and a V8 engine, was presented at the IAA International Motor Show 2001. But only one unit was ever produced of this offshoot of the Astra V8 Coupé from the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).