Putting together a motoring show - opinions please

[Angelis]

We're putting together a 28 minute motoring show that will be available to view online for free.

I'm doing a bit of research and would like to know what kind of programme would you like to see? People are criticising Top Gear and Fifth Gear, so I thought before we actually start, it would be a good idea find out what everyone likes.

Our budget is £100 of which £54 was spent on a curry dinner after our first shoot. We won't have advertising and we are all basically amateurs, but are willing to have a go. Lots of people are helping us out with the music and other bits as well (thanks everyone).

So far we have the following lined up for the first (and probably last ) episode:

- Short interview with the CEO of Lamborghini (already filmed)
- Ferrari 430 spider v Gallardo Spider (filming next monday)

Your opinions please.

[Mike 820]

Sounds interesting mate. Might be worth browsing the top gear/fifth gear threads to see what people want/dont want.

[550Hep]

Good luck to you... How about a feature on the "2 car choice" a huge amount of us make it to make enjoying motoring realistic.

So we all know this but instead of spending £10-£20k on one eurobox like so many do how much sense and enjoyment is there to really be had from £15k on 2 cars one @ £3k for snotting and the rest for weekend fun, be it barge, classic or track. The remaining £5k in extra insurance etc etc.

I think that might make for interesting viewing. IMHO of course...

[GKP]

Try and blag an interview or behind the scenes type stuff with one of the F1 teams? The new guys are usually fairly amenable.

[Fordo]

i'd like to see more behind the scenes stuff- car designers, motorsport engineers, as well as people in the car communities- theres lots of interesting builds out there, and weird and wonderful characters- i'm sure theres all sorts of fascinating stories along those lines, stories that are just waiting to be told.

Remember- content is king. Doesn't matter how you really make the program, or how you shoot it- if the content is interesting, people will want to watch.

good luck! would love to see what you produce

[BlueEyedBoy]

EVO on video, with a bit more technical information. Also vary it between cars an average petrol head could afford, new or second hand plus exoctica like you have lined up.

[Angelis]

Thanks everyone. Some great ideas.

Mike 820 said:

Sounds interesting mate. Might be worth browsing the top gear/fifth gear threads to see what people want/dont want.

Been watching all the reruns on cable.

550Hep said:

Good luck to you... How about a feature on the "2 car choice" a huge amount of us make it to make enjoying motoring realistic.

So we all know this but instead of spending £10-£20k on one eurobox like so many do how much sense and enjoyment is there to really be had from £15k on 2 cars one @ £3k for snotting and the rest for weekend fun, be it barge, classic or track. The remaining £5k in extra insurance etc etc.

I think that might make for interesting viewing. IMHO of course...

Great idea. I'll put that down on the list.

GKP said:

Try and blag an interview or behind the scenes type stuff with one of the F1 teams? The new guys are usually fairly amenable.

Going to try and get Virgin racing.

Fordo said:

i'd like to see more behind the scenes stuff- car designers, motorsport engineers, as well as people in the car communities- theres lots of interesting builds out there, and weird and wonderful characters- i'm sure theres all sorts of fascinating stories along those lines, stories that are just waiting to be told.

Remember- content is king. Doesn't matter how you really make the program, or how you shoot it- if the content is interesting, people will want to watch.

good luck! would love to see what you produce

We're interviewing owners of various cars. Unfortunatly, those interviews won't be in the motoring show video as they are too long. We did a 14 minute interview with fellow PH'er Diablo Pete who t6alked about being a Lambo owner whilst eating a burger and a large 99 ice cream at the same time.

Gaz. said:

Something grass roots and relative to core enthusiasts, say a £8k sports car shoot-out between a Chim 4.0, S2000, Z3M & a 944 Cab which are varying flavours of the same idea.

We thought about this, but the problem with the shoot outs is that we are limited to public roads and we'll end up paying £££ for insurance cover. Any shoot outs we will do will be done by the owners.

BlueEyedBoy said:

EVO on video, with a bit more technical information. Also vary it between cars an average petrol head could afford, new or second hand plus exoctica like you have lined up.

I don't think we could be as serious as Evo, mainly because none of us are motoring journalist so don't have the technical skills to evaluate cars.

[goffahsez]

IMO if you ask on here for the owners of cars you want reviewed to come forward I'm sure you'll have a few volunteers!
If you end up doing a hot hatch shoot out I will definitely volunteer my services and r26

[300bhp/ton]

Angelis said:

We're putting together a 28 minute motoring show that will be available to view online for free.

I'm doing a bit of research and would like to know what kind of programme would you like to see? People are criticising Top Gear and Fifth Gear, so I thought before we actually start, it would be a good idea find out what everyone likes.

Our budget is £100 of which £54 was spent on a curry dinner after our first shoot. We won't have advertising and we are all basically amateurs, but are willing to have a go. Lots of people are helping us out with the music and other bits as well (thanks everyone).

So far we have the following lined up for the first (and probably last ) episode:

- Short interview with the CEO of Lamborghini (already filmed)
- Ferrari 430 spider v Gallardo Spider (filming next monday)

Your opinions please.

My opinion would be, I'd be up for helping pretty good as an ideas man and enjoy a bit or writing.

[goffahsez]

IMO if you ask on here for the owners of cars you want reviewed to come forward I'm sure you'll have a few volunteers!
If you end up doing a hot hatch shoot out I will definitely volunteer my services and r26

[AuldReekie]

Hardly original or radical I know, but in the age of Ken Block fly-overs I would like to see 'real life' features on:

Driving skills feature - whether that be track work or some advanced driving on the road. There are plenty of both race and police/IAM instructors on here whom I am sure would love a curry tea in exhange for some time spent. In respect of road work: I should say I am talking basics, positioning, advanced obs, etc - i.e. safety.

'Classics' feature - the best of the 80's, 90's or 00's as a guide? Showcasing some great examples of cars we perhaps have owned or would like to own. Including the areas which are relevant to a buyer including guides of prices, ownerships costs, etc.

Consumer advice on tyres, oils, independant/MD servicing costs...

Mmm, I think I have aged before my time.

[300bhp/ton]

Gaz. said:

Angelis said:

Gaz. said:

Something grass roots and relative to core enthusiasts, say a £8k sports car shoot-out between a Chim 4.0, S2000, Z3M & a 944 Cab which are varying flavours of the same idea.

We thought about this, but the problem with the shoot outs is that we are limited to public roads and we'll end up paying £££ for insurance cover. Any shoot outs we will do will be done by the owners.

Imo what a car does on the road and what it is like to live with is more important than powersliding around an airfield

fully agree. While it's fun to see a car sideways and know a lap time, it has zilcho bearing for 99% of people and would have zero bearing on my purchasing decision.

[morebeanz]

Take a look at the various club diaries and then cover a selection of them as part of a weekly/monthly round-up. You might be brave enough to rate the shows, and also give folks an idea as to what's on next week/month...

[GFWilliams]

Might be worth speaking to small manufacturers, such as Ultima, Caterham, Morgan, and see if they will do a factory tour for you.

[garethj]

Angelis said:

Our budget is £100 of which £54 was spent on a curry dinner after our first shoot.

Your opinions please.

My opinion is you did the right thing to not bother with the starter.

Comparisons can be fun, and I’m sure you can tap into a wealth of available cars and owners here – a test of some £500 cars can be as interesting as £50,000 cars if you look for the stuff that makes car ownership have a spark.

Classic car magazines often have a “buyers’ guide” so that might be worth a few minutes. Most car clubs have a few members who’ll help out and they have a huge knowledge. They’re usually the ones who provide the info for magazine articles anyway

Cast your net wide and see what’s popular – perhaps a feature on motorbikes? How to get started in rallying / autotesting / banger racing / grasstrack racing / trackdays

[goffahsez]

I've a mate with a focus st, another with a 350z and another with a cooper works, all willing to contribute our cars and time

[Angelis]

Thanks again for all your comments.

We did some shooting on monday at the ACe Cafe and it went quite well. It was a lot harder than expected and we were quite rushed as it was a race against the sun going down and losing light. I know now why not everyone does this kind of thing. Having 3 or 4 extra people to help out would have made things a lot easier. In the end there was only myself and the two presenters.

We'll have to go back next month to do some fill in shots. Overall, it wasn't too bad for people who don't know what they are doing.

A few screen shots from the video footage:







PS. We managed to blow another £30 of our budget on fish & chips. Looks like we are on sandwiches for the next shoot.

Edited by Angelis on Thursday 15th July 18:00

[Angelis]

Put together a 2 minute promo. It's very rough, but gives an idea of some of the things we are try to do.

It was unrehearsed and we had no script and this segment was done in one take. It was a lot harder than we thought it would be.

http://vimeo.com/13367634

[oblio]

What about visiting one of the various car shows/meets that are happening at this time of year and doing a minute or two reviewing it?

[Angelis]

oblio said:

What about visiting one of the various car shows/meets that are happening at this time of year and doing a minute or two reviewing it?

The plan is to visit a few meets this year.

The Crack Fox said:

Angelis, please don't take this the wrong way, I can see you've put some work in but ..

Neither of your presenters have the charisma to hold anyones attention for long enough. Quoting stats Top-Trumps style is dull, phrases "corners on rails" is cringeworthy and "us Ferrari boys" makes it sound like willy waving. It may be Vimeo's fault but the filming quality isn't much cop either. Sorry. Either tell folks about something completely new, or present what we already know in a new/entertaining way, that would be my suggestion (not that you asked)

I hope you take this as constructive criticism, good luck, post up your results when it is all done !

No offence taken. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

This was just a small portion so it's interesting to see what everyone thinks. Some like it, some don't. There are a few things we will be changing though.