I love my job again!
The world endurance championship is, in the world of motorsport social media content, very exciting for one specific reason: the restrictions on filming rights for this top-level motorsport category are much more lenient than any other.
A long time frustration about working in some of the most prominent racing series is the restriction on filming live track action. It’s what racing is about, but we don't get to share the on-track stories in the same way as we do the off-track antics. In DTM, in Formula E, and especially in F1 the rules are very tight. As a petrol head myself, the thought of working in F1 as a videographer but never even seeing a single car driving on track, let alone filming it, is heartbreaking. And I’ve had the privilege and heartbreak of experiencing it.
Enter WEC. Where there are zero restrictions.
Cue big smiles. And sore eardrums.
My first outing with WEC, alongside my good friend Jurre and the WEC media team, was a massive but thrilling learning curve. The team is really great and fun to work with. The value of this in brining about a harmonious and fruitful working environment shouldn’t be underestimated. Also, the cars. Oh those cars! The modern era hypercars are nothing short of astonishing. Genuinely unbelievably fast, especially in the high speed corners, and boasting a beautiful array of engine sizes and layouts and crucially, differing noises.
V6, v8, v12. Turbo. Hybrid. Naturally aspirated. It's all there, and it’s all great. So naturally, the kid in me gets very giddy when it’s time to jump in the golf cart and head out on track. I'm in love with motorsport again, from a working perspective, in a way I haven’t been for a little while. It’s mega!
On the working side, this project provides the opportunity to delve into long form content, something I’ve been desperate to start dabbling in. Together with Jurre we're shooting all long- and short-form content for the WEC channels this year. It’s a challenge I’m revelling in. And it is a challenge. We have targets for this year, in terms of audience engagement and growth, and we learnt a lot from that first race week. Critically, it's not as easy as you'd think to do both (long/short form) efficiently and effectively when you’re jumping between the two all the time. Big learning process in collaboration and communication. But I guess that’s what it's all about.
What also stood out is that at some point equipment does matter. Equipment does not always matter, but at some point it really does. Especially with longer form content. You cannot hide imperfections in the way you can with fast, flashy Instagram reels, so the importance of good quality audio and clean video increases significantly.
So that sums up my initial impressions and reflections of WEC. I love my job again. I know that’s clickbaity, and I've never not loved my job, but this championship has ignited a new fire in me. If you’re a Drive to Survive veteran, then I can only recommend broadening your horizons beyond F1. WEC is thrilling and unpredictable in a way other motorsport isn’t.
