These Trucks are shooting stars

Hunting for the best images: Film-makers and photographers have staged seven vehicles with different types of body to celebrate the launch of MAN’s new generation of trucks. Be it with careful lighting in the studio or splashed with mud from all the action: Each and every detail in the shots has to be right – as is the case with the construction and design of the trucks. A peek behind the scenes reveals how much effort and attention to detail goes into the work by the imaginative camera team and how much they enjoy it.

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Radio message to the team

The Munich-based photographer Lothar Reichel approaches his work of taking photos of gripping truck scenes as a total professional. He uses radios to coordinate the photo shoot for MAN’s new generation of trucks. It can quickly take several hours before all the pictures at a single location are in the can. Not a problem for Lothar Reichel. He’s calmness personified. Reichel has selected the locations to produce exciting camera perspectives and show the trucks as they are in real life. The Corona pandemic meant that special hygiene measures needed to be put in place, which in turn meant that taking these photographs constituted a special challenge. Michael Möschel from Kulmbach, Managing Director at MGTM FleetService GmbH, was instrumental in organising the shoot’s logistics and was a great help to MAN’s team.

Airborne camera

Camera assistant Simon Maier squints into the sun. He can see the drone in the sky now. It buzzes down into the quarry filming a grey MAN TGS tipper as it flies towards the vehicle. The spectacular camera movements from above are to be used in films showcasing MAN’s new generation of trucks. Several hundred guests from all over the world experienced the product launch in Bilbao in February 2020. Thousands more followed the event as it was streamed live and, since then, customers have been expressing their delight with the vehicles. The new range of trucks is now continuing its success story. And that’s exactly what the footage is intended to show.

MAN’s camera team filmed and photographed seven MAN trucks in different applications and with different bodies for a week. The new generation is equipped for any use – even photo shootings.

Tipper times three

These are the new powers on construction sites: The new TGS, TGM and TGL have been brought together in a quarry in Kupferberg near Kulmbach in Bavaria for a group photo. The three have been equipped with tippers in preparation for some hard work. Product managers joined in to add the finishing touches and make sure that the trucks looked perfect. Smile!

Highly polished

The lighting is carefully arranged for MAN’s new TGX-Kurzholz truck for short timber. It’s parked in the hall at a forwarding company in Kulmbach. Two spotlights have been aimed at the vehicle from two sides. A filter has been put in place to make sure that the light falls softly on the truck to present its outlines in the best way possible. The cameramen are listening to a play list over the USB speakers while they set up their equipment. It’s rock music – that much cool trucker atmosphere is allowed.

But the team is highly concentrated in its work. The truck’s LED headlights are lovingly cleaned. The new generation of trucks is MAN’s most important product launch in 20 years. The vehicles need to be perfectly presented in the images down to the last millimetre. They’re MAN’s pride and joy.

In the driver’s cab

Antonia Braovac prepares the cab in the new truck for the shoot. The interior in the detail photos needs to be brilliantly clean in spite of the fact that the vehicle has just arrived from the previous shoot in the dusty quarry. The new cab and cockpit are seen as the most important innovations in the new series. That’s why such features as MAN SmartSelect, the digital TFT display and the ergonomic driver’s seat are being photographed.

In the middle of life

A typical scene from the life of a delivery: One of MAN’s new TGL with box body pulls up on Marktplatz in Kulmbach. Director Kurt Weber has positioned himself with his camera so that the lens also captures the items on the flower and herb stand. The perfect moment, when, for once, no passersby are obstructing the view of the truck, has arrived. Camera, action!

Hard work

Before the MAN TGX wooden truck is photographed from all sides, an employee screws the warning lights on the cab roof. After all, the pictures are intended to show the new MAN Truck Generation with authentic equipment as it is used by customers.

A perfect finish

Photographing seven trucks with different superstructures and many important details means a lot of hard work in the end. Ultimately, of course, it's worth the effort: In the evening, all the pictures are captured - and the crew behind photographer Lothar Reichel is satisfied.