A full team from Frasershot was on site and ready to go at the Carshop flagship store in Swindon for this December shoot.

The Carshop team have embarked on this rebrand to ensure the brand is visually  modern and professional – yet still approachable, and have put their staff at the heart of the changes with new uniforms and a bright engaging style.

The large warehouse - our studio for the week, was a real challenge for the team.  We were dealing with a working site; Carshop customers coming and going, management of lighting, 23 models and a stylists team (over the course of 5 days) – it was full on. Also adhering to Health and safety regulations like equipment hazards,  not to mention protecting the valuable assets – the actual cars!

We are a resilient, hardworking bunch and whilst the cold temperature of the warehouse was bearable, it was tricky for managing the shots of families and young children as with a generic brief, the models had to appear seasonless. No wrapping up in winter warmers!  

Carshop had asked us to project manage all the elements of the shoot from recces to model selection and props through to scheduling retouching, proofing and post production delivery. Most clients find the prep working and model selections hugely time consuming and it’s great for us to be involved with every element. For Carshop, this was one of the deciding factors in going with our proposal for the commission.

We also needed to have the technology and ability to proof imagery on set by shooting tethered to laptops, directly onto the POS templates using capture one software. Ideal for the client as it enabled them to sign off the shots in real time. This is fantastic way of working and one which we promote to all our clients, however it does slow down the shooting process.

One of the main objectives of the project was to bring fun and more of a realistic lifestyle approach to the brand. Our images were for feature walls, large format graphics and blown up to billboard size - visible throughout every customer touchpoint on site. They needed to be bright and reflect the new brand personality and the bright and friendly customer centric staff.

Our equipment and skills were essential for delivering the huge format and quality of shots for the ability to print large scale without compromise. It was all shot on the Phase One camera system to give the best available quality regardless of which photographer was shooting.

Carshop were thrilled with the imagery and the fact we took on the project management of the entire shoot. When we checked in post shoot, Ben Scholes (Content and Communications Manager for Carshop) had this feedback:

The rebrand has also been picked up by industry media, with an article in Motortrader about the success of the new look brand launch.

Full crew shot below - Our team and the clients and staff involved on day 5.