How Indian Motorcycle Captured the Singular Joy of Freedom

The open road will free you. It’s a feeling to which anyone with a driver’s license can relate - that sense of independence and taking destiny into your own hands in the knowledge that you can go anywhere. 

That sentiment of liberation is something that Indian Motorcycle has tapped into in its latest ad. Set to a thumping rhythm of drums, bass, and guitars, the spot plays out as a kind of ode to rugged individualism. It’s a reminder of the simple joy that can be found in putting rubber to the road and setting out for adventure. More than that, it implores us not to neglect our own individualism. 

Putting the pulsating ad together was the result of careful and considered collaboration. Working together with EP Chris Ohlson the team at Revelator, director Matt Muir and The Speed Shop founder Joe Sutter managed to create a film that articulates a message perfectly suited to the brand. 

To find out how it all came together - and how they solved a unique set of challenges - Matt, Chris, and Joe spoke to LBB’s Adam Bennett… 

LBB> Hey, guys - can you tell us about your initial visions heading into this project, and how closely they align with the finished film? 

Matt> The initial brief from our friends at The Speed Shop was very focused from the beginning. These bikes are really special, and the idea of being “purpose-built from the factory” was there at the start. 

That meant we needed to of course show performance, but also cross-cut that performance footage with the shots of the beautiful factory-built parts. We’ve had a chance to work with the folks at Indian Motorcycle and The Speed Shop on several projects now, and we all agreed from the beginning that this one should also have the most aggressive riding we’ve shown so far. We love the look of Austin and the crew that we work with here, so the setting was there from the beginning as well. 

Then it became about asking how we find specific roads that fit with the aesthetic of the story. And that aesthetic was basically “let’s show these bikes on roads where it looks like the neighbours don’t call the cops”.  

Joe> This spot was a bit of a creative departure from previous spots we’ve worked on together. Many of our past spots told an authentic motorcycle story, but in a more traditional, chronological way. With the new Indian Sport Chief, the bike’s specifications dictated we come up with a new framework to highlight those features more overtly. The Speed Shop shared an initial concept of how several different chapters could tell the full story, with a graphic treatment to connect them. Matt and team fully embraced the idea, and really took it to the next level. 

Further, the editing and sound design really pushed the envelope to be much more dynamic, perfectly showcasing the immense performance potential of this bike versus past model launches.  

The bar was set very high for this spot, and the team nailed it. The client was over-the-top enthusiastic about the result. 

Chris> That’s right - we’ve worked with The Speed Shop and the Indian Motorcycle team a number of times now, and always love getting brought into the preliminary discussions. In this case, Joe and Brando (creative director at The Speed Shop) had from the outset said this would be a dramatic departure from previous campaigns that we’ve all created.  

We took that as a challenge – and only wanted to bring our very best (creative/technicians/approach) as we wanted to knock this out of the park and really be able to flex our creative muscles.

LBB> The ad implores us to ‘let our values show in our actions’. What do you think made that kind of self-expression the right message for a brand like Indian Motorcycle to communicate? 

Joe> As America’s first motorcycle company, Indian Motorcycle is a brand rooted in authentic and original stories. From the Wrecking Crew racers that dominated in the 40s and 50s, to Burt Munro setting the World Land Speed record on his 1920 Indian Scout in the 60s, to today’s next generation of riders, self expression has been at the core of the brand. 

With Sport Chief, Indian Motorcycle created a bike that makes no excuses in style and performance. Sport Chief is designed for a rider who knows exactly what they want, and what their bike choice says about them. Insight into that mindset drove our spot close line: “Performance is given. Respect is earned”. 

LBB> This spot immediately feels so tactile - I feel like I’m in that garage at the start. How did you go about creating that sense of tangible objects and place on-screen?

Matt> Thanks. We work hard to make sure locations, wardrobe, and riding styles feel natural and legitimate in these campaigns. Indian Motorcycle riders and potential customers expect the level of detail the brand is known for, so we create these projects knowing there is a pretty sophisticated audience for them. We have a long-term relationship with a lot of folks in the moto community here, so we’re very diligent about sourcing the most legitimate locations, props, and wardrobe.

LBB> The music and sound design are equally on-point, particularly in those moments of silence where tension builds. How involved were you in that side of the ad, and did it affect the way you shot in any way?

Matt> Thanks, that’s great to hear. The storytelling power of music and sound design is at the forefront for us when we’re prepping these projects. We’re getting music references from The Speed Shop in pre-production and planning schedules around capturing practical audio of these motorcycles in natural settings. When a spot is this aggressive, there’s a tendency to run-in-the-red (forgive me) with pace of music and sound design at the drop, but we’re diligent about building momentum and finding quiet moments to truly tell a story…which is always our number one goal.

Chris> From a Revelator standpoint, we’re now in a place where we handle the majority of the work we create through post and delivery. In this case, having Matt and our editorial team be able to workshop music and sound elements against various cuts throughout the editorial process, and continue to build out the world of sound as we go, really let this be an ever-evolving and growing sound-world.   

With a great final sound design and mix by a wonderful collaborator of ours, Dusty Albertz of Howdy Sound, the piece sounds fantastic!

Above: A trio of behind-the-scenes shots from the ad, taken by photographer Michael Levin.

LBB> And Joe, what made Matt the right choice as director? 

Joe> The Speed Shop has been fortunate to work with Matt on several Indian Motorcycle spots over the last three years. If my math is right, this is our eighth project together, and Matt and team are our go-to for bringing Indian Motorcycle stories to life. 

Matt’s greatest strength is his selfless creative collaboration. Collaboration is a word that’s used often, but rarely fully understood. Matt’s creative maturity allows us as creative partners the opportunity to share ideas before they’re fully baked, knowing he’ll be able to find the heart of the idea. There’s no competitive distractions or idea ownership struggles. Matt creates an environment that always invites continual improvement of the final product. 

As importantly, once the story is baked and we’re on set capturing the footage, Matt’s experience and professionalism creates a set that empowers the cast and crew. No drama means we feel real energy when shooting, and that’s reflected in the work. 

LBB> Matt, what was the biggest challenge you encountered whilst putting the ad together, and how did you overcome it? 

Matt> I think the biggest challenge was solving my greed for a certain amount of shots. It was a layered story we were telling, and we knew the number of shots we needed to build a pace in the edit. On top of that, you have a lot of elements to juggle when planning the shoot: timing your street closures, the best daylight, the number of takes you’ll need for riding adjustments, the company moves, and predicting the weather. 

There’s always going to be a wrench thrown into your plans somewhere and when you start cutting shots you try to know you’re also crafting a new edit. That can be a great new edit based on a plan, or it can be a diminished edit based on the lack of a plan.

I will say one of the best weapons I had was our amazing riders. These guys are so talented and experienced that what looks like impending chaos is actually fine-tuned execution on their part. They are just killers at what they do.

LBB> Finally, is there anything you’d do differently if you had your time again? 

Matt> No. We had an incredibly supportive client and an amazing crew that executed everything we asked of them. It really was such a great experience. Of course, I’d always like more time in the edit, but they did need to release the motorcycles at some point to sell them.

Joe> The partnership between The Speed Shop and Revelator feels so natural and familiar, we never leave anything unsaid or unchallenged when we create these stories. The Revelator team is by far the most diligent and buttoned-up partner we’ve ever worked with, so there are never any surprises and they never miss a detail. That creates a sense of calm throughout all production stages that allows us as creatives the clarity to focus on really dialing the creative product.  

While not in anyone’s control, the only thing we’d change is the weather. Good luck right? Cool, cloudy and intermittent rain aren’t the best conditions to shoot motorcycles. Warm sunlight is always better for the best emotional storytelling with motorcycles, and needed for the epic sun flares Matt is expert at capturing with his anamorphic lenses. 

Given the tight production timelines, we’re still always able to make the best of any conditions. That said, in the future we’ll work with the client to create some additional flexibility in timing and budget to try and maximise the opportunity to have the best weather and best light for storytelling. 

Chris> It’s always tempting to wish for more time and money – but in this case, working with The Speed Shop and the Indian Motorcycle team, we’re all coming from the same place and very much transparent about what’s possible and how we can do it.  

We all work really well together and have our eyes on the same great prize. This really is one of those partnerships where the cohesion across the client, agency, and production company teams is so strong that working within constraints and boundaries only pushes all of us to do even better and better work.