Tyrone Bradley’s Interview: SMART Campaign

03 March 2026

5 Min

Tell us about the brief and your first thoughts

The main selling point of the #5 is it’s range and space which lent itself to a theme of adventure which is what the agency briefed, so I started reminiscing of past road trips and the energy of discovery that was present and wanted to harness that.

The campaign feels calm, natural, and unforced. How do you create that mood?

I think that comes through the photographer’s energy on set and relationship with the cast. I try to make a point of being a part of the scene where the cast can interact with me rather than a camera.

Nature and movement play a big role in these photographs. How did you use these in shaping the visual language of the campaign?

As the #5 is one of the fastest charging and longest range electric vehicles on the market and designed with loads of space, the idea of the campaign was to play with a sense of adventure and places e-vehicles haven’t really been able to go. A city car that lets you escape into nature was really the creative angle. The movement aspect was important to me because discovery doesn’t happen when you’re sitting still and seemed like the right energy to pair with nature in this context.

Every campaign comes with its own constraints. What creative challenge stood out most on this project, and how did it shape the final outcome?

We were shooting alongside the TVC which was directed by Mark Jenkinson and his style of storytelling on this one wasn’t the greatest for moments with stills. His shots were tight and considered (lights everywhere if you deviated from that angle or focal length) so it meant for the stills brief we didn’t have much time or opportunity to shoot alongside. This meant we were under a lot of pressure to get shots immediately when we had our turn so we could meet the shotlist. This meant being more precise with what I wanted vs playing within a scene (which is what I usually prefer for moments).

The other challenge for the tracking shots was setting up my camera on the u-crane with settings to be automated as I was going to be on another set over three hours away while they were shooting that. Guessing the best focal length, intervalometer settings and mix of shutter speed / aperture / iso was a trip to get my head around but I am really stoked on how that all turned out.

From a technical perspective, what key camera, lens, or lighting choices helped you achieve this soft, cinematic look?

I was using a Nikon Z8 and Z9 with a range of lenses, some primes and others zooms. The cinematic look is done in post, the idea was to shoot with as much detail as possible so that Nicola Cafantaris (the retoucher) could work his magic. The look was already decided between us from the previous shoot we did in China so that the images would live well together. Lighting was mostly natural light and choosing locations and angles based on the sun. Some shots were lit by the film crew and I would jump in and add my own pops or rims as needed.

Was there a particular moment during the shoot that stood out to you or shifted the direction of the story in an unexpected way?

This was the first time I was shooting with animals so that was something fun and taught patience. Trying to predict moments and compositions with so much movement was a challenge that was unexpected.

Looking back at the final images, what does this campaign represent for you creatively at this point in your journey?

It’s a weird one because the challenges at the time made this shoot feel like a bit of a wrestling match so it taints my own view of the images. The response from those not close to the shoot has been great and reassuring so I’d say this shoot has given me confidence that I can rise to the occasion when challenged. Which is a good feeling

Eyeforce