News // 4 News by J. Konrad Schmidt
BMW has unveiled its newest supermodel : the BMW XM Mystique Allure. Inspired by haute couture, the BMW XM Mystique Allure is an homage to Naomi Campbell featuring an exclusive auditory experience composed by Hans Zimmer – and has just celebrated its debut in Cannes.
J. KONRAD SCHMIDT photographed the stunning key visual with Naomi Campbell in Munich only a few days ahead of the couture car’s striking debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Inside and out, the car is draped in radiant ultramarine – a blend of navy and violet shades, the supermodel’s favorite color. And there’s more where that came from : the hood, roof, and the top of the doors are covered in velvet, while the mirrors, lower doors, and even the kidney grille are adorned with sequins.
Grammy and Oscar award-winning composer Hans Zimmer contributed the custom soundtrack, designed to emulate the aura of the supermodel inside the vehicle. Approaching passengers are greeted, for instance, with a signature sound. Upon entering the vehicle, the feeling of luxury and finesse is further underscored through a welcome sound in the cabin.
The BMW XM is a sport utility vehicle (SUV). It was launched to mark the 59th anniversary of BMW M GmbH in late September 2022. The vehicle with model code G09 is manufactured at the BMW plant in Spartanburg, USA.
J. KONRAD SCHMIDT studied photography and graduated with honors. He has been working as a freelance photographer in Berlin since 2010 – and travels the world for his international clients and personal projects.
CREDITS
Client: BMW AG Munich
Starring: Naomi Campbell
Car: the one-off BMW XM Mystique Allure dedicated to Naomi Campbell
Agency: Pacific UEG
Managing Director Agency: Sven Schäferkord (Pacific UEG)
Senior Account Manager: Paulina Ruedel (Pacific UEG)
Directrice Artistique: Goldiss Afshar (Pacific UEG)
Production Company: 27km Munich
Executive Producer: Philip Huber (27km Munich)
Head of Production: Julian Pfretzschner (27km Munich)
Digital Operator: Benjamin Kis
Assistance: Jeneba Komma
Post Production: Nele Ebner
Making-of images: Per Schorn
Car Prep/Car Customization: Monika Schmid, Antony Grigg (Creative Wave)
Styling Local (backdrop fabric): Hetty Müller
Stand-in Model: Tamara Lenz
Location: Palais des Festivals de Cannes & Eisbach Studios, Munich
20.06.2024
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Creative retouch came from RECOM for a double-pack of projects for and with Damien de BLINKK c/o EMEIS DEUBEL, who staged both the VW Hybrid and the KIA EV6 campaigns. Created together with Andreas Hempel via CGI and retouch were the visuals for the NISSAN Qashqai and TBWA Paris, and Cream Paris produced campaign motifs for DACIA with MATTHEW JONES.
‘Tardigrade’ concept motorbike for lunar research. Namesake for which are microscopically small, eight-legged invertebrate creatures, skilled in surviving even the most extreme conditions. Already in 2020, Andrey Fabishevsky envisioned an electric NASA motorcycle for lunar travel. This very idea has now been brought to life by the German brand Hookie. The bike was photographed by J. Konrad Schmidt, and RECOM took care of creative retouch as well as the CGI elements.
And last but not least : Welcome RECOM once again as an exhibitor at this year’s UPDATE in Berlin.
GoSee : update.salon & recom.de
09.02.2022
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‘Tardigrade’ is the first concept vehicle for lunar research. Namesake for which are microscopically small, eight-legged invertebrate creatures, skilled in surviving even the most extreme conditions. Already in 2020, Andrey Fabishevsky envisioned an electric NASA motorcycle for lunar travel. This very idea has now been brought to life by the German brand Hookie. The vehicle was photographed by J. Konrad Schmidt, and RECOM took care of post production as well as CGI elements.
It all started when Andrey Fabishevsky and a friend of hers came up with the idea for a creative sketch challenge for Instagram which soon turned into a CGI concept. The idea was celebrated across social media, and immediately, speculations about possible construction started. “I had seen some very stylized and cool concept sketches of NASA motorcycles, and I wanted to make a bike in CGI that felt like a fully functional concept, not just a cool stylized idea,” says Andrey Fabishevsky.
Among those who saw the idea and loved it was Nico Mueller from Hookie – a design firm based in Dresden which designs motorcycles according to customer specifications. Inspired by Andrey’s visuals, they contacted him with the idea to build the car. The project was named Tardigrade after the resilient little organisms which even survive in outer space. Complex welding work and several long nights later, the vehicle was born.
“A thought experiment which also raises questions about our future : What would life beyond planetary boundaries look like? What demands does outer space make on a bike that can travel in the darkness of space and largely free from the shackles of gravity over icy lunar dust? And how far away are we from such scenarios?” says Nico Müller from Hookie.
Friends from Hookie knew the perfect place for the photo shoot : a porcelain clay mine in the Czech Republic. The pale dust of the clay proved to be excellent for both the texture of the bike tracks and the lighting as well as the structure of the lunar surface. “It was surreal. Andrew and Hookie did such an amazing job. Standing on this location with this bike felt like – ‘What else could anyone wish for?’ It looked right from the first second on,” says photographer J. Konrad Schmidt.
Back in Stuttgart, RECOM worked with Konrad to create a unique atmosphere which was based on the real lunar surface in terms of contrast and grading. “To break out of everyday life, it is always cool to jump into space travel, to create an outer space lunar feel for such a beautifully designed – out of this world! – object as the TARDIGRADE. Recom is ready for the moon,” says Thorsten Jasper Weese from RECOM.
With the world premiere as part of the ADV:Overland exhibition in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles at the end of 2021, Hookie wants to show that fantastic ideas can even grow to become real palpable objects. All it takes is a vision and curiosity about the unknown. The article appeared on DESIGNBOOM, STIRWORLD and UNCRATE. More is available via HOOKIE and directly on the RECOM blog MADLOVE.
07.12.2021
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