Quintessence
Renowned photographer and cinematographer Brannon Jackson waited for the perfect moment to document an air-cooled Porsche 911 flying across Australia’s vast landscape. He shares how he captured this moment.
“I had this vision of capturing Porsche’s iconic sportscar off-roading in the outback.”
Brannon Jackson
Off the wall:
Brannon Jackson, photographer and cinematographer.For years, I had this vision of capturing Porsche’s iconic sportscar offroading in the outback. This vision stayed with me until earlier this year when a beautiful 1979 Porsche 911 SC Safari appeared in my Instagram feed. It was exactly the car I had been imagining for this shoot. I contacted the owner and the project gathered momentum quickly.
The goal wasn’t simply to document a static car, but to create something that felt immersive. I wanted to capture this Porsche 911 Safari in full motion and give viewers the feeling of movement across the remote landscape of Western Australia.
Months of planning followed and before long a specialist crew of three was flying to Western Australia. We had two days to bring the project to life before they needed to return to Sydney for another production.
Storm in a P-Car:
Brannon Jackson wanted to convey a sense of movement across the remote landscape.This was a challenging shoot, both creatively and technically. I paired my FPV Cinelifter drone with a Freefly Ember high-speed camera, which is capable of capturing extraordinary slow-motion footage that reveals details the human eye would otherwise miss. This meant mounting a camera worth tens of thousands of dollars on a drone that would fly at top speed, just metres from a classic Porsche being driven flat out.
Western Australia was the perfect setting. The red earth and vast open landscapes provided the quintessential playground for this 911 Safari.
Eyes ahead:
The safari-inspired Porsche 911 SC.Every drone flight and every battery second matters when you are shooting in the middle of Australia’s outback. Temperatures above 37 degrees drain batteries quickly. The loose gravel is also relentless. There is little room for error.
Knowing one mistake could end months of preparation, there was no opportunity to simply try again if something went wrong. Despite years of flying FPV drones without breaking more than a single propeller, the Safari’s spray of rocks claimed six during the shoot.
But those challenges quickly faded as I watched the 911 Safari throwing clouds of red dust, its raw sound and unmistakable character echoing across the landscape. Watching a classic 911 driven exactly as it was meant to be, framed by one of Australia’s most remote locations, reminded me why this project mattered in the first place.
I hope you enjoy the video.
