Director of Photography
Excited now that this teaser for GT Academy has been released – I have worked on GT Academy US since season 1. Always interesting to see if my camera operating work made the final edits of the tv show!
Be sure to tune in on Spike TV, November 11, 2013 at 10:30pm for the first episode.
Being able to work at the speed of the cars you shoot – helps make jobs like this one possible! An ambitious single day production with 6 hero cars, 100 camera setups, and 4 pages of dialogue.
Thanks to my awesome crew and agency who pushed to make this project a reality. Even with limited resources – there is no reason to have inferior results. Happy to add this project to my portfolio.
Self produced by Will Roegge + Company.
My production company, Will Roegge + Company, was hired to create a series of 12 videos for Hyundai North America documenting Rhys Millen Racing’s 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb campaign.
We started in February, 2013 with the design inspiration and planning of the build and concluded in June, 2013 with the run up Pikes Peak. For 2013, Rhys Millen Racing had a two car program – Rhys in the unlimited class and Paul Dallenbach in the time attack class. It was exciting to watch both drivers battle it out within their respective classes. Rhys ended up with 2nd place overall and setting the fastest 2 wheel drive car time ever at Pikes Peak. While Paul ended up first in class and set a new record for the time attack class.
I feel like the third time is the charm. In the years past we’ve told stories of the mountain and getting to the mountain – this year its about the experience of racing it. The first year I directed a Pikes Peak film with Jeff Zwart was 2010. Pikes Peak was still mixed gravel and pavement and the 10 minute barrier still stood. Thinking about my personal experience at Pikes Peak I’m lucky to have been there to witness the road with dirt. It was a different road, driver’s could pick their line through a wider section of road and the rally style being pitched sideways through one of the mountain’s corners is one of the coolest things to see and film.
Skipping 2012 due to work conflicts, Jeff and I both made our return to Pikes this year and found a different road. The competition has changed and the road is so fast. Driving the highway as a tourist its hard to imagine drivers hitting triple digit speeds while my rental car gasps for air at 45mph. Hopefully this film captures the essence of Jeff’s Porsche GT3 Cup Hill Climb Special. It is an incredible machine, a skilled driver, all on a challenging road in a race to the clouds.
Since February, 2013 I’ve been working with Rhys Millen Racing and Hyundai to create a series documenting Rhys Millen’s return to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Last year 2012, Rhys Millen set the all-time record at Pikes Peak in his multi faceted Hyundai Genesis Coupe – a car I’m familiar with from covering Formula Drift and Rhys in 2009 as he set the Time Attack Class record. Rhys’ new machine for 2013, shares the same engine as his winning Genesis Coupe, but inside of a prototype chassis with a larger turbo.
In 2010 and 2011, I worked with director/racer Jeff Zwart to create 3 different films documenting his runs up the mountain. 2010 saw his GT3 Cup car breaking the Time Attack record set the previous year by Rhys Millen. 2011 was a different type of challenge and involved Jeff driving his competition car – a Porsche 911 GT2 RS from Santa Ana, California to Manitou Springs, Colorado to compete in the hill climb.
I took my 1995 Nissan 240sx to an open test day at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosemond, California to practice drifting. It was Tailyr’s 2nd time drifting and my 3rd – on a track. I’ve owned my Nissan for 5 years and used to daily drive it. Its become more of a purpose built drift/modified street car over the years.
I opted to turbocharge it 2 years ago to make more power with the stock KA24de engine. My goal with modifying the stock setup was to make reliable power that would be good for learning more intermediate and advanced drifting.
It was tuned at Rhys Millen Racing in Huntington Beach, California by Mitch Peterson. The stock ECU was swapped out for an AEM EMS 2.