How Gymkhana 5 was made for under $1m

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you are more than likely one of over 23 million people who have watched the latest installment in the DC Shoes Gymkhana series. Ken Block’s seemingly magical driving set in ever more elaborate settings never fails to entertain, even for those who aren’t really into cars.
The thing I find most amazing about this series though is that they get made at all. Anyone in advertising knows that great content ideas can be hard to come by but getting great ideas made can be even harder. Gymkhana 5 was reportedly made for under US $1 million. You are probably saying hang on, $1 million is a lot of money? Not really when you are shutting down parts of a major city, capturing footage from every conceivable angle and I shudder to think what the insurance bill was. Try getting a 10 minute sequence like this shot in Hollywood for that money, I can hear them laughing from Sydney.
This article on Fast Company about the production of Gymkhana 5 is a great insight into how you can get good, quality work made within budget. Well worth a read.