After plenty of research, numerous emails, route planning, prop gathering and one postponement due to bad weather, Thursday 17th May saw us head out for a day of filming with Chris from local company Sharp Films, covering over 100 miles of the finest Devon coastline and countryside. The vehicles of choice were Columbus (VW T6 Kombi) and Armstrong (Roller Team T-Line 785). We opted for one of our ‘go anywhere’ vans and a luxury motorhome, as we wanted to capture the different styles of camper breaks that these vehicles offer.
It was a bright and early start with a full day of filming ahead, but the weather was perfect for it, beautiful sunshine and clear blue skies - we couldn’t have asked for better! We left the South West Camper Hire base in Columbus and headed to Bigbury-On-Sea ready for our 7am start.
We’d arranged for an actress, Katie and an actor, Luke to star in the video (thanks to Debbie Burdon Casting) and after navigating our way through the winding country roads and nearby villages, everyone found their way to the meeting point. Once there, it was time to polish up Columbus ready for the shoot while enjoying the sunrise and views of Burgh Island!
As it was so early, the location was empty (other than us), offering stunning views, so we took the opportunity to capture some photos of Columbus while Chris set up his kit. With such beautiful views wherever you look, it’s no wonder it’s known as an area of outstanding beauty. We would highly recommend a trip to Bigbury-On-Sea in one of our VW campers, and if you’re a fan of watersports, there’s a surf school on the seafront hiring everything from surfboards to kayaks, so you won’t even need to bring your own equipment.
Once Chris was set up and props were in place, it was time to roll. As you can imagine, capturing close-ups inside a VW camper alongside three adults and a range of camera equipment was a little tricky, so here are some sneaky shots we caught of Chris in action to show you how it’s done…
We wrapped up at Bigbury on Sea just after midday, ready to head back to base and swap Columbus for Armstrong, and a quick pit stop for lunch on the way. Once we’d changed over, we visited our second location of the day, Teign Valley, Barley Meadow Campsite on the edge of Dartmoor, which we can highly recommend for a stay. They found us a great pitch, so we parked up and prepared to film one of our luxury motorhomes.
It’s safe to say that Katie and Luke had a relaxing afternoon at Barley Meadow, sipping on wine and walking Jasper the dog (all for the sake of filming of course), while Chris was still hard at work capturing footage. As all of our campers and motorhomes are dog-friendly, we invited Jasper the dog along for the afternoon and offered him a starring role. We’re pleased to report that he approved of our dog-friendly campers!
We’ve seen the first cut of the video, and think it captures the camper lifestyle perfectly. We can’t wait to show you the finished product, so keep an eye on our social media to see it first!
A big thanks to Chris from Sharp Films, Katie, Luke and Jasper the dog for their starring roles and Teign Valley Barley Meadow Campsite for lending us a pitch for the afternoon.
If you’re interested in hiring a campervan or motorhome for your next break, meet our vans to find out more or head to our booking calendar to check availability.