BMW i3 cinematographer shoots Tesla Model S mini-film as passion project [Video]

Austrian cinematographer, Manuel Wenger*, has an impressive list of TV commercials under his belt. He recently shot a European TV spot for the BMW i3 plug-in electric vehicle. And, his commercial credits also include work from Audi. Although he's paid for TV commercials from some of the top German automakers, he chose an all-electric American manufacturer for his passion project -- a mini-film featuring the Tesla Model S as his subject matter. Tesla Motors [NASDAQ: TSLA] has been fortunate to get many "free" ads and commercials from some talented fanboys. But, this mini-film is a slick, high-production shoot straight out of a movie thriller.

In his bio, Wenger describes his work as a cinematographer as having "technique [that] must be sufficiently skillfull to hide the fabrication of reality from the audience and create motion pictures which moves the audience emotionally... and my aim [is] to combine art and technique for unique visual results." You certainly see the results in his Tesla self-produced mini-film. Only a tad over one minute set to punk rock music, this caper involves what appears to be two villains-in-love who look more like Sid and Nancy than Bonnie and Clyde. They use their Tesla Model S to hide some contraband as the title explains their Tesla has "more space than expected" in order to fool the police who search their Model S.

The end has a fun twist that showcases how quiet the Model S can be -- especially when creeping up on someone in an unexpected manner. Wenger shot this in a wide-screen format with Director Christoph Lacmanski in order to show off the unique capabilities of the Tesla Model S. It's fun to see this faux Tesla commercial that displays the vehicle in a different way than we've seen prior. Instead of touting its green credentials, this mini-film shows the car as an indispensable "get-away" vehicle you might catch in the latest James Bond movie. We think Tesla fans will approve.

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*Vimeo: Manuel Wenger