Client: Aston Martin
Project: Prototype Build Documentation
Location: Envisage Group, Coventry
Services: Automotive Photography & Videography
The Brief:
Some projects you remember before you've even picked up a camera. This was one of them.
Aston Martin commissioned Visually Rich to document the final stages of the Valiant build prototype. This car was to be a track-focused, road-legal special edition inspired by Formula 1 legend Fernando Alonso, limited to just 38 units worldwide. The brief was clear: capture the craftsmanship, the engineering and the detail of one of the most significant limited-run Aston Martins in recent memory, in a form that would live permanently as both a high-end build documentation book and a cinematic exploratory film for the client and future owners.
The Challenge:
Working around a prototype of this significance requires a particular kind of discipline. You're in a live engineering environment, surrounded by people doing precise, time-sensitive work, and your job is to capture everything without getting in the way of any of it.
We were given specific windows during critical assembly phases. No room for hesitation, no second chances on certain shots. Lighting a prototype in a working workshop environment without losing the authentic, behind-the-scenes atmosphere the brief demanded made every setup a considered creative decision rather than a routine one.
The approach:
Rather than attempting to capture everything in a single visit, we planned a series of strategic visits across the final weeks of the build, following the car as it evolved from a rolling chassis into a completed vehicle.
That approach gave us something a single shoot day never could: the full story. The complete arc of a build that most people will never get close to, told in a way that makes you feel like you were there for every stage of it.
The shooting style throughout was run-and-gun cinematic, instinctive and immersive. Premium without being sterile. Behind-the-scenes without sacrificing quality. Exactly what a car like the Valiant deserved.
The Result:
The final assets gave Aston Martin a comprehensive visual archive of the Valiant's journey from concept to completion. A build documentation book that stands as a permanent record of the car's engineering pedigree, and an exploratory film that offers a rare, intimate look at the Q by Aston Martin bespoke process in action.
For us, it was exactly the kind of project that reminds you why this work matters. A once-in-a-career brief, executed without a single frame wasted.
For brands and manufacturers commissioning bespoke automotive photography and videography, whether you're documenting a prototype build, launching a limited edition model or creating archive content for a coachbuilt or hand-assembled vehicle. Visually Rich provides specialist automotive photography and videography across the UK and Europe. We've worked with some of the most significant names in the automotive industry, delivering high-end production that meets the standards those names demand. If your project deserves that level of attention, get in touch.
