What happens when social distancing forces us to rethink a romantic night out? The Ultimate Driving Machine suddenly morphs into the Ultimate Drive-In Machine, of course. 

“The idea was actually born in my garage more than a month ago. With movie theatres closed and daily life getting pretty monotonous, I thought it would be nice to surprise my wife with our own little personalised drive-in-movie date,” said Wes Phelan, creative director at Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P).

Wes’ impromptu date night was such a success that he decided to share the experience with his BMW client in hopes of putting something together that could inspire other quarantined couples across the globe. 

“With the resurgence of drive-in cinema and the heartfelt nature of the piece, BMW was quick to see the vision,” said Matt Edwards, creative director at GS&P and Wes’ partner. “And from there, it was just a simple case of art imitating life.” 

But the process of capturing such a moment was far less simple than Edwards makes it seem. BMW, GS&P and director Logan Roos had to navigate countless production obstacles, including filming remotely, with all interactions between the client, the agency and the director taking place only via email and a handful of Zoom check-ins.

“There were definitely a lot of hurdles, but shooting with only my wife and daughter made it safe, and in the end, I think it allowed the film to feel truly authentic with an inescapable homemade touch to it,” said Logan Roos, the director. 

And in the end, Logan is right. The social film is charming and real and something that we could all use right about now.