Porsche: Legends of the Gobi Desert
When Porsche invites you to China to drive across the Gobi Desert while shooting high resolution video material, you say „是的!“
Representing Porsche Germany at the“Legends of the Gobi” Expedition, our crew included photographer Tom Klocker, Olympic athlete Alica Schmidt, actor Emilio Sakraya and three sand adventure approved Porsches. Macan, Cayenne and the 911 Dakar…all of which are super fun to drive and even more fun to take ascetically pleasing pictures of in a desert. The idea sounds simple: film automotive content in the middle of nowhere while chasing cars through desert dunes and dusty rock formations… once we left the road the adventure began.
Welcome to the Sandbox
To shoot cinematic, dust-resistant, heatproof, high-resolution footage in a desert the size of Germany, you need gear that can take a beating. So consider this an honorary Oscar for durability to the SmallRig car suction mount for the DJI Osmo , the unsung hero of this trip. That little thing hung off the side of a car for three days straight, through sandstorms, heat, dust clouds and one or two heavy hits….and it survived.
The conditions were very un-german like: sun, dust, dehydration and a schedule optimized for paying guests, not for a filmmaker who keeps yelling, “Stop! There’s a cool rock“. But once you figure out how to shoot while bouncing across dunes, the Gobi Desert becomes the world’s most extravagant playground. Every angle, every shadow, every patch of sand looks cinematic. It’s like driving through a 10,000 square kilometer movie set designed by nature.
Desert Fevers
No phone, no internet, no noise, just rock, sky and lovely people who you have to have actual conversations with. It’s both calming and terrifying. The Porsche China team was outstanding. Organized, relaxed, and surprisingly funny. They managed to balance military grade precision with genuine warmth. Special shoutout to Jon from Porsche China, who ran the whole operation with the charisma of a late night talk show host.
And because it wouldn’t be a proper Porsche experience without a culinary highlight, there was, of course, a dinner setup in the middle of the Gobi Desert. Massive lamb chops grilled over open flames, a sandstone wall glowing in orange light, traditional Chinese dancers moving between torches and more stars than you have ever seen.
Chili and other Hot Things
Over three intense days, we produced four main films and countless social media assets. The variety of the Gobi… dunes, rock formations, dry riverbeds… meant nothing ever looked the same twice. It was a photographers dream and a dust-cleaning nightmare. Not everything was perfect, though. Two important things to consider about China: 1. They put chili in everything. 2. Squat toilets and chili don’t mix well. But all things considered, this was a ten out of ten production. Challenging, exhausting, and unforgettable.
The footage turned out insane, the experience was pure adventure and the sand will probably never leave my camera bag.
