Authentically You

Ona Creative was producing a campaign for the Nike DN8, following different athletes in different cities. For the Charlotte leg, they brought Maurice Victor II on as director of photography for the social shoot — chosen for his shooting style and his ability to lead creatively on set.

The brief

Capture posed b-roll and an interview across two locations: Red Diner in Uptown Charlotte, and the Rev Racing training facility of Brehanna Daniels, a NASCAR pit crew member and the first Black woman to hold her position. The campaign needed to feel authentic to her and to Charlotte, not staged.

The hard part

There was no hard roadmap. We usually work from a storyboard and a strict shot list; this one came with mood boards and an overall vibe. That meant staying flexible and reading the room. And as always with athletes as talent, time was tight — one or two takes per setup, then move. The interview had to be lit and shot fast, with minimal time to dress the room, and with no tech scout beforehand to see the space.

How we made it work

We leaned into it. Rather than swapping glass constantly, we shot as much as possible on a single lens — the DZO Arles 50mm — and used the on-set assistant to handle the swaps we did need. It bought a little speed on a day that had none to spare. Still a hustle, but a controlled one.

On set

Charlotte, NC. One day, two locations. A small crew: Maurice as DoP, a photographer and an assistant, with representatives from Ona Creative and Hibbett Sports on set. Shot on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K with DZO Arles lenses, edited and graded in DaVinci Resolve.

The result

The post featuring Hibbett and Brehanna Daniels reached 666,000 views on Instagram Reels. This is the DP cut of that campaign.

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