Slow Motion Video Captures Trophy Truck Greatness at the Mint 400

Hundreds of teams and 108-miles of the desert. The Mint 400 is one of the most massive off-road events on the face of planet Earth. The inaugural “Mint 400 Desert Rally” was held in Las Vegas in 1968. It was done to promote The Mint Hotel and Las Vegas Gun Club. With over 65,000 spectators on hand, the race rockets from the California-Nevada state line in Primm to the Southern edge of Las Vegas in Jean, NV. It is considered by many to be the most grueling and challenging off-road racecourse in America.

There’s something about such a grueling course that oozes brutality. However, in the scheme of this brutal competition, there is such finesse and grace on hand. Sure, you might have to look for it but it most certainly is there. The way that these drivers maneuver their way through the desert and the suspensions of their machines handle the terrain could almost be considered majestic.

“Race Motion” is a new video series produced by Mad Media and directed by The Martelli Brothers that shows off just that. The “slow-motion cinematic exploration of the beauty and contrasting violence off-road racing” takes us inside of quite the wild ride.

It’s rather mesmerizing to go along for the journey that pushes competitors and their machines to the limit. The subject of the most recent Race Motion installment is the 2020 Mint 400. Within, we check out the craziest action from the field of 525 competitors. The result is nothing short of captivating.

Mad Media CEO recaps it by telling us “As Cinematographers, we get to see some amazing moments during an off-road race, many of which never get used in our final edits. We have launched a new video series call “Race Motion” that showcases some of the best shots we capture. The series is a cinematic study combining, light, focus, composition, intuition, timing and a little bit of luck to create remarkable shots that communicate the energy that is being unleashed by the violent action of these incredible vehicles contrasted with the stunning beauty of the Mojave desert. The high frame rate slow-motion shots really allow you to see how incredible off-road race vehicles are.”