Project: Perfect Drive — Lotus Elan Plus 2
Director / Director of Photography: Ben Ruffell
Location: New Zealand
Grip: Josh Dunn
Precision Driver: Heath Patterson
Aerial Cinematography: Ben Ruffell, with Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters
Editor: Piers Fairclough-Harding
Colourist: Pete Ritchie
Sound Design & Mix: Jonny Pipe

Perfect Drive is a personal automotive film created to explore camera movement, precision driving and creative problem-solving with minimal crew and resources. The vehicle featured is Ben’s own Lotus Elan Plus 2.

The project was filmed with a three-person on-set crew, combining handheld driving shots, tracking vehicle work and aerial cinematography captured from helicopter and drone platforms. 

With limited access to equipment and locations, the focus was on creative camera movement, timing and vehicle choreography rather than scale. The result is a film driven entirely by motion, rhythm and mechanical detail.

This project reflects Ben’s ongoing interest in automotive cinematography and developing new techniques for capturing dynamic movement within real-world constraints.