A colony is greater than the sum of its parts

"It’s easy to assume that comfort is the key to happiness...

We tend to do everything in our power to eliminate struggle from our daily lives. We move from one climate controlled environment to another. We see rain in the forecast and we stay inside. We order from the same restaurants. 

But deep down… does comfort really make us happy?"

It's in this thought that director Janssen Powers finds the ethos of his latest short film - a dazzling journey with Wieden+Kennedy New York and Ford into the inhospitable lands of Baja California to examine the rich communities found within car culture.

In 'Norcal Raptors' – part two of Ford's episodic series 'Welcome to the Club' – we followed fifteen Raptor owners as they set out to answer a simple question: What if happiness isn’t the absence of struggle, but a product of it? They pushed themselves and their trucks to the limit on a 5 day, thousand mile journey through some of the world’s harshest terrain. Their communal bonds deepen with each trial they face.

Desolation, beauty. 

Trial, victory. 

Humility, humanity.

Vehicles are a powerful form of self expression. They unlock rich connections to community and culture. This was magnified tenfold when the Norcal Raptor club members pitted themselves against the odds with only their vehicles and their teamwork to shield them from the elements that awaited. Deep emotion and vulnerability came to light in the waning flames of a bonfire and in tense moments teetering on the edge of a ravine.

Janssen likened this bond to the metaphor of the Harvester Ant - incredible creatures that represent the strength of a colony acting in true symbiosis. He captured beautiful macro photography of these ants (who are, fittingly, native to Baja California) among the many other cinematic elements of the film, which included an array of lenses, cameras, and mounts. 

The result is energized and immersive driving and landscape footage, calm and candid moments inside the trucks, and the backbone of the Attenborough-esque motif of ants.

Farm League and Janssen Powers were brought in early in the process to help develop the visual and emotional through-line for the film. Drawing on inspiration from the likes of Dune, Mad Max, and Leone's Westerns, Baja became the perfect canvas to tell the story of the Norcal Raptors. 

"We focused on creating space for the story to unfold on its own by approaching the film as listeners and following the narrative where it wanted to go." - Janssen Powers

To experience more of the white-knuckled journey, watch a Behind-the-Scenes film created by our friends from NorCal Raptor.