Tired of being cooped up in doors and keen for a change of scene? Of course you do, and what could be better than a long drive in a new Audi A6 through the Australian countryside? And no, you won’t be breaking any government directives or compromising your social distancing. 

Necessity they say, is the mother of invention, and Audi Australia has come up with the next best thing to actually getting behind the wheel of the A6 and leaving the stresses and the strains of the current situation far behind – without even leaving your home.

Called The Drive, this is a four-hour long slow TV film that takes the viewer out into the country for what can best be described as a thoroughly immersive audio visual experience. Created by Audi Australia in collaboration with social media agency, We Are Social, the film was shot in the New South Wales Central Tablelands by director Luke Bouchier from the Finch Company, using a number of cameras strategically mounted in and around the Audi A6 to faithfully capture the car’s journey.

Tapping in on the restorative properties of getting behind the wheel and taking a long, reflective drive, the film is in one sense an interactive experience as you literally ‘go along for the journey’ while elements like the almost haunting soundtrack, composed by John Hassell from the self isolation of his own studio in Marseille, brings a meditative element to the whole project.  

“During this difficult time for many of us, Audi wanted to create an innovative way of bringing the iconic Australian road-trip to people in their homes,” says Nikki Warburton, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Audi Australia. 

“The Drive is a digital concept that allows customers to experience the pleasure of the open road from the confines of their home, and to hopefully offer Australians some tranquillity and mental wellbeing during these uncertain and unsettling times,” says Warburton.

The unique film concept was recorded just two weeks ago, using only a small crew of just four people, with two in each car in accordance with the government advice on social distancing at the time. The effect is truly hypnotic and this is one long drive in the country where you are allowed to relax and switch off and let Audi do the driving. As well as transporting you from your own home for an extended run in the country, this is just the sort of inspiration we all need for when things return to some semblance of normal and we can once again go out and experience the thrill of the open road for ourselves once again.