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Faster than the pack In the heat and high-octane atmosphere of Le Mans Classic, the Samsung Portable SSD T9 proved that it’s the ultimate drive for filmmakers working under pressure W hen Anglo-French cinematographer Christophe Carcelle set out to film the Le Mans Classic
he threw himself into the high-octane atmosphere of the Classic. The event is as chaotic as it is thrilling, with more than 80 cars across eight classes battling for track time. Carcelle describes sprinting between vantage points in the heat, capturing every detail of the car’s performance while juggling the pressures of being a one-man crew. Over the course of the day, he shot an astonishing 800GB of 6K footage. For most filmmakers, the challenge of backing up that much material on location would induce anxiety. With unpredictable weather, limited downtime and only a laptop at hand, there was no room for error. For Carcelle, the solution was simple: the Samsung T9 Portable SSD. Roughly the size of a credit card, and weighing just 122g, the Samsung Portable SSD T9 slips easily into a jacket pocket or camera bag. Yet, inside its compact, rubberised shell lies the kind of performance that makes it indispensable on shoots like Le Mans. Using USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connectivity, the portable drive
STORAGE YOU CAN RELY ON The Samsung Portable SSD T9 (above) is a worthy partner on location and in the studio
earlier this year, he wasn’t just chasing cars – he was chasing family history. His late grandfather Henry Mitchell was part of the Birmingham Mitchells & Butlers brewing family, but away from business, Mitchell had a passion for speed, and achieved a career highlight by finishing 13th in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1953, driving a Frazer-Nash Le Mans Coupe. During research for a pilot TV series based on his grandfather’s story, Carcelle made the remarkable discovery that the same car is still in use today. Even more astonishing, it belongs to Pierre Macchi, a neighbour in Paris. The car still competes in historic events, including the crown jewel – the Le Mans Classic. Carcelle decided that the only way to truly honour his grandfather’s legacy was to film the car in action. Armed with the Samsung Portable SSD T9, his cine camera and a set of anamorphic lenses,
delivers blistering read and write speeds of up to 2000MB/s. Backing up all 800GB of his material took Carcelle around just 30 minutes on his laptop – the kind of turnaround that would be unthinkable with a traditional hard drive. “It just kept up with me,” he says. “I had to rush off to catch a train back to London, so it was all a bit of a panic, but I never had to worry about whether the footage was safe.” That reassurance carried through into post. His editor Robbie Broster was tasked with turning Carcelle’s raw footage into a short three-and-a-half-minute trailer to pitch the series. He used the same Samsung Portable SSD T9 to cut the material in Adobe Premiere Pro, putting the portable drive through everything
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