B-Reel Clears Europe To Make Space For Mustang
To mark the first Ford Mustangs available for purchase in Europe, B-Reel shot a great-looking commercial in deserted European cities. We chatted to MD & Exec Producer Trine Pillay about how they cleared landmarks.
Cities are, by their very nature, rarely devoid of inhabitants, so it's understandably fascinating to see images of deserted metropolises. From the barren London of '28 Days Later' to the cab-free, vegetation-heavy New York of 'I Am Legend', it's hard not to get beguiled by the eerie majesty of mass abandonment. Such is the visual conceit of Blue Hive's glorious spot for Ford's esteemed Mustang – marking the vehicle's European launch.
An event 50-years in the making, the unveiling of the Mustang on European shores needed a grand inauguration, so Blue Hive employed the powers of award-winning production company B-Reel London to create 'The Road Awaits' - a spot showcasing attractions throughout the continent bereft of occupants. The spot, which journeys around the Coliseum in Rome, Regent St in London and the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, launched on the night of the UEFA Champions League Final – one of the biggest football events of the year – and gave viewers the chance to pre-order a Mustang during the spot itself.
We were stunned by how the B-Reelers managed to empty Europe's biggest cities, so chatted to Trine Pillay, MD & Exec Producer from B-Reel about the project.
How did you get involved in the Mustang project?
Originally Blue Hive approached us with a much simpler version of the script which was essentially only a one-two studio day shoot. For various reasons this then developed into a five-day continent-wide shoot.
How close was the collaboration between you guys and the agency on the project?
Once the team at Blue Hive had approached us, it instantly became an extremely close collaboration from start to finish. There was a strong and open dialogue between everyone involved to develop the exact mechanics of how it would work, and particularly which cities would work best for the idea.
When the concept of 'popular European landmarks devoid of people' was agreed on, did you instantly worry about how to achieve it?!
Not at all. When you have an idea that everyone can get behind it makes it easier. We have always found that there's a way of making projects work – and overcoming any potential challenges. Once the concept was set – and we knew it was a strong one from the start – it was just the small matter of the logistics.
How did you manage to clear the locations? Did you have to digitally erase any people from the back of shot?
In the vast majority of cases we were able to either lock the roads down entirely or do intermittent traffic holds. The police in Portugal were amazing; they helped us stop traffic entirely. In other cities, it was a little more stop and start but we worked very fast to get what we needed in a very short space of time.
How was the shoot itself?
Great! We only had a short amount of time to shoot in each city as we had to film in between sunrise and the build-up of traffic. So it was extremely time pressured, but everyone knew that in advance and everyone worked together to get what we needed.
How eerie was it seeing the landmarks devoid of people?
I'd have to say I found it more beautiful than eerie! Not too many people get to see the cities like that.
The spot aired during the Champions League final and prompts viewers to get in touch immediately. Is it nice/challenging to create work that inspires such an instant response?
It's an exciting project to help launch such an iconic brand in Europe for the first time - whether it be through instant response or normal advertising. But this mechanic of first-come-first-serve call to action is perfect for engaging with an audience in a new market for the first time.
It's been a year since you guys won BIG at Cannes. How has the year been different for you? Does having 'The Beauty Inside' on the CV help within the industry?
We have seen an increase in work and recognition both for interactive and film work. 'The Beauty Inside' is a great model for interactive. It combines a beautiful film with a fantastic social mechanic. I would love to see more innovative work in a similar genre coming out of the UK….and of course headed our way!
What's up next for you?
B-Reel turns 15 in June so we're getting the global team together in Stockholm for a party and conference. From there we'll be looking forward to the next 15 years.
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