Crossroads Directors Samuel & Gunnar Create Czech Kozel Beer Spots for 30 European Markets
Crossroads directors Samuel & Gunnar just completed a pair of :30s promoting Kozel beer for international brewer SABMiller, the 2nd largest brewer in the world, and majority stock holder of the Miller Brewing Company. The spots feature the townscape and citizens of Czech village Velke Popovice celebrating their convivial lifestyle with raised glasses of Kozel, with the notion of sharing small town Czech values of jubilation and beer with the rest of the world. Both spots were shot on site in the village, where Kozel is brewed, and an abundance of brewery employees were used as cast members.
“G2 was an exceptional collaborative partner and the relationship created a really pleasant camaraderie on set,” noted Samuel & Gunnar. “This was a difficult shoot in that the script called for bright, sunny skies, and we got gray and overcast with heavy rain. To accommodate, we had to work really fast during short periods of breaks in the weather to create our “sunny” shots, getting hundreds of extras into place. Everybody from the crew was great and our cast of extras chipped in to help with props and equipment. We had a great production team including D.O.P. Karl Oskarsson, Martin Sebik, our A.D. from Stillking, and a lot of help from our post team, Paul Harrison of MPC and John Mayes of Marshall Street.”
Long Table features the citizens of Velke Popovice marching through the cobblestone streets and past beautiful old world architecture toward a sunlit veranda, where a number of tables are linked together to form one grand gathering space. A latecomer to the celebration has no trouble finding room, as a voiceover assures us that, in the Czech Republic, “there’s always room for one more at the table.”
Pimp Our Goat is a short narrative of a day in the life of the village goat, a privileged animal that is showered, primped, and put on a beer-keg pedestal to be photographed. The extreme care and pride that each villager invests in the goat is symbolic of the greater values of the population and the attention that they pay to brewing Kozel.
“This was a really unique project in that the spot was so true to the brand, capturing the actual spirit of the village and the brewery’s workers,” noted Crossroads’ London-based Executive Producer Carly Stone. “Samuel & Gunnar worked their usual miracles and subverted the horrible weather to somehow create the sunny, happy-hour feel that SABMiller had asked for. They also drew top performances from the cast and crew and expertly directed the large crowds that filled both spots. G2’s Creative Director Mitch Levy knew exactly what he wanted and was very easy to work with.”
The Creds:
Client: SabMiller
Spot Title: Pimp Our Goat, Long Table
Air Date: June 2009
Agency: G2
CD: Mitch Levy
Copywriter: Matthew Howells
Producer: Robert `The Bandit’ Bray
Prod Company: Crossroads Films, London
Director: Samuel & Gunnar
Executive Producer: Carly Stone
DP: Karl Oskarsson
Producer: Hera King
Editorial: Marshall Street
Editor: John Mayes
Telecine: MPC
Colorist: Paul Harrison
Post/Effects: Golden Square
Sound Designer: Young Guns
About Crossroads:
A multimedia and content creation firm, Crossroads offers a clear vision, innovative leadership, and unparalleled reach into the entertainment talent pool. With headquarters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, and an affiliate office in Toronto, Crossroads has five divisions: Film, Commercials, Music Videos, New Media, and Creative Services. All offer exclusive talent featuring some of the world’s top directors, show creators, writers, and producers.
Founded in 1989, Crossroads has been a consistent leader in the development and production of feature films and television programming, as well as producing award-winning commercial and music video content for top-tier brands, agencies and performing artists.
For more, go to www.crossroadsfilms.com
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