DETAILS
this is the first of many commercials that i have production designed for director martin aamund, whose work strives to find the "big moment."
 
the production design in this commercial is meant to reflect a celebration of the pleasures of the everyday experience; finding happiness in the promise of something simple. therefore, in both the set constructions and the locations, we limited the design to basic elements, muted colours, and worn surfaces, allowing us to choose a couple of extraordinary items in each scene that would stand-out because of their color, texture, or shape.
 
wallpaper was favoured over a trendy piece of furniture - worn lamps with threadbare shades were placed near newer lamps. old floors rich in character were polished and buffed, a rusty orange sundress was hung in the window, different chairs were placed next to each other, clutter was allowed to gather to break up the shot.
 
the only requirement from the client was to maintain a few signature scandinavian elements in the film - on account that the spot was to be broadcast throughout scandinavia (though principal photography for the spot was to take place in portugal).
 
this film was shot on a sound stage in lisbon, as well as in locations in lisbon, cascais and sintra. the young couple's apartment was an empty gymnasium. the living room and dining room for the young family was a set construction. the visually striking wallpaper was actually a linoleum floor pattern; it works great on the walls. the summerhouse where the women are having brunch was an unused home near cascais. as we were shooting in march, there were no flowers. everything was brought in, from greens to furniture, tableware, the flowers on the hillside were put there by us, everything.
 
i love this spot. i had a lot of freedom on this one and the director and d.p. (sebastian makker blenkov) were both very supportive. it was a blast working in portugal. it was also the very first commercial i production designed for a danish production company.
 
  
the client, hatting, is one of the largest and most popular producers of baked food products in scandinavia, specializing in everything from breakfast rolls, to pre-cooked frozen baguettes, bagels, pastries and the like.
 
anecdote #1: the oven door seen in the very opening shot is actually constructed from white vinyl stretched over balsa wood. propmaster rui alvés is the one to thank for that.
 
anecdote #2: about the women at the patio table and the dog in the picture: it took us about an hour to get that dog to shake like it does in the film. we had hired a "professional" trainer from lisbon, who shows up with this shaggy sheep dog, with assurances that the pooch can shake on command. well, the dog just stands there, with its tongue hanging out, dumb as a doorknob. several takes and no shaking. the trainer makes a few attempts to resolve the situation: he first reprimands the dog, then he reprimands us, then he tries hot water on the dog's back, then cold water on the dog's back. it's hopeless. everyone is restless and what has been, thus far, a stressful but pleasant shoot in a lovely location has now the makings of a minor fiasco. we've burned a lot of film by now, because we are shooting 150 frames per second. there's consensus to take a five-minute break. of course, the dog starts shaking off the water. panic. we try to get him to do it again. no use. somebody figures out that the dog will do it, if you use lukewarm water. it was probably christian bévort, the producer, who thought of that one. it works, sort of.
 
the first shot in which we succeed to get the dog to shake using this new method is no good because the dog owner is too busy scolding the dog and is now standing in the shot while we are filming. the second shot looks wonderful except the women in the background, by now restless, are all smoking while staring right at the dog (instead of acting) and it's clearly visible in the picture. we try again. i think the danish crew is about to go insane, because we are losing the daylight and this damn dog is not especially predictable. finally, we get it in the can, and there's a much-deserved sense of relief. i think the dog was our martini shot for the whole production because i remember feeling suddenly exhausted and ready for a nap.
 
anecdote #3:
because we were shooting in portugal, there were some challenges in taking care of the production design for locations that i had yet to see first-hand. consequently, much of the preparation was done beforehand in denmark.
 
 
client: hatting
agency: d'arcy / publicis
production company: moland film