Written by new-contact on Jan 11, 2013. Posted in Production News

Maxfilms shoots for Bank of Ireland on location in Donegal lighthouse

Dublin-based Maxfilms has shot a new spot for Bank of Ireland on location in a remote lighthouse in County Donegal. The commercial shows an operator changing the lighthouse bulb on a stormy night as a visual metaphor for the bank’s commitment to its customers.

Fanad Head on the northern tip of Ireland was chosen as the filming location. Max Brady produced for Maxfilms: “It is one of the few lighthouses that has the coastal diamond window panes, with leading, and is not only aesthetically beautiful to look at, but also is right on the coastline, adding to the sense of imminent danger from the sea.”

Given the short hours of darkness, scenes set inside the lighthouse and on jagged rocks outside had to be filmed simultaneously, with director/cinematographer Stuart Douglas directing both units from the lighthouse.

Fanad Head is not only aesthetically beautiful to look at, but also is right on the coastline, adding to the sense of imminent danger from the sea.

Max Brady, Producer

“The area was quite remote,” Brady adds, “and is a distance of nearly 300 kilometres from Dublin where pretty much all of the equipment had to come from. Some of the equipment came in from London so had to travel by ferry to Belfast and then across Northern Ireland to the lighthouse.

“Many of the roads are single-lane and up steep inclines to get there and we were worried at one point that some of the trucks might not be able to make it, in particular the dining bus; catering was essential particularly as people were working at night.”

Larger pieces of filming equipment were hoisted up against the outside wall to the lamp house, while items that could be dismantled were physically carried up the tight spiral staircase. Some items wouldn’t fit through the top hatch into the actual lamp house, meaning that – somewhat ironically – lighting options were more restricted.

Larger pieces of filming equipment were hoisted up against the outside wall to the lamp house.

While Fanad Head retains its traditional structure, its lamp had been upgraded to a modern LED pulse system that didn’t look the part for the shoot. “So,” Brady concludes, “we built our own rig with Machine Shop in London and put that into the lamp house, for the sweep.

“When we turned our constructed light on when shooting, we let two other lighthouse stations and the coastal guard know so that they could keep any craft out there informed.”

Credits:
Client: Bank of Ireland
Agency: Irish International
Creative Director: Mal Stevenson
Agency Producer: Noel Byrne
Production Company: Maxfilms, Dublin
Producer: Max Brady
Director/Cinematographer: Stuart Douglas