Written by new-contact on Mar 12, 2010. Posted in Production News

Tropicana ad shoots in Inuvik in the Canadian Arctic

Tropicana has filmed a new spot in Inuvik in the far north-west of Canada, a place which is in darkness for several months of the year due to its location within the Arctic Circle (see BBDO image). Brighter Mornings for Brighter Days shows an Airstar light balloon being set up by Tropicana above the town and becoming a surrogate sun.

The production chose Inuvik due to its geography and the fact that it has an airport and is a transport hub for people travelling within the north-west Arctic. Also, the town has a broad population, including the Gwichen and Invialuik nations, many of whom appear in the spot. There was good local support and the crew worked with the Inuvik Town Council, the Economic Development Officer, the Head of Community Affairs and the Mayor’s Office.

Michael Haldane, Executive Producer with the Film Group, Vancouver, described the challenges brought on by the Arctic weather conditions: “Scheduling has to be adapted as everything takes three or four times as long to accomplish, from the simplest things like preparing a vehicle for transport to attempting a full unit move. Everyone has to be prepared with cold weather gear and not with what is worn on the ski hill but with hardcore Arctic gear - three to four layers of industrial quality clothing and back-ups.”

He added that the freezing conditions (as low as -56.7 Celsius in January) also meant rechargeable batteries only lasted 20 minutes at a time. The crew was comprised of people who had experience of working in Arctic conditions, while portable heaters such as hand warmers were used throughout the shoot.

Tim Welsh, Vice-President, Group Account Director of BBDO Toronto, said: “The amenities in the town, in particular the hardware store, were necessary to have around especially when taking extra precautions shooting in the cold and picking up extra batteries.”

As part of the cold weather considerations, insurance with higher deductibles was needed as the risk parameters were very different to those normally experienced on a commercial shoot. Following an initial research trip, the crew spent six days prepping and then the shoot itself lasted three days.

Samir Mallal, the spot’s Director, said: “People were really invested in it, from the Mayor to the Gaffer. It was a huge undertaking and by the end, everyone involved was really proud of what we did and how the film turned out.”

Click here to view the ad.

Credits
Client: PepsiCo Beverages Canada
Agency: BBDO Canada, Toronto
Production Company: Film Group, Vancouver/Radke Film Group, Toronto
Agency Producer: Dena Thompson
Executive Producer: Michael Haldane

Creative Director: Ian MacKellar
Art Director: John Terry
Copywriter: Adam Bailey
Director: Samir Mallal
Director of Photography: Chris Mably