Written by new-contact on Dec 21, 2010. Posted in Production News

ActionAid shoots child sponsorship commercial in Kenya

Child sponsorship charity ActionAid has filmed a new commercial in a Kenyan village. The spot highlights the organisation’s success in fitting fresh-water pumps in the region and takes a deliberately upbeat tone.

James Sexton, of Ogilvy, said: “We spent two days filming in Nkoben, Kenya. We were based in Narok, which is about two hours from Nairobi. Dust was a big issue, so we had to make sure the cameras were protected. Four-wheel-drive vehicles are necessary to get there. There were other places in the world we could have filmed, such as in India, but in the end we made the decision based on logistics. Nkoben isn’t that remote, which made things less arduous.”

The production didn’t have a massive budget to play with so the shoot was all about maximising resources. This involved shooting the piece partly using Canon 5D cameras, which helped maintain flexibility. ActionAid was intent on accuracy and prioritised capturing the reality of the situation even if this meant the visuals weren’t necessarily as eye-catching.

Mario Zvan, an Executive Producer with Blue Sky Films in Nairobi, said: “Basically we weren’t allowed to cheat, or film in places where ActionAid hadn’t actually helped install a clean water supply. This made things slightly trickier, but in the end the actual location we shot in was very straightforward and easy.”

Credits
Client: ActionAid
Agency: OgilvyOne, London
Writer: James Sexton
Creative Directors: Emma DelaFosse, Charlie Wilson
Production Company: Park Pictures
Production Service Company: Blue Sky Films, Nairobi
Executive Producer: Mario Zvan
Director/Photographer: Ellen Kuras