Written by David Lewis on Dec 25, 2009. Posted in Production News

Carlsberg shoots latest commercial in Hungary

The latest spot for Carlsberg, created by agency Owens DDB and production company Knucklehead, has made use of locations in and around Budapest, in Hungary.

The Secret, created specifically for the Irish market, tells the story of how scientist Professor Emil Chr. Hansen discovered the method of isolating pure yeast culture in 1883. The resulting yeast was called saccharoymces carslbergensis – the secret of Carlsberg’s brewing success.

The production was serviced by local Hungarian production service company Pioneer Productions. Eszter Repassy, from Pioneer, said:

"The shoot went very well, but it was tough with four long nights of shooting with lots of travelling."

The shoot made use of a number of locations. Ludovika, an ex-military academy in Budapest, was filmed for the interior and exterior shots of the brewery. Tata Castle was also used for some of the Brewery exterior shots.

The industrial harbour scene was shot at Budapest's Csepel Port. The accident and viaduct scenes were shot at a valley location close to Kádárta and a nearby stone quarry was used for the tunnel scene and riding sequences. The woods and long grass scenes were shot at Gerecse Mountain.

And what about the equipment used? Repassy explains:

"A Gyro Stabilised Flight head was used for some of the tracking shots, a crane with a 3D head and helium balloon light was also used. All the equipment came from Hungary."

Hungary has a wealth of locations for big or small productions. Repassy concludes:

"We have a wide range of locations, and we constantly discover new places in Budapest and in the countryside too. Budapest can also easily cheat for other big European cities such as Paris and Vienna."

Click here to view the ad.

Credits:

Client: Carlsberg
Agency: Owens DDB
Production Company: Knucklehead
Production Service Comapny: Pioneer Productions
Agency Producer: Ruth Drury Byrne
Creative Director: Donal O'Dea
Director: Johnny Green
Producer: Tim Katz
Director of Photography: Joost van Gelder