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

Foster’s doubles Portuguese beach for Australia

Beer brand Foster’s has filmed its latest series of commercials on a beach in Portugal, doubling the location for Australia. Girlfriend’s Mum, Leaner and Tattoo each show men in the UK calling a pair of Aussie men in a beach hut in Australia looking for advice about their social lives.

Leila Bartlam, Head of Television at Adam & Eve, said talent costs ruled out shooting in Australia. The production considered filming in several European countries including Spain and Greece, but Portugal was eventually chosen: “Talent in Australia is prohibitively expensive. We searched long and hard and paid top-dollar for the two Australian leads, but we needed to spend a lot less on the extras on the beach and this meant we couldn’t shoot in Australia.”

Finding a beach location in Portugal proved a slight challenge. The shoot fell in the middle of the country’s official bathing season and many local authorities were reluctant to allow a hut to be constructed in the middle of their beaches. The production eventually settled on the beach at the Sol Troia resort, about 80 minutes south of Lisbon. Several permits were needed, including one from the Sol Troia resort and one from the local coastal authority.

Nick Page, a Line Producer with Page International, said: “It’s a fantastic beach and is isolated with private access. It’s very pristine, with beautiful blue water. There’s also a great hotel infrastructure very nearby and the whole place is very film-friendly.”

In addition, the beach is positioned next to a river estuary, resulting in calmer water rather than pounding waves on an exposed Atlantic coastline. This helped sound recording as dialogue scenes showing the two Aussies in the hut were filmed on location rather than in a separate studio shoot. Mr Page added: “It was all about the authenticity of being on the
beach.”

Girlfriend’s Mum and Leaner are on release now and Tattoo will be available within the next few weeks.

Click here to view Girlfriend’s Mum.

Click here to view Leaner.

Credits
Client: Foster’s
Agency: Adam & Eve
Creative Director: Ben Priest
Production Company: Hungry Man
Producer: Matt Jones

Production Service Company: Page International
Line Producer: Nick Rycroft
Director: Tim Bullock