Written by new-contact on Apr 11, 2011. Posted in Production News

Harnas beer doubles New Zealand for Poland filming new ad spot

Polish beer brand Harnas has filmed its new ad spot in New Zealand, doubling the country for Poland. The spot was filmed on the Reese River near Queenstown in the South Island and features CGI characters re-building a bridge to get carriages of beer crates across a raging river.

The production was looking for hot weather and eye-catching landscapes and considered shooting in both Chile and Argentina, but New Zealand eventually won the day. The aim was to find a suitable double for Poland’s Tatra Mountains.

Jakub Kubicki, a Producer with Propeller Film in Poland, said: “The terrain around Queenstown is very similar to the mountains in Poland. There’s similar flora and fauna. We were filming in the river with splashbags and an underwater housing for the camera, and the New Zealand crew are very experienced at that kind of thing. Then there were aerial shots using a local stabilised Continental Side mount system.”

We were filming in the river with splashbags and an underwater housing for the camera, and the New Zealand crew are very experienced at that kind of thing. Then there were aerial shots using a local stabilised Continental Side mount system.

Jakub Kubicki, Producer, Propeller Film

All-terrain vehicles were needed to get to the river – removing a fence in the process – and then filming in the water took some safety planning. The crew were kitted out in wetsuits and used rafts to transport people and equipment across the river. A fake log was used as a visual effects reference for the bridge, which was also CGI.

Anzak Tindall, with Joyride Films, said: “Access to the river was through farmland requiring four-wheel-drive vehicles. We removed and reinstated a fence to make the route less treacherous to vehicles. We needed access to both sides of the river where there were no bridges and they chose one of the toughest parts of the river to stage the shoot. We had to use experienced water safety people to ensure this was handled well.”

He added: “We shoot with these guys most years for various beer campaigns and they love New Zealand for its similarity to Polish exteriors.”

Credits
Client: Harnas (Polish beer)
Agency: Red8 Communications
Production Company: Propeller Films, Warsaw
Producer: Jakub Kubicki
Production Service Company: Joyride Films, Auckland
Producer: Anzak Tindall
Location Manager: Dale Gardiner
Director of Photography: Marek Rajca
Director: Tomek Karelus