Written by new-contact on Aug 12, 2014. Posted in Production News

Great Guns creates riot in Kiev filming Santigold music video

Great Guns created its own riot in Ukrainian capital Kiev for a music video for singer-songwriter Santigold. Produced for the compilation album Beats of the Beautiful Game, Kicking Down Doors shows a face-off between protestors and riot police being diffused with an impromptu kick-about.

Director Andy Morahan originally wanted to film in Prague, but budget constraints made Kiev the next best option and Great Guns already had a good relationship with the service company Radioaktive Film.

The actual shoot happened in May at a time when real riots and unrest in the Ukrainian capital had subsided and attention had shifted to events in the east near the Russian border. Despite the parallels with recent events in Kiev, the spot itself is not set in a specific part of the world.

“The western media, naturally, made it seem like the entire country was on fire,” explains Roman Kindrachuk of Radioaktive Film: “Thankfully, Great Guns trusted our assessment of the situation and came out.”

Filming took place at a Soviet-era shipyard on Kiev’s Dnipro River. The production team closed off part of the facility and turned it into a more regular street setting. Prop rocks were used to dirty up the settings and for protestors to throw at the actors playing the riot police.

“We were shooting a riot in the middle of the city so we were very sensitive to the fact that we might be causing a panic among the neighbours,” Kindrachuk adds: “However, we managed to find a location within the city that was relatively confined. Our Location Manager co-ordinated with the local police and fire stations, making sure they were aware of what's happening. Thankfully, the shoot went smoothly.”

Credits:
Artist: Santigold
Director: Andy Morahan
Production Company: Great Guns
Executive Producers: Frank Cooper III, Randi Wilens and Sheridan Thomas
Produced by: Jonathon Ker and Laura Gregory
Beats of the Beautiful Game Film Producer: Jodi Lederman
Co-Producer: Annie Hanlon and Tim Francis
Director of Photography: David Procter
Production Service Company: Radioaktive Film, Kiev
Radioaktive Executive Producers: Roman Kindrachuk and Darko Skulsky
Producer: Tanya Neistova