Written by new-contact on Aug 13, 2012. Posted in Production News

Supply&Demand drives Fiat fleet into the sea in Italian adventure

A fleet of Fiats takes an underwater trip from Italy to the US in a new spot by Supply&Demand. A drive through the picturesque towns of Italy’s west coast ends with carefree drives into the ocean, before the Fiats emerge from the waves and a stylish arrival in New York City.

The production team filmed the spot’s opening scenes on Italy’s Amalfi coast near Naples, drawn by the eye-catching historical architecture and sights reflecting an idealised vision of Italy. Filming here had its challenges as the coastal roads are pretty narrow and they faced the added inconvenience of the busy tourist season.

Initially we went out for four days to film in Italy and, in complete defiance of all the seasonal rain charts, it rained for three of those days.

Charles Salice, Executive Producer

Charles Salice was Executive Producer for Supply&Demand Integrated: “Initially we went out for four days to film in Italy and, in complete defiance of all the seasonal rain charts, it rained for three of those days. We went back a few weeks later and had a similar problem, so much of the shoot involved getting the footage we needed between rain showers!”

Filming the cars jumping into the sea presented a unique set of challenges. Most of the footage was filmed for real and so the team had to make a lot of modifications to prepare the cars. The vehicles were stripped down and emptied of all fluids to make sure they didn’t pollute the water, and stunt drivers drove them into the sea.

Michele Anzalone was Executive Producer for Some of Us in Milan: “We wanted the emphasis to be on the physical reality of getting the cars into the water, with minimal post-production work. For some of the scenes we used special tracks to pull the cars into the water.

“The cars themselves were rigged with oxygen tanks, while we had safety divers on hand, as well as a full emergency team on the sidelines for added support.”

The cars themselves were rigged with oxygen tanks, while we had safety divers on hand, as well as a full emergency team on the sidelines for added support.

Michele Anzalone, Executive Producer

In the finished spot one of the cars performs a dramatic cliff-top dive. The final vertical plunge for this scene was filmed by suspending the stripped-down car from a crane high in the air and dropping it into the sea. A more secluded cove was used for this to give the team a little more control.

The cars emerge from the waves in New York because it seemed like a fitting location for a US arrival. Miami was briefly considered due to its history as a major port of arrival for immigrants, but the connotations of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in New York ended up trumping this.

Credits:
Client: Fiat
Agency: The Richards Group, Dallas
Writer: David Canright
Production Company: Supply&Demand Integrated
Executive Producer/President/Managing Partner: Charles Salice
Producer: Dawn Iacino
Production Service Company (Italy): Some of Us, Milan
Executive Producer: Michele Anzalone
Director of Photography: Tobias Schliessler
Director: Robert Logevall

Photos: Paul Papanek