Written by Tom Deehan on Dec 2, 2015. Posted in On Location

Velocity Films stages horse escape in Cape Town for Carling Black Label commercial

Production Company Velocity Films recently shot on location in Cape Town for a commercial for Carling Black Label. The commercial depicts a chase after a horse breaks free from a truck and goes running throughout the city streets of Cape Town, as a group of men try to stop the animal.

TLG spoke to producer Shannon Gloyne about the logistics of shooting such a large scale commercial in Cape Town.

In terms of logistics, was it difficult to film the horse within the city?

Filming with the horses in the city provided us with numerous logistical challenges. Various locations were used for different scenes but our biggest location was a lock off running along Loop Street, beginning at Wale Street and extending as far as Strand Street. It was necessary for us to have a completely locked off and enclosed location to work within. In order to achieve this it was necessary to bring in security, traffic control and fencing so that we were able to lock off each and every inter-leading road.

We also needed additional security and personnel to manage any pedestrians who might wander out of any buildings. Fortunately we were shooting at night and it was relatively quiet in the CBD. Each location required that we create a dedicated enclosed horse holding area, somewhere that allowed the horses to be kept comfortable and safe whilst not in front of camera.

When selecting locations we had to consider the road surface to ensure it was not too smooth or too rough, that there were no danger areas, i.e. holes or drain covers and that there were no risk elements that would affect the horse if it should veer from its course. Additional wranglers were brought in and dressed as talent as an additional safety precaution in the event the horse decided to bolt. The horses had to be transported 72km to set and back for each shoot night.

We had to bring in specialised rubber shoes for the horses so that they would be able to run safely without slipping on the tarmac. The roads could not be wet as the rubber shoes would slip on the tarmac if wet. Additional rubber mats were also brought in to allow the horses to get a firmer surface grip when running around a corner.

How difficult was the process of acquiring permits for this type of production?

The process of acquiring permits for this production was long and involved and required many meetings with the City of Cape Town, the CT Film Office and the traffic department. It also necessitated us going door to door and acquiring permissions from each and every business running the length of the street of each location and extending even further into the distance when we were looking down the road. These businesses were giving us permission to rig lights and cranes either on their rooftops/balconies or buildings. Some of the owners were switching specific shop front/interior lights on overnight for our shooting purposes.

Credits:

Company/Product: Carling Black Label

Production Company: Velocity Films

Director: Keith Rose

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