Written by on Aug 12, 2010. Posted in Production News

Panasonic shoots Lumix ad in Habu Temple in Egypt

Panasonic has chosen the Habu Temple in Luxor, Egypt, to shoot a new commercial for its Lumix TZ10 digital camera. Anubis shows a giant statue of the eponymous Egyptian god coming alive and chasing a dog belonging to a couple who are visiting the ancient temple.

The production decided to shoot in Luxor as it offers suitable filming facilities and is only a short flight from Cairo. The Habu Temple was chosen as the specific shoot location as it offered the best local lighting conditions.

Permits took time to get hold of. Andre Bause, a German-based Producer on the project, said: “The permits are a bit difficult. In general you need at least 28 days in Egypt to get the paperwork done. At tourist places like the temples it’s even more difficult and takes more time. If I went a second time, I would involve the German embassy in Cairo.”

Ola Roshdy, an Executive Producer with The Talkies in Cairo, explained that necessary permits include one from the Ministry of the Interior and permission to shoot in areas of archaeological significance. Once all the permits had been sorted, however, the drama really began. Despite having a dog playing a central role in the shoot, the production was suddenly told just before filming began that no dogs were allowed in the temple.

Ms Roshdy said: “The official claimed the temple was sacred like a mosque or a church, even though stray dogs were found everywhere around the area and in the temples! So we shot without the dog in the temple and in addition ended up paying three times the agreed location shooting fees because the official decided to increase the fees all of a sudden.”

In the end the dog had to be filmed against a blue screen outside the temple and inserted into the main spot in post-production.

Mr Bause concluded: “It was my hardest trip ever. It feels that everything runs anti-clockwise. On top of that come the daily business hours which start not before 1pm. Before that time you are not able to work there. But they also work as normal business hours until 11pm or even later. It takes time and a lot of energy to realise a project there.”

Click here to view the ad.

Credits
Client: Panasonic
Agency: Atletico, Berlin
Creative Director: Arndt Dallman
Production Company: Radical Media
Producer: Andre Bause

Production Service Company: The Talkies
Executive Producer: Ola Roshdy
Director: Bruce Hunt
Director of Photography: Gary Philips