Written by on Mar 6, 2012. Posted in Production News

Caviar delivers end-of-the-world terror on location in Prague for Mass Effect 3

Caviar has brough organised chaos to the streets of Prague in a new commercial for epic sci-fi video game Mass Effect 3. The spot is mostly live-action and shows carnage on the streets, as civilians take shelter from the horror of invasion and a soldier takes on the attackers amid the rubble.

South Africa was briefly considered as a filming location but Prague ended up winning the day as all the various scenes - set within a global context - could be shot close by each other. Filming was divided in the end between Prague city centre and locations within an hour’s drive.

Most of the film is shot in-camera and the props and builds were brought to location prior to the shoot. The sets were created by production designer Peter Kunc.

Fady Salame, Executive Producer

Fady Salame was Executive Producer for Unit + Sofa in Prague: “Most of the film is shot in-camera and the props and builds were brought to location prior to the shoot. The sets were created by production designer Peter Kunc.

“The builds were pre-fabricated in the workshop and dressed for the scenes. A lot of furniture, glass and props were destroyed for the riots and battle scenes. Same for the church as the effects were mostly practical.”

Unit + Sofa liaised with the relevant authorities to get the filming permits. Two central Prague streets were closed down for a few days for dressing and shooting, doubling for Asia and Poland. The spot’s final battle scene was filmed in a steel factory 45 minutes outside the city.

One of the biggest challenges was having only six hours of daylight per filming day for the time of year, which was one of the main initial factors in favour of a South Africa shoot. Caviar had previous experience in Prague, which helped tip the balance.

Michael Sagol was Executive Producer for Caviar: “We had to shoot the world - all the vignettes called for different locations - so we decided that the best place to shoot all the scenes was Prague. We were very happy with the production experience in Prague for the record and that is what drove our decision in the end.”

Credits:
Client: Electronic Arts (Mass Effect 3)
Agency: DraftFCB, San Francisco
Chief Creative Officer: Chris Ford
Senior Producer: Jeremy Arth
Production Company: Caviar Content, Los Angeles
Executive Producers: Michael Sagol, Jasper Thomlinson
Production Service: Unit + Sofa, Prague
Executive Producer: Fady Salame
DOP: Patrick Duroux
Director: Reynald Gresset