Written by on Aug 17, 2011. Posted in Production News

Coca-Cola films lively Euro 2012 ad on location in Warsaw and Kiev

Animation and live-action blend in Coca-Cola’s new ad for the Euro 2012 football finals in Poland and Ukraine. Cartoon characters cheer around Warsaw and Kiev. Two endings were filmed so that Polish audiences see the final crowd scene in Warsaw and it’ll be Kiev for the Ukrainians.

The Polish city of Gdańsk was briefly considered as a filming location but budgeting and scheduling didn’t leave space for wide location scouting in either country so Warsaw and Kiev in Ukraine eventually won out, offering the best landmarks and architecture. All the shooting spots were used pretty much as they were found to make everything more naturalistic.

Trying to perfect a set can make it look all too artificial and you won't find some charming details like the yellow parasols at the Kiev fountain, a location we accidentally stumbled upon, but immediately fell in love with.

Volstok, Directors

Volstok directed the spot: “We strongly believe this concept works best in a spontaneous environment. We wanted the locations to speak for themselves so people would recognise them. Trying to perfect a set can make it look all too artificial and you won't find some charming details like the yellow parasols at the Kiev fountain, a location we accidentally stumbled upon, but immediately fell in love with.”

Along with keeping the locations as they were found, much of the filming was stripped down too, with the Warsaw tram sequence carried out on the fly with just a camera and the actors. The production worked with Radioaktive Film in Kiev and Opus Film in Warsaw, and was very happy with both.

Adam Lyne produced the spot: “The locations and productions departments were excellent in both cities. Both versions of the spot featured landmark locations that would be instantly recognisable to a Ukrainian or a Pole – the equivalent of shooting in Piccadilly Circus or Trafalgar Square, with all the attendant logistical problems. The shoot went very smoothly in the circumstances.”

Rain was one of the biggest challenges. One of the money shots in Warsaw involved filming dozens of extras in a central square from an adjoining bell tower, but the weather took its time delivering the conditions they needed.

Both versions of the spot featured landmark locations that would be instantly recognisable to a Ukrainian or a Pole – the equivalent of shooting in Piccadilly Circus or Trafalgar Square, with all the attendant logistical problems. The shoot went very smoothly in the circumstances.

Adam Lyne, Producer

Volstok said: “We had 75 extras on the square, moved all gear to the top of the bell tower and waited for the rain to stop. The clock was ticking as we had a tight shooting schedule and permissions were about to expire. We were lucky the weather cleared out in the final 15 minutes we could spend on the location - plus we had a semi wet-down square!”

Local Assistant Directors controlled the extras on the ground with bullhorns and with a lot of briefing the team got all the footage they needed. Volstok concludes: “Overall an excellent experience and we’re very proud of the team and the results!”

Credits
Client: Coca-Cola
Agency: Santo, Buenos Aires
Production Company: Independent, London
Producer: Adam Lyne
Production Service Company (Kiev): Radioaktive Film
Production Service Company (Warsaw): Opus Film
Directors of Photography: Theo Garland, Marcus Domleo
Director: VOLSTOK