Written by David Lewis on Dec 3, 2009. Posted in Production News

Toshiba's Space Chair launches from Nevada

When creative agency Grey London and production company Hungry Man wanted a backdrop for their groundbreaking new spot, Space Chair, for Toshiba, they chose Nevada. Shot in the wilderness of the Nevada Black Rock desert 12 miles north east of the town of Gerlach, the spot follows the journey of an ordinary living room chair to the extraordinary heights of the edge of space, lifted to an altitude of 98,268 feet by a simple helium balloon.

The ad was shot by Haris Zambarloukos, the acclaimed cinematographer behind films such as Enduring Love and Mamma Mia and was directed by Andy Amadeo, creative director at Grey London. The shoot was made possible by the construction of a unique custom-built camera rig, using Toshiba's own IK-HR1S cameras, engineered by John Powell of JP Aerospace – experts in this field who have successfully sent over 100 balloons into the upper atmosphere.

Executive prodcuer, Matt Buels, explains: "There was no way of testing it, so we didn't know what we were going to get. It wasn't like a regular commercial but more like an event that was being documented, because it was all real - it wasn't the normal craft of filmmaking."

The ad opens with a shot of the solitary chair silhouetted against the Nevada sunrise. It then takes the viewer on a journey above the desert, into the clouds and beyond. The specially created full sized chair was made of biodegradable balsa wood so it was light enough to make the 83 minute journey up towards space. It was tied to the rig and launched by the team.

Matt McDowell, Marketing Director at Toshiba UK comments: “Our aim was to create a new advertising campaign that would bring to life Toshiba’s brand philosophy of leading innovation. We chose to send a chair on the journey as it is central to the user’s experience of Toshiba’s products; whether they are watching TV or using a laptop.”

Amadeo adds: “Keeping with our tact of being as innovative as the brand, we once again created a mould-breaking commercial with Toshiba. Last year we set a new world record with Timesculpture and proved that their domestic camcorders could produce a breathtaking, never before seen piece of film. This time we have used Toshiba HD cameras to produce some of the most stunning footage shot at the edge of space.”

Click here to view the ad.

Credits:

Creative Agency: Grey London
Director: Andy Amadeo
Production Company: Hungry Man
Executive Producer: Matt Buels
DOP: Haris Zambarloukos
Editor: Russell Icke
Post Production: The Mill
Editor: Russell Icke