Artem Project - Smith and Sons Fosters Twist


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PROJECT | Smith and Sons | Fosters Twist

Production Company, Smith & Sons, approached Artem to help realise an idea to launch Fosters Twist - a beer with a hint of citrus pitched as a refreshing alternative for summer.

The script envisioned a number of characters walking around a beach bar with an exaggerated “laid back” posture.

In reality, this entailed finding away to allow the actors to lean back at about 45 degrees whilst still being able to walk in a relaxed lope to the bar or greet each other on the dance floor.

Designer, Simon Tayler, comments:

“M&C Saatchi had made a test film using two helpers to support a performer’s weight with a strap moving with him as he walked. The helpers were removed in post and the result was pretty good, but potentially limiting for the shoot as the helpers we very close to the performer which could prove problematic in post.

Our task was to come up with a method of producing a similar result in a flexible and adaptable way which would also be comfortable for the performers.

Working closely with Production Designer, Marcus Rowland, and the Production Company, we experimented with a number of ideas - shooting video tests as we went along – before settling on one main approach and a second backup idea.

For the bulk of the shots we created small body shells rigged onto cables slung from a pole. The pole ends had shoulder brackets to make them easier to carry and the body shell was suspended off a small cross bar which could swivel relative to the pole, allowing the walker to change direction in action and for the position of the helpers to change relative to the walker.

This setup proved to be extremely effective and allowed the Actors the freedom to concentrate on their performance; it also got the helpers about one meter away from the performers which made lighting and post production more straight forward.

As a backup we also built a version of the body shell rigged onto a support with wheels which could be used for background shots as, although the walking action wasn’t quite as good, it would require little or no post.

The shoot went very well, although it was quite heavy work for the helpers, but the end result was worth it.”

"The most important thing for us was that the rig we ended up with allowed the actors the freedom to act as naturally as possible. Only if they were completely comfortable would they be able to give a suitably 'laid back' performance. It was also very important that the rig covered as little of the actors as possible to make things achievable in post. The rig that Artem designed answered this brief perfectly. They were also fantastic on the shoot where they worked tirelessly to a very tight schedule."
Peter Montgomery, Producer, M&C Saatchi