Now you’ve watched our super-stylish, first ever TV ad, we’d love to take you behind the scenes. So, here’s the exclusive inside scoop on how we filmed ‘Killer Shoes’ on a rainy Tuesday in central London.
So, first things first! We all met up for a good breakfast on set at 5am. We completely took over the place with our crew of 26 people, including Bugsy Riverbank Steel, the director and Matt Saunby, the executive creative director who came up with the concept. That’s how many experts we needed to help us bring the BrandAlley TV ad alive.
Plus, we were joined by our cast of 18 – made up of our heroine, model Jen Dawson, seven other talented actors and ten extras, who all had important roles to play in our ad.
The first thing we needed to do was to build sets for two scenarios: the shop with the desirable shoes in the window and the ‘WE BUY ANYTHING FOR CASH’ shop next door. Which meant turning the entire front of the bar into two shop fronts.
The stylist and her team were sorting out and hanging up outfits for each character on a rail, from over eight big boxes full of clothes. In another, the beauty team was working through the entire cast list to get everyone ready for their slot. You could sense a real buzz of excitement and anticipation as everyone busied about!
Once everyone had their hair and make-up done, we did a run-through of the day with the key people, including talking through the order we’d be shooting the scenes.
When daylight finally came, it was bright and clear but cold and crisp. We shot the end scene first – the one where you see the model, Jen, walking down the street in her underwear. As you can imagine, we sure did get a few looks and stares! Jen was brilliant and really took it in her stride, and of course, our lovely stylist was on hand in between takes, to look after Jen and make sure she kept toasty-warm. As forecasted, it rained from lunchtime on and off all day, but with incredible lighting and scaffolding protecting Jen, you would never know. That’s the magic of film!
Timing wise, the rainy weather made things a bit more interesting. Especially when we were shooting the outdoor scene, where Jen gazes at the shoes with an expression full of desire, want and need.
The darkness was creeping in on us, but the next two scenes took place outside. First up was Milkshake Boy – he did this in only 3 takes – the first one was perfect! But, it’s always best to have a few versions of it.
And then, it was the turn of the kissing couple you briefly see as Jen pushes them out of the way in the opening scene of the ad. The shoot finished on a real high with the ‘Put the shoes in the bag’ scene, which left us roaring with laughter as Jen was spectacular at making us giggle and having fun with the imagined, stylish robbery. And yes, she really does make wearing a leopard print ski hat look that good!
It was a totally brilliant, exhausting and unforgettable adventure! With such a fabulous crew and cast, it’s amazing what you can achieve in one day!
Watch this space!
Tomorrow, we interview creative executive director Matt Saunby to delve deeper into the inspiration behind the BrandAlley TV ad. Don’t miss it!
