Two weeks braving the elements: wind, rain, snow, cold, and even heat (yes, I assure you!). Two intense – but oh so fabulous – weeks with our team of 11 people to bring to life a campaign imagined six months earlier in our offices at La Défense.
It’s no secret that at Archemia we love pop culture. I mean, we really (really) love pop culture. Anyway, we’ve been thinking about creating an advertising concept like no other for a while now. Something wacky. Something memorable. When, suddenly, our phone rings: Icelandair (known for its offbeat and humorous tone) wants to work with us on TV and film spots. Eureka.
More than 400 films have been shot in Iceland, the vast majority of them blockbusters like Interstellar, Star Wars, Star Trek, James Bond, Game of Thrones, Oblivion, Noah, Thor, Transformers… Sorry, I’ll stop. From the very beginning, we wanted to pay homage to the cinema and the natural settings Iceland offers.
The pitch is simple: traveling to Iceland isn’t just about discovering beautiful panoramas, it’s about stepping into iconic universes, it’s about navigating pop references. That’s when we came up with the idea of this couple of film buffs seeking to relive the magical moments they’ve seen in their favorite films.
In this kind of project, casting is what makes all the difference. And luckily, we had already worked with Julie Barrazza (in our short film Bienveillance) and Thorian-Jackson de Decker (in our short film Raphaëlle). Going with them was a no-brainer. In just a few days, we were able to create the chemistry between our two protagonists that we so wanted to see on screen.
Okay, casting is settled. Check. Now, how do we film? I mean, with what? There’s a camera that’s been all the rage for the past two years: the DJI Ronin 4D. A four-axis stabilized camera, which was used on Alex Gardland’s Civil War (produced by A24) and the series Adolescence (filmed in sequence shots by 18 operators who take turns handling the camera!) available on Netflix. And since we’re following the trend at Archemia, we wanted to try it too. So we bought it, we tested it on a short film (Une Rencontre du 3ème Type), and since we were convinced, we went to Iceland with it!
So, if you think about it, everything was there: the locations, the actors, the equipment, the crew. All that’s left is to send a big love letter to Iceland and the history of cinema.
A big thank you to everyone who brought this project to life. And also to the Icelandic hot springs, for their unfailing support after our long days of filming. Truly, bravo, great work.
A quick update on the schedule to finish: our spots will be broadcast on television and in cinemas around the world starting in December. Stay tuned!
