Nike - Haaland Force of Nature (Force9)
Erling Haaland was projected onto the waves, for real! On behalf of Nike Football, we were asked to bring Erling Haaland back to Norway to celebrate the launch of the new Phantom GX Elite football boot.
The result was a series of projections that interact with the coast's rock formations and powerful waves, depicting Haaland as an unstoppable force of nature across the Norwegian landscape. All filmed on camera, the team traveled by boat to challenging locations, carrying one ton of equipment by hand over rocky terrain to explore the exposed coastal landscape of Norway.
Challenge:
In this project, Storywell assisted with several deliverables. First, we were contacted to help find an optimal location for the filming, and eventually we were also asked if we could be the local production company for the entire production and be responsible for the drone operations. It was a very ambitious project with a short deadline, and several elements of nature had to be right.
With location in mind, it was important that there was a place where you could project directly onto a flat rock formation sticking straight up out of the sea to get a clear image of Haaland. There was also a need for a good platform perpendicular to the rock formation where a projector, generators, camera and lights could be placed. In addition, there had to be large waves inland and it had to be possible to get there with all the equipment.
In terms of logistics, it was important that production proceeded safely, that the production had the necessary means of transportation and that all production equipment was in place.
When it came to the drone, it was important that it was a drone with a bright camera as it was to be filmed at dusk, and at the same time we had few attempts to get the cut right as the optimal light only lasted a few minutes.
Solution:
After several days of combing through Google Maps, we finally found that the west coast of Sotra was one of the few places in Norway with steep mountain cliffs, waves and accessibility, and the choice finally fell on the disused Bølgekraftverket and Skogsøytuna.
Both sites are challenging to get to and land on, so we decided that we needed small boats that could operate in shallow waters, hold a lot of equipment and personnel and be steady in big waves. In addition, we hired security teams to ensure that anyone moving close to the edge was well secured.
The drone we chose was the DJI Inspire 3, which has a fantastic camera, where we can change lenses, be two operators, and the client can have their own screen to make sure we get the right image and composition in real time.
Theresult:
The result was a huge success where Nike and Haaland achieved tens of millions of views and engagement on their social media channels.
Credits
Client: Nike Football
Agency: Initiative
Executive Producer: Daniel Postelthwaite @danpos23
Producer: Helen Dulay @DJhellyhell
Director / DOP: James Medcraft @jamesmedcraft_dop
Local Production Company: Storywell @storywell.no
Camera Operator: Matt Watt @shotbymattwatt
DroneOperator: @Storywell.no @larskovald @Rubensoltvedt
Fixer: @Storywell.no @larskovald @Rubensoltvedt
Grade: Matt Turner: @absolute_post
Audio: Sebastian Oliwa @oliwa.audio
Media Server Operator: @studiojacksontayler Projection Rental: @creative_technology_no
RopeSafety Team: @climbworks.se
Feedback from Nike:
" Storywell provided excellent technical services as well as great local knowledge.
Lars and his team were incredibly helpful and adaptable to every challenge we threw their way!
Couldn't recommend highly enough."
- Dan Postlethwaite
Behind the scenes video and images
