The Mill collaborated with AMV and HLA on this charming new spot for Total Greek yoghurt. Set in rural Greece, the spot follows a young boy as he herds his family's cow and is rewarded by his mother with a bowl of yoghurt. The phone then rings in the kitchen showing we are in fact watching a modern day scene, this highlights Total's new tagline, "Total Greek Yoghurt, unchanged since 1926"
This was a hugely technical job for everyone involved. Different shooting speed methods were explored and various film processes tested back in the film lab. Mill Colourist Seamus O'Kane worked closely with director Simon Ratigan and the DOP Karl Oskarsson to achieve a very final look through the grade. The Mill's job was to make the film look 90 years old- but there are in fact clues throughout the commercial which alert the audience to the fact it's present day.
Seamus comments, "the creative concept for this spot was to produce images that evoked a sense of the early colour photographic processes.Simon referenced many examples of the various embryonic techniques and whilst the ability to actually recreate them was beyond us, we discussed ways in which the use of modern day chemical process could combined with modern post production to produce a successful evocation of the past.
Together with DOP Karl Oskarsson and Colin Coul at Bucks Film we embarked upon a series of tests to explore combinations of film camera exposure and frame rate, coupled with laboratory forced development and print density, to find the ideal base medium upon which to grade.
We knew that although 35mm print produced the most beautiful images and closest match to any early colour process, the inherent lack of detail was unsuited to the moving images that have to be displayed on television and the internet. Therefore we had always intended that the final result would be a crafted layering of 35mm print and negative in order to preserve enough detail to satisfy the viewing medium.
Simon was able to further direct this process at Digi Lab with Toby, skilfully bringing the multiple grade layers together to produce a digital file for us to use in the final grade."
Agency: AMV
Producer: Ally Mee
Production Company: HLA
Director: Simon Ratigan
Executive Producer: Tim Daukes
Director of Photography: Karl Oskarsson
Editing Company: The Quarry
Editor: Bruce Townsend
VFX & Design: The Mill
Colourist: Seamus O'Kane
Colour Producer: Cath Short