AIB Casey - "Who'd like to go to Bulgaria to shoot on an air force base?!". Well that was the cry when the AIB Casey scripts landed.

All sounds very exciting, except when one realises as you stand on the windswept asphalt that NOBODY CAN HEAR ANYTHING ON A BULGARIAN AIRFORCE BASE BECAUSE THERE ARE IAR330-SOCAT ATTACK HELICOPTERS TAKING OFF ON MANUVORES ALL THE TIME!

(Well not all the time, and yes, it was pretty exciting).

Director genius Johnny Kelly and production prince Andrew Freedman brought their magical touch to this endearing spot for AIB and Rothco.

Shooting took place over 7 days between the Dublin Ireland and Sofia Bulgaria.

The latter due to us needing access to a real live passenger jet and easy access to shoot in an airport terminal.

Every shot in the spot required extensive de-rigging and on occasion a re-build of certain elements of our hero Casey. 

The two puppeteers that beautifully animated Casey, with subtle twists, nudges and an animating handle to create character and emotion, had to be removed from every take. Shots where Casey was engulfed in water and smoke were particularly challenging for the Screenscene vfx dept, where puppeteers had to be removed yet the integrity of the in-camera live smoke and water elements retained. 

Rod, rail and wire rigs that were all employed on the streets and footpaths to keep Casey steady and choreographed, all had to be removed and replaced. Then more subtle vfx work was carried out on the Bulgarian footage, where distinctly Romanian signage, architecture and livery all had to be re-worked to create an Irish setting. 

This commercial is one of our all-time favs here at Screenscene (and we are really looking forward to shooting with Antidote on an aircraft carrier next!)