How Tantrum Battled Freak Flash Floods in Dramatic Viasat Shoot

Director Richard Tindall, through production company tantrum, has delivered a series of highly entertaining and richly cinematic brand idents for TV and satellite broadcaster Viasat - but just as captivating is the story behind the shoot as the crew found themselves caught up in flash floods. While filming a pool party scene.

The re-brand of the Viasat’s leading film channels - TV1000, ACTION TV1000 & PYCCKOE KNHO TV1000 – are being rolled out in 40”, 30”, 20” & 10” executions for television, satellite and online audiences across Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Russia and parts of the USA from 29 April 2014.

The brief was to create authentic film scenes and portray Viasat as the film-maker’s choice of channel.  ‘Day’ & ‘night’ films were created using different film genres to represent the broad range of movies played across the three channels – TV1000 (Hollywood), Action TV1000 (Action) & Pycckoe Knho TV1000 (Russian cinema).  The films were shot over 3 days in LA – Venice Beach, Griffiths Park and the desert in Palmdale.

Viasat - Behind The Scenes from tantrum on Vimeo.

The shoot did not all go according to plan however. On a project with huge ambition but a comparatively modest budget it was only achieved against the odds. On day two of a tight three day shoot filming 2 completely different film genre executions a day, the shoot almost hit a wall as LA was battered by a freak storm turning the Hollywood Hills where they were filming into a flood scene. It was the worst storm in three years – flash floods and dangerous electrical lightening strikes - more rain fell in 1 day than in the whole previous rain year. With no rain insurance the decision was made to prepare for the worst and shoot through it.  Despite the conditions the team delivered on brief and changed the creative to get the films in the can.  The results are some what astonishing given the challenges they met. 

But it didn’t stop there when on the third and final day of filming out in the desert, the set was ordered to be shut down by the authorities only hours from wrap. Once again the team decided not to lie down and shot the final few hours in under 30 minutes to get it all in the can.

The films are being entered into Cannes Lion’s in the ‘Broadcast Sponsorship’ category and also ‘Achievement in Production’. No surprise there!