Why There’s ‘No Going Back’ for Vinnie Jones and Wargaming
A festive blockbuster featuring British football legend and movie star Vinnie Jones as hardman Santa’s enforcer. Yes, you read that all right. That’s the premise of Wargaming’s seasonal takeover for its annual World of Tanks campaign, this year titled ‘No Going Back’.
In a five-minute movie featuring Santa as a hardman boss and Vinnie Jones as his naughty list enforcer, we see the way the team roughs up those who steal cookies, don’t turn up for dental appointments and wrongly park in handicapped spaces. But as it turns out, Vinnie has found a better gig, with a sweeter ride to get him around. As he leaves in his new tank, after having shown Santa just how much of a sweet ride it is – and having blown up a few presents – Vinnie sets off on his new journey with Santa’s blessing.
Conceiving the project within five days, and leaving room for improvisation on set, the spot combines the vibe of a classic gangster movie with plenty of humour, a stellar script written by CUBO and amazing visuals to match the entire production.
To share more about the process behind the spot, CUBO’s creative director Henry Scott, HALAL’s director Andzej Gavriss and head of production Job Sanders, all speak to LBB’s Nisna Mahtani.
LBB> Santa and Vinnie Jones sat in a bathtub, sorting through the naughty and nice lists. That’s something we didn’t expect from Wargaming’s Holiday Ops campaign! Can you tell us a little bit about how this idea first came about?
Henry> Whatever way you look at it, tanks and Christmas aren’t exactly a natural fit. On the other hand, so many people use gaming to escape the stresses of being surrounded by your family over the holidays. So we started from this place where Vinnie had to resolve some kind of emotional conflict… using a tank. Then this idea came along that Santa was the only person in the world Vinnie was scared of. And we went through a bunch of ways that Vinnie would have to upset him. Leaving your job right before the busiest time of the year felt about right - you better have something really good to go on to. And once we had these two great characters to play with, things just spiralled from there.
LBB> At a runtime of five minutes, this is more of a short film than a quick campaign. How did you begin the planning process and where did you end up shooting the spot?
Henry> Along with director Andzej, we brought the clients, creatives, gaming experts and the Halal producers together in Prague at the end of May. The entire idea, script, and treatment were conceived, tested and approved in a five-day sprint. We also shot a prototype of the jacuzzi scene with a lookalike actor to show that the humour would work. After the sprint, we had to rewrite the action scenes to accommodate what a 55-ton antique tank can and can’t do. And we also went through a lot of naughty list punishments until we arrived at something feasible on location.
Job> We shot over four thankfully cloudy days in the south of England at the beginning of July. Not the most cost efficient place to shoot a cinematic film like this, but the location was amazing, and also convenient, quite close to Vinnie’s home. Also, it gave us a chance to work with a superb British crew produced by the fabulous production service company Forever.
LBB> The CUBO team created the script - but you also encouraged improvisation and the entire team’s input during the shoot. How did this impact the filming process and what were some of the moments which came out of it?
Henry> Actually, the script was a collaborative process - both Andzej and the clients were in the room from start to finish. But while we were casting, Andzej began pushing us to give these incredible characters more to do. The beauty of Cubo’s process is that it creates so much trust between everyone involved, - we could use the script as a starting point, not a goal in itself. I came to the rehearsal day with a bunch of alt lines. The cast just took them and ran with them. ‘This job isn’t worth the chocolate coins’ is my favourite line of the whole film. It really sums up this bizarre festive gangster world. And it came straight from Kathryn, the security elf.
LBB> When you decided on creating a hardman Santa with a gang of misfit elves, what was the casting and costume process like? Where did you take inspiration from?
Henry> Andzej wrote a whole backstory for Santa, as a kind of Succession character who’d worked his way out of Finland via LA and had cornered the market. Our only regret is we couldn’t afford to cast Idris Elba as Santa. He would make a great Santa. Maybe next time.
Andzej> As always, for me, the casting and wardrobe part begins with world-building. I thought that featuring unique-looking characters in period outfits blended with a Christmas aesthetic in a real-world scenario would create a compelling contrast and confuse the audience in a good way. During rehearsals, we conducted a table read, and my primary approach was for the actors to shed the sense that they were magical creatures and instead act as if they were in a day-to-day situation, simply going about their jobs.
LBB> In terms of the aesthetic, how did you combine the gaming world with Christmas to create a balance between the two? What were some of the key elements you were keen to showcase to bring that collaboration between the two?
Henry> We just wanted to show sides to both, er, franchises, that you haven’t seen before. The inside of the tank never features in the game. Santa’s head without a hat. Vinnie Jones in a bath.
Andzej> To be honest, all I thought about was creating a great short film where everything makes sense and adheres to the rules of the world in which the characters live.
LBB> Watching the spot, there’s a real cohesion which comes from the muted colours and eerie feeling of the film. Can you tell us a little bit about the editing and post process which achieved this?
Andzej> Desaturating the grass and leaves while adding a touch of snow was primarily a practical decision to give the film the appearance of taking place just before Christmas. Stylistically, I believe it works well, allowing the film to distinguish itself from numerous bright and colourful Christmas commercials. I'm delighted that everyone embraced this idea.
The editing process was quite enjoyable. Initially, my cut resembled a Stanley Kubrick film – slow-paced with more dramatic music. As we progressed, we fine-tuned the cut, opting for a faster pace, reducing dialogue, and incorporating more upbeat music.
Henry> Start with the character and build everything around that. I love for example that Vinnie’s always moving except when he’s with Santa.
LBB> The campaign is targeted at World of Tanks players around the world. What were some considerations you accounted for to make it as internationally understood as possible, while also adding dramatic flair?
Henry> Yeah, global advertising usually avoids humour (and to be honest, ideas) for just that reason. Catholic countries, for example, don’t have a naughty list. But the characters are so clear you easily get the joke. Gaming studios really understand the power of narrative. We layered it, like in a game. There’s the second-to-second info that tells you what’s going on. But then there are also all these contextual clues that make you care about it.
Job> And there’s a bunch of easter eggs and cameos, like the famous Twitcher Quickybaby, for the gamers that get them talking about it with each other. If you let the community own the film, they’ll help each other get deeper into it.
LBB> Speaking of the strategy side of things, how did that play into the timing of the launch and how has the audience reacted to it so far?
Henry> The reaction has been incredible. On YouTube, we have around 85% positive comments (full disclosure - that’s not including the people asking who Vinnie is). What is especially great is that the film achieved both of its contradictory aims. It worked as a big reveal of Vinne as the game's new host at the end of November - the long intro sequence with the elves really dialled up the tension with a live audience of hardcore fans. And as it spread, the wider community took ownership of it - watching it repeatedly searching it for easter eggs and hidden messages. Two million views within two weeks, for a five minute film in the age of TikTok - it’s a testament to all the craft that went into it.
LBB> What was the most challenging aspect of getting this project up and running? How did you overcome it to get to the end line?
Job> The project came into our inbox, but it was clearly an agency brief. Having worked in gaming before was a prerequisite to enter the pitch. We are not an agency and we had not worked in gaming before so we needed to find a partner that had both and wanted to jump into the pitch with us. We had done some pitches and sprints with CUBO before, we love their approach and their team, their CD Henry works a lot in gaming so it was a match made in heaven. Pitches always suck, especially if it’s for a new client because you don’t know how far you can go. We pushed it quite far in our pitch and I guess they liked it!
LBB> Allowing for improvisation, there must have been some funny, memorable moments from the set. Can you share some with us?
Henry> Vinnie Jones shouting ‘What wanker wrote this?’, and Andjez pointing straight at me - that was my personal highlight.
Job> The tank kept breaking down, but it only actually burst into flames after we wrapped on the final day.
Andzej> Personally, the energy stood out to me. I loved the sense of unity and support; it felt like everyone genuinely loved the project and was committed to making it better.
LBB> If you could go back in time and tell yourselves one thing to remember during the process, what would it be?
Henry> Live reindeer are expensive.
Job> First, don't shoot with a tank from the 60's that is likely to catch fire on set. Second, make sure the tank fits on the drive so you don’t wreck the lawn over a 100-yard stretch. Clearly, the combination of a mansion and a tank is an insurance nightmare.
Andzej> The scene with a fully clothed Vinnie Jones in the bathtub will turn out to be funny.
LBB> Would you like to add anything else?
Andzej> I'm just thrilled that everything fell into place, and the film was well-received by the audience. Thanks to everyone who worked hard and contributed to making it happen. Honestly, it was a pleasure collaborating with all of you.
Henry> I’m proud to have helped make a Christmas film that’s rated ‘Mild Violence’
Job> We are so happy to have popped our cherry working for a gaming company. It was such a fun experience, can’t wait to do more!
