Electric Ireland and Astronaut Chris Hadfield Brings Ireland Towards a Brighter Future

When Red Rage’s multi international award winning director Tomas Jonsgärden was approached by ROTHCO Accenture Interactive to direct a film for Electric Ireland that featured renowned Canadian astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield, it did not take long to return the call. The brief to tell an emotive story of Chris connecting with the people of Ireland from the International Space Station, looking down on the country below was a massive challenge which Tomas was excited to embrace.

In 2003, Chris had tweeted images of Ireland that had been captured from the International Space Station, creating a moment of national pride. Accompanied with the message 'Tá Éire fíorálainn' – Ireland is very beautiful – the images of the illuminated country sparked an instant connection with those back on Earth.  

According to director Tomas: “Like all the best ideas, the power of this film comes from its simplicity. It has a clear narrative structure, but the meaning it provokes is profound. This film is all about what it means to be human, and the communities we’ve built together that we now call home. It’s about our place in the world, about what we share, our common dreams, and that’s what I want the audience to feel. Camaraderie ignites a spark so that no matter what happens in life, we all have each other, and we should all be captivated and inspired to be part of something bigger. 

Tomas, with his producer Magnus and the Red Rage team, set about extensive research and combined a highly technical and detailed set built at Kite Studios outside Dublin together with the very best in CGI craft and technology at The Moving Picture Company (MPC) in London. Editorial facilities in Dublin were provided by Windmill Lane.

“It’s easy to get carried away by the epic shots in space, but the big challenge was to tie the two worlds together - SPACE and everyday LIFE in Ireland into one singular and unified form. Every little detail needed to be hand crafted and well considered, from every single shot, every camera move to every little nuance in the performance. Everything needed to have the same cinematic quality that is grounded in real life. It needed to be 100% authentic. I set out to be honest and to capture every scene with emotional integrity and with relatable, warm and intimate personal insights of ordinary lives. An epic shot of earth seen from orbit and a tender moment shared between people feel like they’re part of the same film. That’s what unifies the cinematic visual language.”

The finished film combines magnificent cinematography with impeccable art direction and VFX to tell a beautifully crafted emotive story. See more of Tomas Jonsgärden's work here.