Great Guns' Ciaran Foy Directs Action-packed Video Game-inspired Ad for Samsung

Ciaran Foy has joined the Great Guns roster and kicks things off by directing a commercial for Samsung through Cheil Amsterdam.

The new Samsung Live 360 campaign created by Cheil Amsterdam, and directed by L.A based Ciaran Foy, showcases the range of 360 products, including the Gear VR, the Samsung 360 camera and the S7 handset, that all work together to bring 360 VR to the consumer.

The 60 second film made for Cinema, TV and internet gives the viewer a glimpse into the many possibilities of VR via a barnstorming POV journey through both real and computer generated worlds, where we encounter a real life grizzly bear, police shoot-outs, experience a precarious helicopter stunt and have a close encounter with a great white shark in VR. 

Director Ciaran Foy explains: “From the moment I read Peter Hamelinck and Thijs de Boer’s script for this campaign, I just loved the cinematic approach that they, along with agency producer Pirke Bergsman, wanted to take with the brief.  I love action and heart pulsing pieces, like my PlayStation spot, and this idea had a great kinetic flow to it - going from world to world - that I immediately responded to and knew I could bring it to life in an exciting and engaging way.

I wanted to give the viewer an experience of what it’s like being thrust into different 360 words, and it being an all-encompassing trip.  I wanted no obvious cuts, so that through the POV technique, we see and experience the journey through our hero's eyes, as he seamlessly travels from one world to the next, like a non-stop and overwhelming ride of visual and audio engagement. Then when that ride is suddenly stopped - he gets the call from his mum – it’s like he comes out of an amazing dream.  

"In storyboarding the spot, I was careful to consider how one’s head moves while wearing the Gear VR, and what might grab your attention in each world.  VR is a fascinating medium and we are still learning the tools related to it;  like how do you 'direct' the viewer’s eye when they are free to look wherever they want? So the rules are still being worked out which is exciting.  I feel we have barely scratched the surface in terms of what we can do and what new ways we can engage the viewer. 

"Creating the videogame scene to fit the storyboard was a very interesting process. In many ways, you are directing, blocking and staging all the same elements as you would if it were live action – the cops, the bank robbers, the police cars, the chopper.  Literally, I found the only difference between directing a segment like that and a fully photo-real CG scene is rendering time and level of detail.”  

The music was composed specifically for the film, and recorded by the Grammy award-winning Metropole Orchestra, to give the piece a grand and cinematic feel.

Great Guns director Josh Trigg was also on hand to shoot a charming 360 behind the scenes in 360 using the Samsung Gear 360 camera product itself, focusing on the experience of one of the cast, who was especially flown in from the states for the film.