Herds of Costumed Sheep Run Wild on Skye for KAYAK

Dozens of costumed sheep ran wild on the Isle of Skye for KAYAK’s frenetic new global TV commercial, in a production from Trigger Happy and LS Productions. 

The ad showcases the travel search engine’s new app, with creative from German agency Jung von Matt. The production required a four day motion and stills shoot, fully serviced by the Edinburgh-based production servicing company. 

LS Productions conducted the casting for the shoot’s animal stars, studying local farming patterns to find the best kind of sheep for the job and ultimately sourcing 100 cheviot sheep, one black sheep and a goat. They were transformed on set, donning cardboard costumes before being let loose on the Quiraing – a classic Skye hill-walk – all in the presence of experienced animal handlers.

The Quiraing is a ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest’ and required extra considerations during filming. LS worked closely with the Government’s Senior Agricultural Officers and Scottish Natural Heritage to ensure that all filming was in-line with the set guidelines.

Location Manager, Amy Morement explains: “There are a number of sensitive habitats, so extra location management was required to monitor the volume of sheep and crew, being careful not to disturb the ground too much or have too many animals, people or equipment concentrated to one area.”

Shot across four days in prime holiday season, LS arranged all travel, accommodation and location management to best avoid the droves of tourists who flood to see Skye’s breath-taking landscapes. Head of Production, Sarah Drummond comments: “With our contacts and knowledge of the local area we were able to find practical options for accommodating our cast, clients and 100-strong crew. When self-catered cottages were used, we supplied our clients with a lovely little care package of toiletries, cosy towels and – most importantly – caffeine!”

The team also conducted main artist and street casting in Skye and Inverness, with daily social media shout-outs and three studio castings in Glasgow, Manchester and London. Sarah adds: “The final cast comprised our hero cast member and 18 supporting artists sourced from all over Scotland, including a few locals. We’re always happy to assist clients with casting in remote areas and love it when we can involve helpful locals.”

The film was shot by double 2015 Cannes Lion winning DoP Bjorn Charpentier. He primarily worked with a RED Dragon, using a Steadicam, whilst drones were used to capture the sweeping aerial shots. The locations team ensured all drones were kept within a kilometre of the Quiraing car park, so as not to disturb the local eagles. All of the equipment for the shoot was also sourced by LS.

Sarah comments: “Bjorn’s an immensely talented cinematographer. It was a pleasure to work with him and his team on this project.” 

She adds: “Sourcing hundreds of sheep, dressing them in costumes and letting them ‘run wild’ on the slopes of the Quiraing – all in a day’s work for the LS Productions team!”