Saatchi and Finish Collaborate on Weight Watchers

 

The campaign features real “Weight Watchers” singing lines of Alesha Dixon’s “Do it our way (Play)”, broke across UK commercial channels on New Year’s day. When watched online the film is interactive, allowing you to click on many of the real Weight Watchers featured in the video to get their back story and testimonials (some of which were featured in the pre-xmas teaser campaign). 

 

Justine White, Co-Founder of Finish says “Si & Ad from Academy approached Finish to help with plans to shoot Weight Watchers “Play”. As the shoot would be over two days our challenge was where and how to create joins in the film that will never be noticed. We carried out a pre-vis once the location was chosen, by modeling in CGI the Marshall St Baths and streets surrounding. Then the camera move could be plotted in line with the directors’ vision. The complex shoot saw the camera weave in and out of interiors of offices, down three story buildings, back in a window, through another office, out the door, follow people down the street, in and out of a shop, through a car (to get the camera to pass through the car it had to be filmed with the door off, which was later replaced in CGI) and at one point the camera even dips into a pool and back out again!”. The film climaxes as we travel down the road towards a group of people, including Alesha Dixon. 

 

Once shooting and editing were complete flame artists Jason Watts, Steve Murgatroyd and Paul Wilmot worked on joining the takes seamlessly with the graded plates. “As the film is 3’10” and one continuous camera move, it was a big challenge for the team at Finish to carry out the required work within the tight deadline” says Jason Watts. Si & Ad comment, "The shot needed a lot of stabilisation. Especially at the points where the camera was passed between operators. Conventional stabilisation techniques weren't working, so the Finish guys invented a completely new technique which worked brilliantly well. It's this tenacious appetite for innovation that puts Finish at the very top of their game."

 

Weight Watchers “Play” aired on 1st January 2012.

 

View the film:

http://www.finish.tv/work/view/play-3#