Your Shot: 'The Boxer'

 

There’s nothing like a good sports film. Rocky, Raging Bull, err, Escape to Victory. Precocious talent, a quick rise, a hair away from glory, disastrous set back, training montage, victory. It just works. Velocity director Greg Gray takes this most noble of traditions to South Africa for his latest spot for Amstel, whipping up an underdog tale that covers decades in seconds. Go team!

 

LBB> What was the original brief like from the agency? What appealed to you about it?

GG> Amstel needed to re-establish its position as the leading premium beer in South Africa. 

 

The intention was to produce a rags-to-riches story about a boxer that would resonate with a very broad, polarized, target market. I loved the story and the fact that it spanned a few decades.

 

LBB> How did you go about capturing the vintage-y vibe? Was the spot shot on film? Or was it very clever post/telecine work? 

GG> Both, actually. We shot on both film and digital. We forced the film stock so as to give us a certain look, and then used that as our bench mark in post production.

 

LBB> The main actor is great - was he an actor or boxer? What sort of directions and notes did you give him?

GG> He is a very fine actor. He was very disciplined - from the moment he was cast he began training with a professional boxer to learn the technique, and dieted and exercised. He was in amazing shape on the shoot.

 

LBB> In terms of the shoot, what were the trickiest or most challenging shots?

GG> Crowd scenes are always tricky. There is usually someone doing the wrong thing at the right time. We also had to keep kids out of the shots, which is easier said than done when shooting in Soweto, where every child from far and wide wants to get into the frame.

 

LBB> Structurally, the spot follows the grand tradition of sports films, which must have made for an interesting edit process! Who did you work with on the edit and what was the process like?

GG> Yes. It's the classic Rumble in the Jungle. A lot of story and emotion for a short commercial. Ricky Boyd was the editor. We've done a lot of these short stories together.

 

LBB> Having said that, the spot definitely has its own visual identity and aesthetically feels very different from, say, Raging Bull, Rocky or Million Dollar Baby - did you find inspiration in famous boxing films or were you very conscious to create something different?

GG> Africa has its very own, distinctive look and feel. We just worked on authenticity, true to Johannesburg in the 80s and I guess that shaped the visual identity.