What was it like to film with two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo? Well, AWESOME!
Not only is Giannis an overwhelming 6’ 11”, but he is warm, friendly and can quickly get into character. He had no problem going from being a cowboy in the Wild West to a comedian on stage hosting a comedy show. I know I can speak for the TCL team when I say it was a pleasure working with him on the latest commercial, illustrating the joy and simplicity a TCL TV brings.
The “Enjoy More” commercial illustrates how you can enjoy more than expected with TCL. That can mean more amazing color, breathtaking clarity, responsive gaming, or immersive audio. With TCL, you’ll be sure to experience a truly enhanced entertainment experience.
With Giannis’ help, our latest commercial spot brings the “enjoy more” concept to life. You see Giannis experience his TV like never before; the picture quality is so good that TCL captivates him, making him feel like he is in every scene. We see Giannis experience new worlds all from the comfort of his living room with the click of a remote.
Well, I am here to take you inside the shoot to get a glimpse of how we made those new world’s possible from a small studio in Milwaukee!
Filming took place last February in a very chilly Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Our film crew worked their magic to successfully create five unique settings all within some pretty tight spaces. Let’s take a look at how some of these scenes were created.
Filming took place at RDI Studios, Milwaukee, WI. early in the morning, much of the film crew was busy making last minute adjustments to each of the sets. Make-up and wardrobe could be seen reviewing storyboard sketches coseley before Giannis’ arrival.
The film crew uses stand-in actors for placement and lighting so that when Giannis arrives to set he can jump right in and start filming.
Our Call of Duty scene was the first shot of the day. Filming took place in front of a large green screen and a treadmill. With Giannis in a full military costume, he acted out his “walking through the battlefield” scene all while walking on a treadmill. Postproduction work was done by the team at Iconoclastic Media where they merged the green screen footage with the gaming video effects plates created by Activision, setting the background scene of Giannis walking through a warzone from a Call of Duty video game.
Our western “showdown” was filmed in a similar fashion using the same green screen from the Call of Duty scene. This allowed us to film multiple scenes in one room while Giannis went from soldier to cowboy in a matter of minutes—all without having to move lighting, cameras and equipment. The western background was added later, after the team did a separate shoot in a desert outside of Los Angeles. Giannis nailed his gunslinger stare down on the first take!
Our “baking competition” scene was next on the shot list. We transitioned to the next room where the scene was set with colorful lights, backdrops and bakeware. We wanted this scene to feel fun, like you were on the set of your favorite baking competition show. While those baking shows are always exciting to watch, they can get intense! We wanted to capture that same intensity with Giannis. So, we had an ominous countdown and intense music play as Giannis looked like he was frantically racing against the clock. A special basketball themed cake created by a local baker helped tie in Giannis’ own character
(I imagine if Giannis ever decides to pick-up cake decorating in his future, basketball themed cakes would most likely be his go-to).
Finally, the comedy scene! Personally, this was my favorite scene of the day. It’s when Giannis seemed the most comfortable and really let his personality shine. This was filmed using a small brick backdrop, a custom comedy club sign, some amazing lighting techniques and a few TCL employees as the comedy club audience. While Giannis was given a script for his lines, he had no problem delivering some jokes of his own which was great for some authentic laughs and applause.
Our last scene of the day featured not only Giannis, but his talented brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo. While filming the baking and comedy club scene, the video crew was in parallel to shift the green screen stage to a full-on apartment-like setting with pictures on the walls, furniture and of course a TCL TV.
Side note: the picture frames used as props in the background of this scene had actual photos of Giannis and his family! Talk about paying attention to details to create an authentic scene.
This scene was most important, because it sets up the framework for the entire commercial. This is where the magic really takes place, the living room. Giannis and Thanasis filming together made for genuine on-camera chemistry and laughter.
It was an amazing experience working with the Greek Freak himself. We certainly noticed what Thanasis did, that Giannis has quite the range!
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