Let’s be honest, the whole world is in love with Africa – the Motherland they call
us! South Africa in particular has come into its own in recent times, 20 years into
democracy and we’ve got plenty to be proud of. The latest South African Airways
(SAA) commercial is aimed at highlighting all the reasons why South Africa is so
loved.
As the national carrier, SAA is subject to much scrutiny but with this latest
commercial the airline focuses on its more positive attributes by showcasing
those of the nation as a whole.
The brief given to advertising agency Havas Worldwide Johannesburg was to
develop a commercial designed to recapture the hearts and minds of the South
African market and to position SAA as the world-class airline that it is. “We felt it
was important to change the conversation and focus on the great things that
SAA does for the country and its people. In essence, we wanted to reintroduce
the airline to the country,’ comments Kerryn Clayton, a representative of Havas.
“The basic message we are portraying is that SAA is the catalyst for South Africa
to meet Africa, and vice versa,’ she adds.
“Meet Africa’s Favourite Airline,’ the main tagline of the commercial, is not just
clever copy as SAA is the most awarded airline on the continent, having won the
Skytrax Award for Best Airline in Africa for 11 consecutive years.
Saskia Finlayson, of production house Velocity Films, produced the advert which
features an eclectic mix of Africans, of all shapes and sizes, young and old, from
different walks of life. Finlayson comments: “We tried to look for interesting,
characterful people, though still people that were not “too out of the box’
thereby alienating the audience.’
Filmed over six days in January this year, the commercial features a voiceover
playing over a montage of footage shot in Johannesburg, Madagascar and
Senegal. The montage highlights the uniqueness of African people while at the
same time depicting a sense of “ubuntu’ by drawing on inspiring moments
shared by the nation.
According to Finlayson, the director, Tristyn Von Berg, felt it was important to
achieve a feel of seamlessness between the contrasting images: “It was vital
that one picture flowed into the next without jarring the mind or eye,’ she says.
Finlayson adds that, although there was a basic outline and a budget given by
the agency, the actual brief was very open. “What’s great is that the copy could
be adjusted to match the visuals; this gave us a certain amount of creative
freedom.’
Accompanying Finlayson and Von Berg, was DOP Peter Tishauser who shot the
majority of the spot on an Arri Alexa, with additional shots being done on a RED.
Time-lapse technician Greg Culey used a Canon 5D Mk III for the stop frame
shots and Visual Air provided the remote aerial helicopter system.
The remainder of the production team included production manager Dianne
Mare, art director Julie Bonnet and Izolina De Vasconcelos for wardrobe. Willie
Saayman of Tessa Ford Post Production edited the ad.
