About the project

The “Duel” commercial is a continuation of the ongoing 2023 “It’s Movie Time” campaign. As in the previous campaign, the basis for the scenario is genre cinema. This time we take the viewer on a journey to the fairytale world of fantasy films. An acrimonious fight between a knight and an elf is interrupted by the annoying sound of a phone call coming – in the case of the TV spot from the couch where teenagers are watching TV and in the case of the cinema spot – from the audience. A talking tree invites us to watch movies in the good company of Pepsi. In digital materials, the character of a coachman carrying barrels filled with Pepsi was introduced. The TV spot, cinema spot and digital content will be broadcast across thirty countries in Europe and beyond.

Challenge

The challenge was to find a location that would give the impression of an unspoiled medieval wilderness and at the same time not be located in inaccessible terrain. After many days of searching, we decided to carry out the project in the picturesque Panieńskie Skały Gorge located in the Wolski Forest near Krakow. The well-thought-out concept of the costumes, developed by Milena Jaroszek, envisaged their perfect “period” look while not restricting the actors’ movements during complex fight scenes. The stage design division was faced with the task of preparing and designing specialized swords adapted in weight and safety for battle scenes. Period props – a cart carrying stylized medieval Pepsi barrels and a mock-up of a talking tree perfectly matched to the forest growing in the location. Multi-stage casting among actors capable of fighting with white weapons. And in the case of actresses for the role of elves also shooting a bow. In order to surprise viewers and enhance the effect of the storyline, we engaged a well-known voiceover artist specializing in dubbing Marek Ciunel to soundtrack the Polish version.

Throughout the process, we tried to operate in the spirit of sustainable production. The location was chosen in terms of limiting the transportation of both crew and equipment to the set. Instead of sewing specialized costumes, we rented them in Spain and the Czech Republic. Meals were served on reusable crockery and we used reusable disk arrays instead of disks. You can read more about our sustainable solutions, challenges and lessons for the future in the “news” section.

The Making of

Credits

Agency: Sips&Bites
Director: Marcin Dubiniec
DOP: Piotr Sobociński jr
Set Designer: Lukasz Trzcinski
Costumes: Milena Jaroszek
Characterization: Klaudyna Góralska
Post-production: Televisor
Sound: Loud