1851
The long route
How a real-life drama delayed our complex film shoot for National Highways
Our major film campaign project for National Highways faced lengthy hold-ups on its journey to completion.
The government-owned organisation, formerly Highways England, is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving our motorways and major A-roads. We first pitched our idea pre-COVID, proposing a short film to dramatise it's Home Safe and Well initiative.
Lockdown shutdown
After a research trip to speak to Highway Patrol officers on the M25, we created a concept that blended live action with animated effects to illustrate the human connections they make across the country. Pre-production on our film began in earnest. Location scouting, storyboarding and casting was well under way, with a shoot set to take place at the end of March 2020. Then lockdown changed everything.
Although our film team continued to work throughout the crisis, the scale and complexity of this shoot meant it was impossible to carry on.
Finally, in September 2021, we got the green light. A complicated shoot involved 20 cars, a motorbike, a lorry, a Ford Transit, a white MX5 and a smashed-up Jaguar at the MIRA Technology Institution in Warwickshire.
The campaign film will be used to share National Highways’ commitment to safety for its employees, contractors and the travelling public.
x
