The romantic stakes are high and there鈥檚 everything to play for in HOBBY director Vesa Manninen鈥檚 charming take on a casino-based first date.
The spot was shot over two nights in the real Holland Casino Utrecht. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like pulling off an Ocean鈥檚 Eleven style heist,鈥 said HOBBY EP John Gerard. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in our vans outside the casino at 3am waiting for them to complete the day鈥檚 count. Then we get the nod and descend under the cover of darkness. We have until 12 midday to get the goods and then we鈥檙e out so the Casino can get back to business. It鈥檚 a real logistical challenge!鈥
Luckily HOBBY had their A Team to hand. 鈥淏ig shout out to production designer Jeroen Echter for working his magic in the casino in such a short space of time,鈥 said John. Meanwhile DoP Robbie van Brussel turned a whole host of lenses on the action to give this faltering first date the truly cinematic treatment.
There were no first date nerves for director Vesa as this is the second spot he has directed for the brand. 鈥淚t was such a pleasure to return to Holland Casino for another story set in its unique universe,鈥 said Vesa. 鈥淓xploring the little stories of different characters, brought to life with carefully crafted cinematic visuals that enhance the essence of each narrative, is incredibly rewarding. For me, it鈥檚 always about the characters and their journey. The most enjoyable part was bringing out their humanity and quirks, and collaborating with such talented actors to make them feel real.鈥
The casino鈥檚 real croupiers were spinning the wheels and dealing the cards for extra authenticity. The would-be lovers were flown in from London. 鈥淭he plan was to get them there a few days earlier so they could rehearse,鈥 said HOBBY producer Yara Hendriks. 鈥淏ut Taylor Swift鈥檚 tour was in town and finding hotels that weren鈥檛 insanely overpriced was pretty much impossible!鈥
Like any good heist movie, the production had its fair share of peril. The car that the kissing couple leaves in broke down on location. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like the getaway car failed us at the last minute,鈥 jokes John. 鈥淭he car鈥檚 radiator blew so to get the final shot we had a bunch of crew members crouching out of frame and pushing it!鈥