Toshiba UK continues to lead innovation as it premieres its latest advertising campaign, ‘Space Chair‘; a piece of film which takes viewers on an awe-inspiring journey to the edge of space.
Created for Toshiba by Grey London, ‘Space Chair‘ builds on the phenomenal success of 2008’s record-breaking ‘Timesculpture’ ad campaign and has once again been filmed using Toshiba cameras. Shot in the wilderness of the Nevada Black Rock desert, the advertisement follows the journey of an ordinary living room chair to the extraordinary heights of near space, lifted to an altitude of 99,268 feet by a simple helium balloon.
The advert is split into two executions, the first playing in 2009 for the Toshiba REGZA SV LCD TV Series and 2010 for the new range of Satellite T Series of ultra low voltage laptops. The REGZA SV is Toshiba’s first ever model to include an LED backlight with local dimming, and is set to redefine the armchair viewing experience by delivering sharper, smoother images that clearly define every cloud and every star. The ultra portable, lightweight Satellite T Series enables users to go further by offering up to eleven hours of battery life – enough to take you to space and back.
The ad was shot by Haris Zambarloukos, the acclaimed cinematographer behind films including ‘Enduring Love’ and ‘Mamma Mia’ and was directed by Andy Amadeo, Creative Director at Grey London. The shoot was made possible via the construction of a unique custom-built camera rig engineered by John Powell of JP Aerospace – experts in this field who have successfully sent over 100 balloons into the upper atmosphere. A specially created full-sized model chair made of biodegradable balsa wood; light enough to make the 83 minute journey up towards space was tied to the rig and launched by the team.
Four independent GPS systems were placed on the rig to accurately record its height at any second to within 4 meters in altitude, and within 30cm in longitude and latitude position. This information was transmitted every 15 seconds back to ground control where it was monitored via a computer satellite system to enable the team to locate the rig once it had fallen back to earth.
The film is cinematic, opening with a shot of the solitary chair silhouetted against the Nevada sunrise and taking the viewer on its journey above the desert, into the clouds and beyond.
Matt McDowell, Marketing Director at Toshiba UK comments: “Our aim was to create a new advertising campaign that would bring to life Toshiba’s brand philosophy of leading innovation. We chose to send a chair on the journey as it is central to the user’s experience of Toshiba’s products; whether they are watching TV or using a laptop.”
“The ad features two exciting new products. The REGZA SV Series is the first-ever Toshiba LCD TV to combine Toshiba’s Resolution+ technology and an LED backlight – delivering stunning high quality images that enhances the viewers’ armchair experience. Offering the performance and functionality of full-sized laptops with portability and a battery life of up to eleven hours, the Satellite T Series frees users from the shackles of their desks, empowering them to explore new environments.”
Andy Amadeo, Creative Director at Grey London comments: “Keeping with our tact of being as innovative as the brand, we once again created a mould-breaking commercial with Toshiba. Last year we set a new world record with ‘Timesculpture’ and proved that their domestic camcorders could produce a breathtaking, never before seen piece of film. This time we have used Toshiba HD cameras to produce some of the most stunning footage shot at the edge of space.”
The campaign began with an interactive website: www.wherewillitland.com which invited members of the public to guess where in the Nevada Desert the Space Chair would crash land. Designed by Grey London and created by Syzygy, the site was a mash-up of Google Maps and Twitter which allowed visitors to tweet their chosen longitude and latitude for the landing spot. Progress of the project was shared via live tweets from Joe Neale, independent prolific tech-blogger, former head of content at Myspace and social media expert who attended the launch. The competition winner won the latest Toshiba TV system.
Facts about the shoot
· The shots were taken at a staggering 99,268 feet above the earth using Toshiba’s own cameras
· To reach the altitude required and to conform with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the weight of the rig had to be carefully managed to a weight of no more than four pounds
· Tied to the rig was a specially created full-sized model chair made of biodegradable balsa wood – the chair was made by a company called Artem and cost about £2,500
· Launch coordinates of the rig were – 119 degrees, 14 minutes by 40 degrees, 48 minute (12 miles North-East of the town of Gerlach, Nevada)
· The quality of the footage from the Toshiba IK-HR1S cameras was: 1920×1080 pixel count; 1080i @ 50hz; 100 Mbps
· The temperature dropped to minus 90 degrees when the chair reached 52,037 feet
· The chair took 83 minutes to reach an altitude of 99,268 feet where it broke and took just 24 minutes to fall back down to earth with the rig.
Note: The full 60 second advert premieres on 16 November on ITV1 and runs for three weeks. The ad will then run again in February 2010.
Creative Credits
Creative Agency:~Grey London
Production Company:~Hungry Man LTD
Executive Producer:~Matt Buels
Line Producer:~Matt Jones
Director:~Andy Amadeo
Editor and editing company:~The Whitehouse / Russell Ike
Post-production company:~The Mill
About Toshiba
Toshiba is a world leader and innovator in pioneering high technology, a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products spanning information & communications equipment and systems; digital consumer products; electronic devices and components; power systems, including nuclear energy; industrial and social infrastructure systems; and home appliances. Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 740 companies, with 198,000 employees worldwide. Visit Toshiba’s web site at www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm
About Grey London
We are 200 people, drawn from different marketing and media backgrounds, working together in a wonderfully open environment in Holborn, London. We do the lot: multi-channel, integrated, online, offline, above, through and below the line for a wide range of clients including Ryvita, P&G, GlaxoSmithKline, IPC Media, the British Heart Foundation, Dairy Crest and Toshiba.
We don’t believe in agency positionings. We do believe in making our clients both successful and happy. We believe we’re better than most agencies at listening to what clients really want. Which means we’re better at understanding the problem and getting to the most exciting and effective answer. www.greyeu.com
