Museum brought to life for TV advert

Apr 30 2009 by Iain Laing, The Journal

FILM and commercial production company Superkrush has bought a £50,000 cutting-edge digital cinema camera to shoot a magical TV ad for the new Great North Museum.

The Newcastle company has brought the museum’s exhibits to life for its ad for the former Hancock Museum which reopens on May 23.

Superkrush producer Chris Taylor said: “We have produced the commercial with the theme of the 2006 Ben Stiller movie Night at the Museum, where all the museum exhibits have come to life.”

“The main character is a girl who is frantically trying to have the museum ready in time for the opening by putting the reptiles back in their cages and tidying up the mess made by the life-size elephants. It is like a fantasy land where the museum has come magically to life.”

The commercial was shot using a revolutionary RED ONE digital cinematic camera. Superkrush is one of only 20 companies in the UK that has invested £50,000 in the equipment.

Superkrush intends to share its RED camera with the launch of a new service called Steadi-Red.

It will rent out the camera, plus give training and workflow support, to ad agencies that can use the equipment for feature films, commercials and music videos.

“The Red One camera is much more like a film camera than a DV camera, and needs great support staff. That is why we have invested heavily in training staff and have bought an A-team-style van that carries all our equipment and prepares us for any situation or condition.

“Being one of 20 owners of this Red One camera has made us a real specialist in digital cinema in the UK.”