Laughing with heroes
(Also watch the behind-the-scenes clip below the article!)
The Finnish company Coptersafety is a major player in the global aviation safety industry. The company offers simulator training for helicopter pilots. Working pilots from all over the world come to twist, turn and rattle in the company´s fleet of simulators to qualify for new rotorcraft types and to maintain their skills. The company´s training facility next to Helsinki airport is the largest independent simulator centre in the world.
Heroes don´t need a reminder of their heroism
Smak Film has been lucky to call Coptersafety a key customer for well over five years. After various photography and smaller-scale video assignments we were invited to pitch ideas for the company´s first-ever brand film. This is where our long customer relationship came in handy.
Over the years we´d met Coptersafety pilots, instructors and other key staff and talked at length about the stresses, demands and joys of a pilot life. Through these interactions we gradually started to understand the culture of the company. The cornerstones of this culture - as we perceived them - were a full-on dedication to safety and quality training and, for a healthy balance, self-effacing humour underpinning it all. It seemed to us that these real-life heroes - helicopter ambulance, search and rescue and military pilots – never missed a chance to poke fun at each other and above all themselves!
A relaxing barbecue?
Consequently, as the ethos of the brand film was “by pilots, for pilots”, we realized that any stripe of epic hero-approach was out of the question. Humour would be the authentic approach!
Coptersafety promises their customers a training experience with 100 % focus on training while on-site. Train now, relax at home! For the film we imagined a reverse situation where pilots can´t strike a balance between simulator training and recovery.
Buckle up for some relaxing times at the barbecue!
The swaying terrace seen in the film was created through VFX in the wider shot and through practical effects in all other shots. For the latter, producer and set designer Markus Mutanen built a separate movable terrace, operated on muscle power!
Film: “Precision is everything”
Client: Coptersafety Oy
Cast:
Captain Ed: Mikko Kallio
First officer Ted: Gerardo Donatelli
Trainee pilot: Juha Ahtola
Simulator instructor: Matthew Presnal
Crew:
Producer: Markus Mutanen
Script: Markus Palmén, Markus Mutanen
DOP: Matti Immonen
Gaffer: Santeri Siirtonen
Set designer and carpenter: Markus Mutanen
Editor: Vilma Hannén
VFX artist: Juha Laulumaa
Sound designer and composer: Viljami Mehto
Director: Markus Palmén
Special thanks to Kaasuvalo Oy for kindly supplying us with a majestic gas barbecue of the Napoleon range!