“Look forward to working together next year!”  Those parting words from Generator UK Executive Producer Matt Brown bring smiles to our crew in France.

A creative eye for location solutions went a long way to earning such praise during our shoot for Microsoft Xbox with agency Crispin Porter + Boguski.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was chosen to play “The One” in this TVC requiring a no less singular setting where the international football star, and video game fan, enjoys a laugh at his own persona.  Click here to see film.

The lighter side of footballers is something we enjoy featuring in our shoots with global clients.  Stars of the Bundesliga had a hoot at it when shooting this film with our German partner for Allianz.  Critical to that sort of success is the access to global sports personalities our regular work with the most prominent teams and players provides.

Nonetheless, keeping true to form, our crew had the added challenge of ensuring all went like clockwork so as to optimize the 4 hours shoot time agreed with Zlatan.  The limited schedule and last-minute adjustments with footballers is something PSN partners have grown used to in shoots for Toyota with Cristiano Ronaldo or Yamaha with Xabi Alonso.

Finding a location in France large enough for an ego like Zlatan’s was no small feat for this shoot either. Celebrity scheduling had to fit with a brief calling for a location like the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) in Versailles – not exactly a place to walk in at the last minute!

Director Ben Jones finally settled on a large salon in which we dressed the student room up and built in big-screen TV support.  The setting is actually in the center of Paris near the Musée Grevin, where we’re sure Zlatan will see his own statue unveiled in years to come.