Ringan in the Changes for Baileys

The new, epic, balletic Baileys spot from BBH and Rattling Stick director Ringan Ledwidge has just hit the net and, below, Ledwidge discusses the origins of the idea and why two-minute spots terrify him.

What did you think when you first saw the script for the film and did you immediately know how you would approach it?

Well to be honest, it began as a conversation with David. He pitched the idea and I loved it. With regards to how I would approach it; it was one of those jobs where I knew the tone and feel [of the idea] would be right, but that it would also be one of those projects we would have to feel our way into.

How much did you/did you need to know about the Nutcracker prior to taking on the campaign and have you worked on anything like this before?

An old girlfriend of mine was big into ballet so I had a certain amount of knowledge about it. The creative team were great at picking out the details that embellish the film.

What were your influences when you were preparing for the film?

I guess they came from all over the place, old 50s musicals, contemporary films that bleed reality into fantasy. I wanted to create a world that felt new and exciting but that was still grounded in the familiar. A great of credit also goes to Benjamin Millepied the choreographer I worked on the project with. There was a real freedom to that process that I feel really comes across.

You’re known for your meticulous casting; was it hard to find actors who looked/felt right for the piece but who could also dance?

The casting was very different on this. I wanted the dance to be amazing and the only people who could achieve that were ballet dancers at the top of their game, so the three principal dancers are all from the Royal Ballet. Initially I was concerned that because of them being stage performers their performances in terms of acting could be too broad, but it was completely the opposite and they really understood the subtlety I was after.

What was the hardest part of the project?

In all honesty it was a joy to work on and Baileys as a client were incredibly supportive creatively. I guess the pressure I was putting on myself to deliver was the hardest part.

There seems to be a slew of two-minute, epic advertising films at the moment; why do you think that is? Is it just a Christmas thing?

Ah, the two minute ad film; They terrify me. I'm always very aware that I don't want to outstay my welcome as I think a lot of longer stuff does that. For us it just felt like to do the idea and dance justice we should work at a longer length. 

What are you working on next?

There's nothing confirmed yet but there's a couple of things that could potentially be really interesting.

What’s your perfect Christmas?

Family, love, your mates, over-eating and the odd tasty hangover!