This spot tells the story of Monteith’s history. It starts in the 1860s in the heady gold mining days of the West Coast when Stewart Monteith set up his brewery. It then moves through to the 1940s and finishes in a modern day Monteith’s bar. It was filmed in a single shot on a purpose-made set. Cast and crew quickly changed dressings, props and entire walls as the camera rolled.

The amount spent on the art department for this commercial was more than one third of the total production budget, this included set builds, props and costume across the three eras we represented on screen. We had a full set for the 1880s, 1940s and modern bar, and a full set of extras to match each set. In an effort to make the most of a reasonably modest budget and resources a full dress rehearsal day was budgeted and only one actual shoot day.

The director felt the best way to show each set and the changes between them was for real. We have heard that before, but in this case, its needed to be theatrical, tactile and simply enjoyable to watch based on how its exected. The notion of doing it in one shot meant a full crew of stage hands, movable and inter-replaceable sets and a lighting plan that would all coordinate to make the story unfold in real time over 60 seconds......In camera.