This comedy Public Service Announcement urges cyclists in Denmark to wear a helmet, an issue of pressing importance given the number of accidents and injuries inflicted on cyclists without protection.

The film, which was shot in Denmark during the coldest and shortest day of the year, is set in the year 893 during the Viking era. It centres on Svend, leader of his small army, who refuses to wear a helmet before heading to invade England, because it messes up his braids and causes an itchy scalp.

90% of the Danish population owns a bike, cycling an average of 3.46km per day. The World Economic Forum named Copenhagen the world’s most cycle-friendly city. And yet helmets have never become as popular as cycling itself: 50% of Danish adults still fail to put on a helmet when biking.

A big inspiration for the film was Monty Python, specifically the Holy Grail. We wanted to mimic that mixture of the authentic and the ridiculous. There might have been a temptation to make a Viking film feel more “epic”--to make greater use of crane shots, dollies, etc., even to shoot on scope. But a simpler framing allowed us to maintain a more comedic feel, without being too slapstick–we shot on 16mm, which really adds to the authentic feel of the costumes. We used film for a purpose–this wasn’t film for film’s sake.