New Sasol ad turbo charged

Download and view the ad (2129 KB)

Interestingly, Tony Baggott of Frieze Films was the cameraman for that particular advert, and so when it came to directing this modernised version, he had a key insight into where the brand had come from and where he needed to take it.

"This new commercial had a really solid creative idea with which to work, and it was up to me to protect it by remaining focussed on the concept and not diluting it," says Baggott, who enjoyed a close working relationship with the both the advertising agency and the client on this project.

An intense preproduction period of six weeks involved key research into art direction to ensure a South African honesty. It was crucial to create an environment that South Africans could recognise. Within this framework of setting, the next step was to find the cast. Although a great deal of time was spent on all the cast and ensuring a charming and believable ensemble, it was really upon the little boy that all focus rested. To find a genuine child star who could handle the subtleties of performance along with the production technicalities of exhaustive take after take was a real challenge. After weeks of country-wide in-studio and street casting - a real star was found.

The director's treatment was to maintain an element of surprise. The little boy's antics had to, at no point, give away what was to follow. Most of all Baggott wanted this commercial to be good, light-hearted fun, enjoyed by all alike.