Advertising shoot with the band

Day 1 on the set of "Style Brew - Handcrafted Beer Experience"

My first day as an intern at the production company that is shooting the new commercial for "Style Brew". The atmosphere was tense when I arrived. The director was trying to prepare the members of Katastrophal Klang for the shoot. They were supposed to sit in a bar and enjoy the beer. Sounds easy, right? Wrong thought.

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Morning: Briefing and first reactions

The morning began with the briefing. The creative director explained the vision: "Style Brew" as the beer for the modern rebel. Torsten, the lead singer, shook his head and mumbled something about "selling our souls". I knew this wouldn't be easy.

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Noon: First recordings

The first takes were disastrous. Every time the director called "Action!" the band did something unexpected. Torsten held the beer the wrong way round, Julian pulled faces, and Niklas seemed to be deliberately trying to spill the beer everywhere except in his mouth. The director was getting impatient.

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Afternoon: Escalation

After lunch, the main scene was to be shot, in which the band was to promote the beer. Torsten started the take with: "If you really have good taste, then drink something else!" That was not in the script. The creative director stormed the set and a heated exchange ensued between him and the band.

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Late afternoon: Attempts at compromise

The producer tried to find a compromise. Maybe the band could use their own words to describe the beer? The band briefly seemed to agree, but only to appease the producer.

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Evening: Total collapse

Late in the afternoon we shot the last take. I held my breath. This time Torsten held the beer correctly and started to speak. Suddenly he shouted: "But seriously, guys, drink something better!" and threw the beer glass behind him. The glass shattered and beer flowed across the floor.

The director yelled "Cut!" and angrily threw his headphones on the floor. The band laughed and high-fived each other as if they had won a great victory.

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Conclusion of the day

My first day ended in a disaster on set. I learned that some bands are simply not made for commercial messages. And I kind of admire them for that. They stay true to their principles no matter what. We'll see what happens tomorrow, but one thing is for sure: Katastrophal Klang will never just be a face for advertising.