Production · Post · Creative
In partnership with Knock Knock & Good Relations
IKEA
Four sets, built to launch IKEA's new retail concept.
Production · Post · Creative
In partnership with Knock Knock & Good Relations
Four sets, built to launch IKEA's new retail concept.
01 The brief
Ingka Group, IKEA's parent company, were launching Livat - a new concept for their retail destinations. It wasn't just a place to shop, but somewhere to work, eat, meet and spend time together. The brief was to bring that idea to life across four short films, one for each of the four pillars. They wanted the work appearing in feeds before the end of October. It was mid September.
The project came to us via Knock Knock, a creative production company who had an existing relationship with Good Relations, the agency handling Ingka. Knock Knock didn't have capacity so asked if we could step in. With such a tight timeline, they needed a team who could move fast and shoulder the weight of a major production without any hand-holding. We took it on.
02 What we did
After a short creative workshop we sent three concepts to the client. One fairly straight approach shot on location at their Kingston centre was ruled out on timing. The centre was still being decorated before launch. Another revolved around fantastical puppetry, inspired by the work of Annie Brooks. The client loved it but it was just too much of a risk for the schedule. Third we proposed a stylised studio build: four distinct set environments, each representing one of the Livat pillars, all shot separately and delivered as individual films.
It seemed to tick all the boxes so we locked in. Then, a week before the shoot, with the studio booked and crew confirmed, the scope changed. Furniture that had been promised wasn't coming. Props needed sourcing at short notice. A family with children was suddenly required. The furniture IKEA eventually supplied arrived the day before the shoot - flat-packed, naturally. We traded on the goodwill of the studio (and their overtime fee) to stay until 1am the night before, building it ourselves.
On the day we had four sets ready to go - a co-working space, a boutique changing room, a café and a shopping concourse dressed with large planters and natural materials. We somehow shot all four with a reduced crew of five in a single day: our focus puller had called in sick that morning and we were too far from London to source another reliably, so our DOP rolled up his sleeves to pull focus and operate himself.
But it was the cast that really saved us. The two leads in particular had such on-screen chemistry that they made it feel like they'd known each other for years, rather than having met that morning over a cold press juice and a pastry. Frankly they were the kind of talent who make a director look far better than they deserve to on a difficult day.
03 The result
We delivered four films, on time, on budget, for one of the world's most recognisable retail brands. Good Relations were pleased. Ingka were, too. Honestly, the production was not without its challenges - most aren't. But you learn more from the difficult ones than the straightforward ones - about logistics, managing upwards and about what a good crew and a great cast can rescue when everything else shudders in the background. We still have the Ficus elastica we bought for the set in our office. It's doing very well.