Love the game: Mikkel Kessler and Simon Kjaer star in this TVC for the Danish market. We travelled to Seville to film this classic Bond-style ad for NordicBet casino, starring pro boxer Kessler. The idea was to create a storyline with tension, style and a surprising reveal as the dealer turns out to be Denmark team captain Simon Kjaer.
We came up with the idea of filming Mikkel as a charismatic lone wolf in a classic casino setting. The idea was to film a cinematic love story, the meeting of the suave hero and the mysterious local beauty, and the location was the iconic Hotel Alfonso XIII. We took over the ballroom and built a luxury casino environment, with plush fittings and filled with beautiful people.
As Mikkel traverses the room he tries his hand at various tables, and in doing so captures the attention of one lady in particular. A tense session at the blackjack table ramps up the excitement. He places his final bet and lands the winning hand! As the crowd press in to congratulate him, the dealer reveals himself to be none other than Danish football team captain Simon Kjaer.
The shoot went smoothly with the exception of the star himself. The crew was ready, the location was ready, and time was ticking; but where was Mikkel? A storm had closed Berlin airport, forcing them to divert to Paris for a connecting flight. And when they finally arrived in Malaga for their four hour drive to Seville, a major traffic jam had them stuck on the highway. Mikkel finally arrived on set four hours late, but the crew were pros and we started filming immediately. Our film deadline was midnight, but due to the late start we ran over by a few hours, but I think we got the shots.
As you can see from the behind the scenes film and stills, this was a major production, with the stars flying in from all corners of the globe. Logistics were complex, but the team were totally professional, and the end result speaks for itself.
We also filmed some cool interview footage for social media, in this video Simon interviews Mikkel about his predictions for the upcoming World Cup.