Category: Public Interest, NGO
Media: TV
Brand: Armed Forces of Ukraine
Agency: Tabasco
Advertising Agency: Tabasco, Kiev, Ukraine
Original Title: Балада про піхоту
Project authors:
Ignat Korobko, K&K Group
Alexander Kopyl,K&K Group
Alexander Smirnov, Tabasco
Jaroslav Ploshko, Tabasco
Director – Eli Sverdlov
Idea, script – Alexander Smirnov, Tabasco
Operator – Dmitry Yashenkov
General Producer – Vladimir Yatsenko, Limelite
Producer – Olga Zhegulina, Tabasco
Executive Producer – Darya Andrushchenko, Limelite
1st AD – Vladislav Bolelov
AD, director of battle scenes – Liav Sverdlov
Production Assistant – Ruslana Artemenko
Production Manager – Max Matveev
Art Director – Mikhail Levchenko
Art Director – Eugene Sazhnev, Tabasco
Location Manager – Valera Gumenchuk
Casting Director – Pasha Makarchenko
Casting Manager – Roma Zavertany
Stylist – Timan
Make up – Marina Semyonova
Snow machine – Olga Markova
Colorist – Marina Tkachenko
Speaker – Yaroslav Kucherenko
Postproduction – Dmitry and Oleg Chistyak, Elena Vaskovskaya, Terminal FX
Composer – Tomer Biran, musical theme “Borders”
Tabasco works on the image of the Ukrainian Ground Forces
The Ukrainian Ground Forces make 145,000 people. These are the most numerous troops of our country. They account the greatest number of Heroes of Ukraine. This is our infantry, army bone, its basis. At the same time the ground forces undeservedly have been being below the cameras, while the other kind of troops — from special forces to the National Guard — have been working with mass communications for 2 years, creating a heroic image in the society.
The story is full of symbolism. You can find a reference to the classic war movie, allusions to raising the flag on Iwo Jima, but at the same time, it is a completely new language of Ukrainian narrative.
Noteworthy is the fact that only soldiers and officers of the Ukrainian Ground Forces are involved in all military scenes.
The idea of the project is a result of cooperation of an authoritative consulting company К&К Group and TABASCO creative agency. That is not the first time the Agency has assembled for a volunteer project a brilliant team of the foremost Israeli director Eli Sverdlov and leading Ukrainian production Limelite.
The project is fully implemented on a voluntary basis, without public funding. According to Vladimir Yatsenko, the Director of Limelite production house, the commercial value of such a project makes about 200 000 thousand dollars. When asked about the reason that he took up this project for free, Vladimir said: "This is our way to defend our country. With a gun in our hands we would not be so effective, and here we can be just killing. I am still happy to recall hysteria of pro-Russian jingoists in primetime of the first Russian channel after the 9th of May. "
Alexander Smirnov, the creative director of TABASCO, president of the Art Directors Club of Ukraine: "I am pleased that we as representatives of advertising community can benefit Ukraine and create a creative work inspiring the army. The role of creative people is to change the country around, not just to talk about this. I am immensely grateful to my friend Eli Sverdlov, who has invested so much of his talent in the project, and Volodya Yatsenko, who has an amazing ability to implement any our projects, even the wildest ones. I hope that we will be able to attract more motivated contractors to the Ukrainian Ground Forces, and each foot soldier would be proud to wear the shoulder straps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine".
Tabasco, Limelite and Eli Sverdlov are not for the first time on the "battlefield": in 2015 they took the video dedicated to May 9 "We remember. We are proud. We will win" for "Information Resistance", which had been viewed by about 15 million people in Ukraine and 25 million in Russia, over 2 million views on YouTube without any promotion. The Minister of Defence, the Ukrainian embassies and the President Peter Poroshenko shared movies to congratulate all veterans on Victory Day.