Two students from New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia directed a Toyota Lexus television commercial at Iceland in Summer 2011.
Giovanni Fantoni Modena ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) was the Director for the commercial.
The commercial for Lexus was shot in Iceland over a week, two days were used for location casting and three days were spent shooting the commercial in scenic locations. Despite Hurricane Irene’s approach, the shoot went on smoothly. A remark made by Giovanni was that “The main challenge was the weather!” The director of the commercial also shared that the windy weather prevailed throughout the shoot and owing to the hectic conditions, a change of location was called for which came as a blessing in disguise as that yielded more beautiful shots.
Giovanni will concentrate on feature length films but would also like to venture into television commercials as well as music videos after completing his education at Tisch School of the Arts Asia.
Giovanni shared that at Tisch School of the Arts Asia, “I worked with the best people I have ever met from NYU Tisch Asia. I will always try to work with them in the future.”
Jordan Quellman ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) was the Director of Photography for the commercial.
“Cold, but beautiful“, as described by Jordan Quellman with regards to the weather in Iceland. Jordan was also inspired by the environment and refused to hide his longing for returning to Iceland for another shoot. ”Also the Hákarl, or the fermented shark meat there is delicious.”
A difficult task faced by Jordan that he thought was surprising were the remnants of Hurricane Irene blowing through Iceland during the shoot. Certainly to have delighted Jordan though were the presence of baby seals. Nonetheless, Jordan was pleased with the overall experience while honing his skills in photography in Iceland. “I am most satisfied with capturing the serene nature of the Icelandic landscape and how it will contribute to the sales of many Lexus cars worldwide.”
Jordan hopes to strive towards a larger international market when asked about his ambition. The budding film artist never failed to give credit when asked about his adventure at Tisch School of the Arts Asia. “Tisch Asia has introduced me to some of my closest collaborators, to which I hope continue to work with long after school ends. Giovanni, who I worked with on this project, has essentially become a brother to me. I am very grateful that we had the opportunity to meet at this school.”
Here are some pictures shot by the students:
