TEAM
-
Brand:
- Gucci
-
Photographer:
- Carlijn Jacobs
-
Creative Director:
- Alessandro Michele
-
Art Direction:
- Simmonds Ltd.
-
Stylist:
- Emma Wyman
-
Makeup Artist:
- Daniel Sallstrom
-
Hair Stylist:
- Alex Brownsell
-
Executive Production:
- MAI Productions
-
Local Production:
- Progressive Productions
-
Shoot Location:
- Hungary - Keleti Train Station, Paszto Railway Station
© All rights belong to their respective owners
Every November, Gucci reveals its yearly selection for the holiday season via its Gift Campaign. In the two months following its release, the campaign’s photos flood Gucci’s website and social media, as well as fashion magazines’ holiday guides. Furthermore, a short film is also made yearly to set the campaign’s theme and mood. All of this was produced in 2022 in Hungary by MAI Productions, who entrusted Progressive Productions with the local production and location services.
The central motif of the 2022 Gift Campaign was travel - in both space and time. This was achieved thanks to the Majestic Imperator, a vintage train from Austria, and the selected products in the spotlight. Gucci revived some of the brand’s most successful items from the 50s and 60s, which were featured alongside Gucci’s more contemporary 2022 collections.
The modern pieces of the campaign seamlessly blend in with Gucci’s well-known timeless design (Photo: Carlijn Jacobs; ©Gucci)
Over the years, we have become specialists of railway productions which is why we knew that the first step was to find train stations that fitted both the creative concept and the production requirements. We already knew in advance what the most important questions are when planning a railway shoot. At the station are there overhead lines and sufficient space to build a large scale base? Does the chosen train fit the station’s track gauge size? Is there an adequate source of electricity? How can the carriages be stored or moved on location? - And the list goes on. As we have already had to deal with such questions many times in the past, we could provide well-researched answers, set-ups and options within hours of the very first call.
One of the few train stations where such a large technical base can be built and that is less than an hour’s drive from Budapest
The photos of the campaign were mainly taken inside the train, but to make this possible, we had to create a completely controlled environment outside of the carriages. Pásztó Railway Station provided the perfect solution for this, where we could use 3 platforms and the surrounding areas exclusively. This way, we were able to guarantee safety, privacy and free movement between the base and the train.
The Gucci Beauty products were also part of the Gift Campaign (Photo: Carlijn Jacobs; ©Gucci)
The selection’s entire photo, film and social media material was made simultaneously, which resulted in 3 completely independent units working at the same time. Executing the coordination of the units was especially vital at the Keleti Train Station, where we had the least amount of time available. This uniquely beautiful station has preserved its original design from 1884 and is Budapest’s largest and busiest travel hub.
The station’s grandiose main entrance was an unmissable feature of the shoot
Thanks to the Hungarian Railways' much praised flexibility, we were able to partially close the railway station for multiple days and the central train hall completely for the duration of the shoot, thereby ensuring complete privacy and sufficient time for each department.
The central hall was long enough to enable parallel work for the film and photo units
However, this is only half of this special project’s story. Next to the photo shoot, the main focus was on producing the short film, which had its own interesting challenges. You can read more about this in our moving image references section.
If you are planning your next project or have any questions regarding railway shoots, don’t hesitate!
Send us an email at:
info@progressiveproductions.eu