I call it a film because that’s what it should feel like.

It should be epic, fun, and funny at the same time.

Done right, the film will stay true to the distinctive Heineken sense of humour, and it take the audience on a wild, satisfying ride.

We’re bringing a distinctive moment in history to life, adding our own Heineken twist to it. In my opinion, the more we can capture in-camera, the more impressive the film becomes. We’re using post-production as a way to execute the most epic aspects of the film that wouldn’t be possible otherwise, but it’s never a starting point, nor is it a shortcut.

There is a lot of ground to cover in the story, but luckily this is a familiar piece of history for our audience. That’s why it’s important to depict it as authentically as possible in order to capture their imagination.

We want the viewer to feel at first like they’re watching a kind of dramatized documentary, or a historical Hollywood film. This makes the end reveal all the more comedic and unexpected. This is where having larger-than-life, recognizable historical personalities will lend a helping hand.

This is a story about people and characters most of all. The backdrop may be the World’s Fair, but the real drama and the most satisfying comedy comes from the performances and the playful film-like narrative.

In this way, it’s important that we spend most of our time and energy making sure the art department and the wardrobe styling look great and feel completely real – for the audience and for the actors.

Let’s stay in tight most of the time with the characters, allowing us to play up the layers and nuances of their personalities, and by doing so making our wider and more epic moments so much more satisfying and meaningful.

Of course, we are making use of cutting-edge visual effects, but mainly as a way to extend the deep backgrounds with matte paintings, or to create the machines and other props that would be prohibitive to construct for real.