Juan Carlos Oganes' film-making and work blog.

Friday, November 7, 2003

Police TV spot

We were in pre-production for a film to be shot in the highlands that involved the cooperation of the the police and navy forces (there's navy presence in the lake Titicaca as it's so huge it is like an ocean when deep off-shore), so we approached the Ministry of Interior who runs the police here in Peru and after briefing them and explaining our motives for the film, they agreed happily.

While giving them examples of our work, they asked us to join their selection of audiovisual production company as they were about to make a TV spot for the Police Forces's 15th anniversary (in 1988 they were spread inot three ramifications). We won their selection and were asked for an idea to promote their values and heroism.

The police forces here -as in many countries- isn't well appreciated as there is lots of bribes, corruption, authority abuse and so forth. Their image has been heavily bruised but countless news of cops not acting on the best behalf of their institution, so I came with the idea of promoting their values as human beings and showing their daily sacrifice as a common citizen of this country instead of the formal one about recruiting new men with images of cop operations and guns and street combat scenes (very typical of army recruiting TV spots here). I explained the idea of making a normal police officer on the beat doing its duty like the rest of us with the only difference that his is dangerous as we know and also more risky.
To show more of its human side so to speak.

So the idea and the budget needed was approved.
This is the spot and we were happy to over exceed their expectations.
My good old friends Havier Arboleda and Analí Cabrera were so kind to have roles here as the cop and his wife.
Regardless of how we all see a policeman and the preconceived concept we have, the brief study of their duty and all made me see them in a different light this time.
Too bad many of them go down in the public's eye for just a few who doesn't put in high respect the institution's values for our country.

This one is shot Standard Definition with the Canon XL-1S, 24fps, timed in After Effects and color graded with the Proceso Cinematico Digital. Lenses used were the Canon 16x IS II 39-624mm f/1.6, Canon EF 22-55mm f/3.5 and 13x 24-72mm f/1.8.



PNP TV commercial Peru from Juan Carlos Oganes on Vimeo.