When life gives us lemons, we tend to make lemonade. And when Wizz Air gives us a challenge unlike anything we’ve seen before, we squeeze out every last bit of creativity and resourcefulness our team has to make something truly remarkable.

Earlier this year there was talk around the office about a brief that involved a project abroad. Wizz Air wanted to launch a mystery flight that would take passengers who win a contest from Wizz’s Abu Dhabi base to a destination that wouldn’t be disclosed to the travellers beforehand. Our task was to accompany them on the trip and shoot a documentary-style video that could be used as an aftermovie. Needless to say: the hype was real. 

For months we would wait for crumbs of information about the when, where, how, who, and so on. After agonising periods of waiting, finally, one day, there it was: Wizz Air confirmed that the project officially got greenlit and we would be flying out at the end of August. The catch? In order to keep everything under wraps, they couldn’t tell us the information we were so eager to learn: the destination. Oh, shucks.

DIAMONDS ARE MADE UNDER PRESSURE

On one hand, this situation prompted us to play fun guessing games on the daily, but on the other, we were faced with a great challenge when it came to the social media and production side of things. We did what we do best: turned these challenges into advantages and devised an airtight plan. First, we had to launch the prize contest itself and monitor the applicants and the outcome. Then we also launched an actual guessing game on WIZZ’s social channels so we could tease the upcoming activation in a fun and engaging way. 

While the social team was busy maximizing the potential of the pre- and teaser communication, the creative and production teams dove headfirst into the pre-prod tasks. It was clear from the get-go that a classic script is out of the question, because we would essentially shoot everything on the fly (no pun intended). Based on the little information we did have – like the types of activities we would do and locations we would be taken to – the creative division put together a sort of wishlist of everything our video would have to include.

Then we had just a couple of weeks to assemble an absolute A-team capable of handling the weirdest, most time-sensitive and most random situations thrown at them. We briefed a camera crew consisting of three people familiar with shooting while constantly on the move. Instead of preparing for a TVC, we prepared for an aftermovie on a scale the brand (and frankly, we) have never seen before. We ended up packing three main cameras, a drone, two GoPros, a dozen batteries, a bag full of chargers, clean undies, and some warpaint.

FROM POOL PARTIES TO ZIPLINES

A couple of days before departure, we learned that the destination would be Kutaisi, one of the lesser-known cities of Georgia, which is supposed to be an amazing hidden gem. (Spoiler: it truly is.) We also learned that our activities would range from idyllic dinners with a scenic backdrop to facing our doom as we go ziplining across a valley. 

If this was a movie instead of a blog post, the compulsory pre-action montage scene would kick in right about now, with us brainstorming on our flight from Budapest to the Emirates, getting a heatstroke anytime we exit airconditioned buildings, running after some confiscated equipment, and bonding over shitty, yet overpriced beer. 

As cliché as it sounds, one of the keys to our success was all the camaraderie that was forged through impossibly long hours of traveling and dangerously short amounts of sleep. One time we spent more than 40 hours wide awake as we managed to cram preparation, air travel, bus travel, a city tour, some sightseeing, a couple of meals, and a late-night pool party (part of the job, I swear) into two days that felt like a whole week. Our state of being was in a constant limbo between giddy excitement and extreme fatigue – one moment we were joyfully screaming as we zipped down a hill with a camera in hand, the next we were fighting for our lives in the back of a transfer bus. Lifelong friendships and kickass videos are meant to be made this way, as it turns out.

SOCIAL GOES SKRRT SKRRT

Besides the agile and professional teamwork, our greatest asset (drumroll please) was the influencers WIZZ brought with us. These big-baller media personalities were either fun or batshit crazy, both qualities that are priceless when shooting a video about people discovering a brand new place for the first time. We managed to record a ton of useful interviews, asked them to do stunts for us on camera or just simply strike a pose on cue. Their presence and help also meant that we could effortlessly sneak in imperceptible scripted scenes into footage otherwise using classic run-and-gun methods. 

A hotel/bus full of content creators also meant that a hundred little videos were recorded and thousands of pictures taken at any given time. Truly, the wet dream of any social media specialist. While the influencers began cranking out content that immediately blew up thanks to their millions of followers, we promptly started reposting and repurposing these assets during and after our trip to keep the engagement going on WIZZ’s own channels. Even before our final recap video got put together and published, the “Get Lost” campaign was already trending on Instagram and TikTok.