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Brought to life by Together and Ideal Insight, the project was all about sharp planning, quick decisions, and making every second count. From building quirky characters and creating punchy visuals to keeping the energy up with playlists and filming in a legendary East London boxing ring, Anil gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how it all came together.
This time around, the core idea wasn’t mine, credit for that goes to Greg Cutmore, the producer at Ideal Insight. He was working closely with the client and threw out this one-liner: “Let’s make it feel like a Guy Ritchie film” That was all it took. The client loved it, and the tone clicked perfectly with their brand.
Greg brought the idea to me, and from there, I jumped straight into research mode. I’m a bit of a film nerd anyway, so it was a great excuse to rewatch all of Guy Ritchie’s stuff, even the ones that weren’t exactly hits (yes, even Aladdin). I looked closely at how he shoots, edits, and tells stories. That really helped shape how we approached the look and feel of the ad. So while I didn’t come up with the idea, I was all in on building it out.
Storyboards were everything. We weren’t just turning up with a camera and seeing what happened. We had a tight schedule, limited time with the ring, limited time with the talent, so we had to be organised and intentional.
The storyboard gave everyone a clear reference from the actors to the camera team to the art department. It meant we could shoot efficiently, and even start prepping the next shot while we were still filming the current one. It saved us loads of time and made sure everyone knew exactly what they were doing.
Yeah, quite a few actually and that’s always a good feeling. I even did a little side-by-side on Instagram showing the storyboard versus the final shot. That’s the benefit of having a strong team who can make the plan come to life.
Of course, not every shot matched exactly, sometimes things don’t look right once you’re on set. Maybe the lighting’s off or the frame just doesn’t work. When that happens, you adjust. But I’d say around 80% of what we planned ended up in the final cut, and that’s down to solid prep.
We had a lot of fun with this. Guy Ritchie’s films are full of characters with names and traits that feel a bit odd, like someone called “Turkish” who’s not Turkish at all.
We leaned into that. We created nine characters originally and narrowed it down to four that really clicked. The vibe came straight from iconic UK TV of the 80s and 90s, like Boise from Only Fools or Peggy Mitchell from EastEnders were big influences. Each character had their own little quirks, like “Biscuits,” who always had a biscuit in hand. It was silly, but it gave her a clear personality, even in a few seconds of screen time.
Since no one had dialogue, wardrobe and styling had to do the heavy lifting. Our stylist was brilliant, she gave us six solid looks per character, all totally on point. It was tough to choose, but we ended up with outfits that really sold who these characters were.
Yes, wardrobe played a huge role. Since none of the characters had speaking parts, everything had to come through their look and performance. We needed the outfits to instantly communicate who these people were and they only had about six seconds of screen time each, so every detail mattered.
Our stylist was incredible; she gave us around six strong options for every character. All of them were spot-on, which made choosing tough, but in the end, we landed on looks that really brought out their personalities.
The location instantly set the tone. We shot in a real boxing gym in East London, the same one used in The Gentlemen and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. It had that rough, authentic feel we were aiming for. Just stepping inside felt like we were already on a Guy Ritchie set, it brought the right atmosphere before we even started rolling.
We had about 20 people on set, plus David Haye, the client, and crew. Shoots like this can be intense, so I put together three different playlists, one for the start of the day to get people going, one for when David arrived, and one for that final push at the end when everyone’s running on fumes. Music made a big difference. It kept energy high and helped people get into the zone.
When David showed up mid-shoot, I paused the music, partly because his presence shifted the focus. Everyone wanted to talk to him or take a photo. He was a total pro, though. I gave him a quick rundown, walked him through each scene, and he just went with it. We kept it simple for him, no need to memorise anything. He kept calling me “boss” which was quite funny, and he was super respectful throughout.
Honestly, it was a bit surreal. When we first did the location recce a couple of days before, I walked in and just thought, this is perfect. The place is full of history. Posters of boxing legends line the walls, you can hear gloves hitting bags in the background, and the air just feels different. It had the exact grit we needed, and it gave the whole shoot a massive lift.
You can try to build that kind of atmosphere on a set, but when you find it for real, it changes everything.
It all came down to planning and having the right people around you. Greg and I worked out a super-detailed schedule, and we had some buffer time built in for when shots took longer than expected.
But it was the working relationship that really made it run smoothly. Greg would handle what was happening on the floor, while I focused on what was going on behind the camera. Sometimes we didn’t even need to speak, we’d just exchange a look and know what needed to happen. That kind of trust makes all the difference on a high-pressure day.
Music helped, too. There was no dead time, everyone stayed engaged, and that kept things ticking along.
David got in touch after the shoot to say how much he enjoyed it. The client’s been really happy too, we spoke a couple of weeks later and he was still buzzing.
He said he’d never worked at that pace before and ended up with something that felt this polished. That kind of feedback is exactly what you want to hear.
It’s hard to pick one thing. The lighting was great, the lens choices worked, the camera moves were tight, but for me, it’s more about how it all came together. The final edit captured exactly the tone and pace we were aiming for. You can’t fake that kind of energy, it has to be built into every part of the process. I’m proud of the way it feels, from start to finish.
This was more than just another ad shoot. With Together leading the direction and Ideal Insight on production, it turned into a sharp, character-driven story with real energy and style. It all came down to a strong concept, solid planning, and a team that brought their A-game.
Watch the final ad here.
