How I became part of a Czech TV commercial

Not literally of course. I'm an intern, not an actress; although some who know me well enough may beg to differ, arguing that my often exaggerated reactions are Emmy worthy. Sadly, I won't be making any big screen appearance. Nevertheless, I did have a small hand in the creation of our company’s newest TVC.

The storyboard was interesting. A golden phenomenon traveling through the city catches the eye of a late-night technician, solo office worker and sleeping child. It represents ZlatéStránky.cz, the Czech Republic’s “Yellow Pages” in its newest and greatest form; online. More than two million contacts when and where you need them. “ZlatéStránky. You’ve found gold.” It was tough to picture the finished product; this electric beam of golden light meant to draw you in and captivate you was now just a yellow line drawn on a piece of paper. How would it come to life...

A week before the shoot was scheduled my boss brought me along to the final pre-production meeting. We met the director, chose the cast, approved the wardrobe, critiqued the sound track and agreed that the next time we met, we’d be filming.

To get the best effects, the entire commercial would be shot in two nights. As an intern I wasn’t subjected to the 6pm to 6am work day, but I was invited to watch the filming of a few scenes. I showed up at the first location; the National Technical Library in Prague. Not yet open to the public, our commercial would reveal the building in quite a dramatic form for the first time ever.  

This place was honestly like nothing I’d seen before. The floors were brightly painted in swirls of color while the cement walls, balconies and stairways were covered with unique black drawings. One revealed a simple stick figure positioned next to another simple stick figure with sweaty armpits. The caption below read “global warming."

I sat to the side as the director took over. Cameramen, crew, technicians, extras and actresses were all scattered around. But as the lights dimmed, the camera started rolling and I began to see the golden phenomenon take shape. Neon painted cables glowing in the dark came alive on-screen. 

A few weeks passed before we saw the final version; before we saw the little yellow light make its way through Prague and into the homes of Czech people across the country. Here, take a look. See if you find gold.