Behind Hyundai’s New Dawn

FAMILIA’s Jeroen Mol adds his classic comedic touch to this brilliantly British script from INNOCEAN for Hyundai. Mol uses casting and his signature quirky sense of humour to bring this film to life and highlight the funny pronouncements that people make when searching for Hyundai UK dealerships.

Jeroen, what did you think when you first saw the script?

Jeroen | Great idea! simple and effective, as most good scripts are.

Concept-wise it cuts right to the chase of how Hyundai is pronounced globally, meanwhile creating comedy by the ‘soundalike’ spots the main characters wind up at. The script instantly got my attention and within a few hours I had written various bizarre and unique scenes which I hoped to use to add that little bit extra.

During the research phase of the treatment process, I was discussing with FAMILIA’s inhouse data and strategy team that it was important to introduce the global way of saying Hyundai in a positive way, and that we repeat it a few times at the end of the film so people become accustomed to it. This simple change to the script helped ensure our film would be as effective as possible.

What were your thoughts on how you’d bring these places to life?

Jeroen | We had quite a long list of ‘soundalikes’. Our aim was to find a right balance between ones that almost sound the same, and ones that were a bit off, but added to the comedy. 

Visually we wanted to find a nice balance between reality and the bizarre. A heightened reality if you like. From a tie shop which specialises in Hawaiian design to a luxury pie and mash store. We had lots of fun making the worlds our talent ended up in both authentic and ludicrous.

What was the key to getting the comedy right?

Jeroen | First of all, find the right actors.  Ones that could portray a subtle sense of being lost and confused.

Also trying to keep the story plain and the compositions easy to read to allow the viewer a moment to make the connection between the word Hyundai and the name of the place they wound up at.

I also find the moments of silence between the gags are just as important as the joke itself. That confused look, or head turn, adds so much to the overall comedy. We were lucky to find talent with such great neutral comedic timing. 

What were some of the big challenges and how did you get over them?

Jeroen | Not really a big challenge but a very practical and time consuming one. Rain. We shot most of the exteriors double – with and without the characters holding an umbrella. You never know if it will be raining all day so for continuity it’s better to have both options in the edit.

The day of the shoot was the wettest day of the year in the UK. The DOP did an amazing job working around the rain, as did the glam team, who spent most of their time drying the cast.

And Jeroen, what unique perspective or concept did you add?

Jeroen | I hope it balances between reality and absurdism. Or at least has a flavour of ‘don’t take this too seriously’