HelliVentures Gives Us A Taste Of Adventure

HelliVentures Gives Us A Taste Of Adventure

The folk from Munich-based production company HelliVentures aren't short on adventurous spirit. For more than seventeen years they've been showcasing outlandish sports and daring individuals for commercial advertising, adventure documentaries and corporate image films, and getting stuck into the action with their innovative shooting style.




Founded in 1996 by director Joachim Hellinger, the company was steered by his fondness of sports, nature and adventure as well as his unwavering demand for the highest quality and creativity. Having created work for such well-known brands as Samsung, Swatch, Nivea, ING, Nestlé, Gillette, Danone and Coppertone, the company has positioned itself strongly in the international marketplace.

We caught a few moments with Helli to discuss the company's expertise, passion and predilection for the extreme.
 

How would you sum up HelliVentures' output?

Engaging and inspiring stories about sports, the outdoors, adventure and nature. Skillful storytelling with captivating visuals in all formats from 30-second TVCs to 90-minute documentaries.

How did you get into the business?

By the desire to inspire people through great storytelling and fascinating images - combined with a lot of enthusiasm and tenacity.

What particular skills do your directors need to capture the visuals?

A distinct feel for authenticity and the human aspect, the love for nature - combined with solid technical skills and a 'great' eye.

You guys are obviously experts in capturing death-defying stunts. Do agencies ask your advice on what can be captured? Are you ever asked to perform the impossible?

We would never put our protagonists in a situation where they are not able to have 100% control of what they are doing. We create the illusion of the impossible through filmmaking skills - not by pushing the limits of the people we work with.
 

A lot of the footage you capture is 'in the action'. Do you use GoPro cameras? Is there a particular technique to shooting like this?

With the new Hero3 model, GoPro cameras have definitely become an indispensable tool for our work. We love experimenting with new angles. For me however the recreation of the human PoV remains the strongest reason to use a GoPro. It puts the viewer right into the action like nothing else.

What's the most extreme thing you've done on a shoot?

We never consider ourselves in an extreme situation. We always seek and ensure a maximum of control when we are working with the camera even when shooting surfers on a tidal bore wave deep in the Amazon forest or a wingsuit-proximity flight high up in the Alps.
 

Action sports seem to be enormously popular sources of content online. How do you get yours noticed?

We have our own distribution channels e.g. the EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR (www.eoft.eu) which is also visible online on YouTube including an extensive network which we also offer our clients in order to maximize online exposure.

How has the branded content element of your business grown?

We have been creating branded content for more than 17 years, but never before has there been the possibility to give such vast access to content as nowadays. Today the main challenge is to keep your content visible in the trillions of hours of moving images that are out there. We have built our own communities which have been constantly growing on a broad level. This has happened throughout the past 12 years. Of course the importance of online has grown immensely. But we still can count on classic broadcast and - more than ever - the silver screen. Every year we gather hundreds of thousands of spectators to watch our films in the theatre or in a "four-wall".

What's up next for you guys?

More exciting stories! A lot of branded content including a TV series and a documentary for theatrical release and of course a couple of fun commercials.

Posted on 11th June 2013