Coop Logistik

Project Overview

This corporate documentary was produced for Coop to map the end-to-end logistics process of a single product—a can of beans—traveling from the distribution center in Olten to its final destination in Geneva. The film required tracking a live, real-time shipment to showcase the technology, precision, and human effort involved in the company’s supply chain.

The Live-Chase Logistics

Because the shipment was part of an active, real-world logistics route, the production could not disrupt or delay the transit schedule. To secure the necessary coverage, the crew executed an overnight shoot spanning from 23:00 to 10:00, racing ahead of the cargo transport to set up camera packages and guarantee arrival before the train pulled into its scheduled layovers.

Simulating Motion

A key narrative challenge involved visualizing the product traveling inside a sealed train car. To fake the motion convincingly, a combination of three practical effects was engineered on a static set: the drone pilot swept a key light manually across the exterior, depot staff physically shook the cargo carrier, and I handled the camera with intentional jitter to simulate the vibration of a moving train.

Rigid Continuity Control

To maintain absolute narrative truth, the client mandated that the exact same cargo container be used throughout the entire film. Every setup required meticulous framing to clearly capture the container’s unique identification number, ensuring visual authenticity across multiple geographic locations.

Dynamic Angles for Long-Take Mandates

The client required highly detailed, extended shots of specific automated systems and tracking technologies, which presented a significant pacing challenge in the edit. To keep these mandatory technical segments visually engaging, unique points of view were utilized—including rigging the camera and operating from the roof of a moving truck trailer to capture unexpected perspectives of the action.