Progressive Productions

Production Services in Hungary & Austria

Case Overview – Project headline and key visual

GQ Magazine

Ryan Gosling Editorial

Ryan Gosling reclining barefoot on a turquoise ceramic bench in the Gellért Baths during the GQ photoshoot, dressed in trousers, a white shirt, and suspenders.
Cover still (key visual) from the GQ Magazine “Ryan Gosling Editorial” photoshoot. This project page is a case study of the Budapest shoot, featuring the editorial gallery, behind-the-scenes video, location highlights, social posts, and credits.

Credits

Image gallery from the Ryan Gosling Editorial

  • Ryan Gosling in a camel coat sitting at a wooden table during the GQ photoshoot, resting his head on one hand while holding a hat in the other.
  • Ryan Gosling standing waist-deep in a Gellért Baths pool holding a small cup of coffee during the GQ photoshoot.
  • Ryan Gosling sitting in a hotel bed wearing striped pajamas, reading a newspaper amid scattered papers and a breakfast tray during the GQ photoshoot.
  • Ryan Gosling in a burgundy suit sitting back on a wooden chair against a patterned wall during the GQ photoshoot.
  • Ryan Gosling reclining barefoot on a turquoise ceramic bench in the Gellért Baths during the GQ photoshoot, dressed in trousers, a white shirt, and suspenders.
  • Ryan Gosling standing against a plain blue backdrop during the GQ photoshoot, wearing a light knit polo and grey trousers with his hands in his pockets.
  • Ryan Gosling standing on the base of a marble statue in the Gellért Baths, holding a camera during the GQ photoshoot.
  • Ryan Gosling walking down a city street in a tailored suit during the GQ photoshoot, holding a camera in one hand.

Case Overview – GQ Ryan Gosling editorial photoshoot in Budapest

Progressive Productions had the opportunity to take part in the production of the American GQ magazine’s editorial photoshoot with Ryan Gosling. Chris Heath talked with the popular Canadian actor on the occasion of the premiere of his latest film, La La Land, a romantic musical. Ryan Gosling stayed in Hungary for months because he was shooting Blade Runner 2049, which is why the editors of GQ decided to do this photoshoot in Budapest. The French production company Brachfeld contacted us to handle the execution of the shoot.

Case Media – Creative team portrait with Jim Moore and Craig McDean

Crew members gathered on a red bench in the Gellért Baths during the GQ photoshoot.
The iconic locations of Budapest inspired the photographer Craig McDean and the creative director Jim Moore

Location Services – Concept-driven location scouting from Budapest database

GQ’s creative director Jim Moore and the world-famous photographer Craig McDean arrived in Budapest with a clear concept in mind. They were searching for locations that both had the iconic atmosphere of Budapest and at the same time could evoke the easy-going feeling of Gene Kelly’s classic American musical. Our vast location database proved to be a very useful tool, since with its help, within a few seconds we were able to create multiple vivid presentations that matched their brief.

Case Media – Gellért Bath location still

The ornate thermal pool hall of the Gellért Baths photographed as a location reference during the GQ photoshoot.
The magical Gellért Bath was given the central role in the shoot

Location Services – Key locations: Gellért Bath, Central Café and Ritz-Carlton Budapest

The shoot was executed in three main locations: the Gellért Bath, the Central Café and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Budapest. The exceptionally beautiful Art Nouveau Gellért Bath was given the central role in the shoot, since the walls of this iconic Budapest bath, covered with exquisite blue Zsolnay porcelain tiles, were extremely inspiring for the photographer, who fell in love with this location at first sight. The historic Central Café and the streets surrounding it are located in the heart of the city centre and reference the ambience of the American films of the 50s.

Production Logistics – Studio setup for GQ cover in the Ritz-Carlton Budapest

During the shoot, in addition to the editorial material, also the cover photograph of the GQ magazine’s 2017 January issue had to be made, which in keeping with GQ tradition had to be taken in front of a neutral background. So, we used the largest conference room of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel to set up a studio, so that the cover photo could be taken in professional studio conditions.

Case Media – Behind-the-scenes video of the GQ Ryan Gosling shoot (YouTube)

GQ YOUTUBE CHANNEL

GQ — YOUTUBE CHANNELOpen on YouTube
YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Production Challenge – Tight celebrity schedule and optimised locations, crew and transport

As with every celebrity shoot, here too, a defining element of the shoot was the talent’s limited availability. Since Progressive Productions has previously worked with celebrities such as Julie Andrews and Adrien Brody, we know from experience that in these cases precise logistics are even more essential than ever, in order to get the most out of the tight timeframe. This is also why we offered locations that were diverse and offer multiple opportunities for taking photos. We optimised our crew, our base camp and transport in order to make every company move organized and most importantly time-efficient.

Case Media – Central Café set behind-the-scenes

Crew setting up cameras and reviewing footage inside a café during the GQ photoshoot.
Regradless of the tight timeframe, there was still some time left to take a few extra photos

On-Set Workflow – Fast multi-set lighting with five photo assistants and extended shoot day

Since there were only a few hours available to create 6-8 photos, the photographer Craig McDean worked with five photo assistants and with such a rich collection of lighting equipment that enabled him to quickly move from one set to another without losing a lot of time packing up each set. Each shift to the next set went very swiftly, so the shoot moved extremely quickly and precisely. We were greatly honored that Ryan Gosling actually found this shoot so exciting that he decided to work on it for the whole day, instead of the planned few hours, so there was even time for some extra shots as well.

Case Media – Central Café terrace location still

The outdoor terrace of Café Central with neatly arranged tables and rattan chairs during the GQ photoshoot.
With the help of our vast location database we can present countless ideal locations

Case Outcome – Budapest showcased as an inspiring international location with A-list talent

It was a fantastic experience to see and to take part in the work of such a well-known actor, like Ryan Gosling and such a globally respected photographer, as Craig McDean. We are proud to have been able to take part in this brilliant project and it gives us joy to see that Budapest is shown as an inspiring location in such a high-quality production.

Contacts – Start a conversation

Talk to us about your project. We look forward to working with you!
Send us an e-mail at
info@progressiveproductions.eu

A Division of Progressive Productions