Turkish Airlines premieres commercial featuring illusionist Zach King

Digital illusionist and filmmaker Zach King holds a mockup of a Turkish Airlines plane in this screengrab from Turkish Airlines' new commercial film. (AA Photo)

National flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) has unveiled a new short commercial produced in partnership with the famous digital illusionist and filmmaker Zach King.

The short film showcases the state-of-the-art facilities of Istanbul Airport, its modern architecture and the airline's Business Lounge.

The four-minute film features King in a race through Istanbul Airport as he competes with his co-star, J.J. Carroll, for a window seat on their flight.

Along with King, a crew of 90 people worked to create the short film titled “First to the Gate,” which was produced in just four days.

Directed by both Jadon Gauthier of WonderBox Entertainment and King, the film is a fast-paced, exciting adventure.

Through a series of dynamic camera movements, creative effects, visual illusions and a dose of comedy, the commercial captures the audience’s imagination, photographed with a sleek cinematic tone by the director of photography Sean Conte.

“As an innovation airline, we’re passionate about providing a platform to showcase and support the work of forward-thinking creators like Zach King, said Ahmet Bolat, newly appointed chairperson of the Turkish Airlines board and executive committee.

“This partnership is a nod to our spirit of collaboration and an exciting asset that captures the grandeur of our beautiful hub, Istanbul Airport and the essence of the Turkish Airlines brand, in a creative and entertaining way.”

For his part, King hailed Turkish Airlines Business Lounge as excellent, stressing, "I’ve never had such good food in an airport lounge before."

“I’m glad we had to show it off in the film because I think it really actually helps the production value of the short we are filming.”

The short film marked the second collaborative project between Turkish Airlines and King, who previously helped produce a safety video for the carrier.

A fan of Istanbul’s unique charm, the meeting point of East and West, amalgamation of historic and cosmopolitan, King has visited the destination nearly a dozen times to film multiple projects.

Established in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines flies to more countries and international destinations than any other airline in the world. The carrier has a fleet of over 300 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to over 300 destinations worldwide.

Since April 2019, it has been operating from its new hub, Istanbul Airport, which is set to be the world’s largest with an annual passenger capacity of 200 million once all phases are complete.

Source: Daily Sabah