The human battleship that is spearheading the Navy's latest recruitment drive. Picture: Andreas Smetana
Posted on 04/30/2010 8:30:59 PM PDT by naturalman1975
The human battleship that is spearheading the Navy's latest recruitment drive. Picture: Andreas Smetana
DESPERATE to attract new recruits, the Navy has spent $53,000 on a photo shoot of a "ship" made from 100 sailors.
Top fashion and advertising photographer Andreas Smetana was paid $42,000 for two days' work to snap the image at the HMAS Albatross base at Jervis Bay on the NSW south coast.
Defence Force Recruiting also invested $11,000 on a "making of " video showing the 100 sailors from Albatross and Fleet Base East in Sydney making the human ship.
Staff costs for the sailors would have been about $20,000.
Defence officials told the Herald Sun: "The video was produced to generate online interest in this unique marketing concept."
Smetana's website describes him as one of Australia's most sought-after photographers, whose clients include the Singapore Navy and Qantas.
According to the Defence Department, the photos aim to show that a navy ship is more than just hardware.
There are also the lives, personalities and hard work of the team on board, "where people work together to achieve amazing things".
Austrian-born Smetana, who has won numerous awards, said he was impressed by the commitment of the sailors.
"Working with the navy on this job was fantastic. It was great to do a shoot with people who are so organised. It certainly made my job easier," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at heraldsun.com.au ...
Hang on. These guys are already being paid, right?
Where did the $53,000 go? An ad agency?
My favourite recruiting campaign for the Royal Australian Navy.
You'll be wet, you'll be homesick, and frightened...
What a jingle!
Ad agency and photographer, I would guess.
And $53,000 is nothing for a recruiting campaign if it actually works.
But not as good as the US Navy's women on submarines (she's going down!)
Cheers!
Seems kinda weird to me
My nominee for post of the day.
Yes, it does. Australian newspaper, reference to an Australian naval base, and downunder as one of the selected topics :) It is Australian. Strictly speaking the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
However, the 1st place prize for "coolest recruitment commercial" goes to the Navy. That beats lone-charging Soldiers and Marines slaying lava monsters...
“...rum, sodomy, and the lash...”
No, wait...
Damn! You beat me to it. Geez...no justice...
Thanks for clarifying...The headline had me thinking it was US Navy(didn’t see topic while browsing.)
Interesting article and cool picture.
Look at the flag on the stern of the “battleship”. Looks Aussie to me.
I do recall that IS about how much I got paid a week! (actually, it was $111 a week...back in the Seventies!
I remember when I made Petty Officer, and I had the option of getting money instead of a ration card, I was gonna take the money and live large!
Har har...a loaf of Wonder bread, tub of margarine and ice tea mix! That was what I lived on...ugh!
The Australian White Ensign... always fills me with pride.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjAXJaFydwM
... or even their standard recruiting commercial... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb_Gux1ei5U
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