▁universe . ▁The ▁project ▁was ▁green lit , ▁and ▁McC ann ▁brought ▁back ▁several ▁collabor ators ▁from ▁Bel ieve ▁to ▁handle ▁this ▁new ▁campaign , ▁now ▁given ▁the ▁working ▁title ▁of ▁The ▁Life . ▁ ▁Director ▁Ru pert ▁Sand ers , ▁known ▁for ▁his ▁work ▁with ▁production ▁company ▁M J Z ▁on ▁campaign s ▁such ▁as ▁L ava ▁for ▁Gu in ness ▁and ▁Great ▁Return ▁for ▁N ike , ▁Inc ., ▁was ▁given ▁five ▁weeks ▁to ▁produce ▁the ▁commercial , ▁with ▁three ▁days ▁set ▁aside ▁for ▁film ing . ▁Several ▁locations ▁were ▁sc out ed ▁for ▁shooting , ▁with ▁an ▁eye ▁towards ▁an ▁" E astern ▁B loc " ▁a est h etic . ▁These ▁included ▁several ▁areas ▁around ▁Ch ern ob yl , ▁Ukraine . ▁However , ▁the ▁tight ▁schedule ▁pre cluded ▁using ▁locations ▁too ▁distant ▁from ▁one ▁another ▁for ▁different ▁scenes ▁and , ▁in ▁the ▁end , ▁three ▁sp ots ▁outside ▁of ▁Budapest , ▁Hung ary ▁were ▁settled ▁upon : ▁the ▁cool ing ▁tower ▁of ▁an ▁active ▁nuclear ▁power ▁station ▁was ▁dressed ▁to ▁act ▁as ▁the ▁back drop ▁to ▁the ▁opening ▁fun eral ▁scene ; ▁an ▁open - pit ▁coal ▁mine ▁served ▁as ▁the ▁setting ▁for ▁the ▁battle ▁scenes , ▁and ▁an ▁abandoned ▁al umin um ▁factory ▁was ▁used ▁to ▁stage ▁the ▁closing ▁fun eral ▁scene . ▁ ▁Sand ers ▁drew ▁insp iration ▁for ▁the ▁shooting ▁style ▁and ▁a est h etic ▁of ▁the ▁commercial ▁from ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁sources , ▁including ▁news ▁foot age ▁from ▁journal ists ▁embedded ▁with ▁military