An urgent message sends four rugged cowboys galloping across the range in aid of a hopelessly bored friend looking for an excuse out of afternoon tea and a piano recital with the old folks.

The Fredrik Bond-helmed "Rescue", via Beattie McGuinness Bungay and Sonny, London is the third installment in Carling's "Belong" campaign, an ode to friendship with the chest-swelling tagline "You Know Who Your Mates Are". It tips its hat to the Spaghetti Westerns of old by shooting in the same area as the most famous of the genre's films, most notably the Clint Eastwood classics A Fistful of Dollars, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Located in the autonomous community of Andalucía in Southern Spain, Almería was a hotbed for film producers in the 1960s because of its arid landscapes, an ideal double for North American deserts. Due to the increased demand for filming, roughly 100 productions shot there, a number of Western-style sets were constructed, and three major theme parks - dubbed Mini-Hollywood, Western Leone and Texas, Hollywood - still exist in the nearby Tabernas desert about 30 km from the capital.

For "Rescue", the production flew into the nearby port city of Málaga and drove three hours into Almería, traveling 20 minutes every day to shoot in the parks.

"The equipment came from Málaga," says Sonny producer Alicia Bernard. "What you can't find [there] you get from Barcelona or Madrid."

Aside from some of the lead "mates" from the initial two spots, the cast consisted of local extras, including the messenger, a performer with one of the shows that the parks put on for visitors.

All the exteriors were ready-made, except the porch in the spot's final half, built by local crews under the direction of Málaga-based production service company Widescope Productions.

Authentic wardrobe was procured by locally-based Charlotte Chadwick, who rented costumes from Madrid's Sastrería Cornejo.

Ironically, while Almería's dry landscape was responsible for its fame, rain - the Tabernas desert receives about 24 cm a year - was an obstacle, adding another day to the three-day schedule.

"We were shooting over Easter weekend," says Bernard. "The weather at that time of year can be slightly temperamental and we had a lot of rain on one day, which was inconvenient."

Bernard says the production fit right in with the town's tourist vibe. "The tourists came to see a Western town and got a full Western production with carriages, horses and extras so they loved us!"

Beattie McGuinness Bungay http://www.bmbagency.com
Sonny, London http://www.sonnylondon.com
Sastrería Cornejo http://www.sastreriacornejo.com
Widescope Productions http://www.widescopeproductions.com