Milkt, the bicoastal directing collective behind MILKPEP’s Got Chocolate Milk? spots and memorable work for Samsung and Absolut has just launched a campaign for Pacifico from the lens of award-winning Director Taylor Steele. Working closely with the GSD&M creative team, Andy Miller and Joel Davis, Steele turned out his first project with Milkt, firing the starting gun on an intriguing new partnership.
Taylor’s pair of atmospheric spots hew to Milkt‘s strong tradition of creating high-quality work with superior production values. Original Explorers is a grainy recreation of Baja Mexico circa 1972, narrating the journey of VW Bus-driving surfers who discover Pacifico at a roadside bar and carry the brew back to the US in wooden crates. For a more contemporary take, Spin the Bottle works the beer in as a subtle accessory to an intrepid band of hip, devil-may-care explorers who spin a Pacifico bottle and wheel off to wherever it points.
Working with the detailed creative that Miller and Davis had crafted, Steele collaborated closely with the pair to develop an authenticity of time and place. “I find that people resonate more with a product or film if they feel it, so my goal is to make the audience feel as though they are living the story,” notes Steele. “This requires capturing details both close and intimate to complement the wide-angle shots that we chose. Everything from frame rates to lens choice can have a big effect on audience perception.”
In joining Milkt, Steele is aligning himself with a commercial production company for the first time after decades of making influential travel and surf documentaries through his Poor Specimen production company. He is also well known for his procession of work for Corona, which includes conception and management of their hugely popular La Casa retreat for artists and musicians in Byron Bay, Australia.
“Taylor’s evocative, memorable work is a seamless fit for Milkt‘s pioneering spirit and dedication to excellence,” notes Milkt founder and EP Lindha Narvaez, who runs the studio alongside industry veteran cinematographer Vance Burberry. “We are the little known secret in the production community, always striving for the simple, and believable. These two spots are an exemplar that Taylor embraces that same ethos of spare and powerful storytelling.”
Indeed, Steele’s work drew rave reviews from the creative team at GDS&M. “Taylor brought a level of expertise to the subject that was invaluable,” remarked GSD&M CD Andy Miller. “On top of that, he understood the balance between cinematic storytelling and
Contact:Milkt Lindha Narvaez Executive Producer Contact Lindha via email
“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More