Challenging times call for stress reduction–and BMW is looking to accommodate us. For its latest brand campaign out of Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), BMW invites us to sit back, relax and take a first-person audio-sensory journey through an online car wash––no seat belt necessary. The BMW Calm Wash film has premiered today (8/17) on YouTube and may soon be streaming on Amazon Prime.
The two-minute film features an array of mesmerizing colors and cosmic sound design and invites viewers to zone out and find their moment of Zen while sitting in a luxurious X7.
“We look at the BMW X7 as not only a mode of transportation but as a safe space, somewhere passengers can go to relax,” said GS&P associate creative director Rony Castor. “And right now we could use some relaxation.”
Credits
Client BMW of North America Uwe Dreher, VP, marketing of North America; Albi Pagenstert, head of brad strategy & communications, North America; Michael Jobst, national brand & media director; Zach Ambrosino, national media specialist; Jaime Pritchard, social media specialist. Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners Jeff Goodby, Rich Silverstein, co-chairmen; Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer; Wes Phelan, Matt Edwards, creative directors; Anthony O’Neill, Rony Castor, associate creative directors; Mike Rodriguez, art director; Sam Dworkin, copywriter; Leila Gage, Margaret Brett-Kearns, co-directors of production; Matt Laker, executive producer; Phoebe Buckley, producer; Bonnie Wan, partner, head of brand strategy; Christine Chen, partner, head of communication strategy; Stephanie Phillips, group brand strategy director; Kevin DeStefan, brand strategy director; Darien Ahn, brand strategist; Dong Kim, group communications strategy director; Matt Hudgins, sr. communications strategist. Media Agency Universal McCann Production Company GS&P Social Michael Miller, co-director/DP; Quinn Gravier, co-director; Danielle Richard, exec producer; Amanda Steigerwald, line producer. Editorial GS&P Social Michael Miller, editor. Audio & Sound Design Post Human Sloan Alexander, composer, sound designer, mixer, creative director; Carol Dunn, exec producer; Kamela Anderson, sr. producer. Postproduction Company 3 Kath Raisch, colorist; Tom Gehring, director; Max Hadson, operations manager; Matt Moran, sr. producer.
Dancer turned director Ezra Hurwitz collaborates with Ailey II artistic director Francesca Harper, featuring movement as museum pieces against the Whitney Museum of American Art’s striking architecture for this short film titled Echoes of Ailey. Commissioned to celebrate “Edges of Ailey” at the Whitney Museum, the film accompanies the first large-scale exhibition on the life and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey. “Edges of Ailey” is currently on view at the Whitney until February 9.
Animating iconic images from Alvin Ailey’s 20th-century repertory, the film expands on the exhibition by constructing a visual narrative around his storytelling and influences. Set to Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place,” dancers from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and The Ailey School capture the emotional core of the company’s history--physically situating Ailey’s masterworks amongst the Whitney’s collection.
“As a child, my grandmother took me to Ailey’s Revelations once a year,” said Hurwitz. “No matter how often I saw it, the work captivated me. There isn’t one specific thing I hope viewers take away from the film--or one way to interpret its images. It’s meant to be an abstract work, like Ailey’s creations.”
Turning to his archive, Hurwitz and Harper illuminate key sequences symbolic of Ailey’s profound legacy, closing on an uninterrupted sequence from "I’ve Been Buked," the opening movement of Ailey’s legendary "Revelations." Carrying a watershed moment back to its own medium, Echoes of Ailey captures the multigenerational impact of Ailey’s work, continued by his organization. The short film first premiered on Nowness.
