Ed Han directed this BMW spec spot titled “Harmony” that was produced by CinemaStreet Pictures. Han is no stranger to the automotive arena, having working on Lexus when he was CD at Walton Isaacson, directing spots for the brand while there.
Han and CinemaStreet, with whom he’s collaborated on work for iRobot and Roomba, wanted to build on both his automotive and VFX experience with a piece that would have been impossible to do through live action. “We knew that CG was the only way to pull off the ambitious concept, but we also recognized that the success would hinge on the level of execution,” said Han. “Fortunately, the team at dPost was willing to take on the challenge.
“Great CG work is all about that final three percent,” continued Han. “All those fussy little details are important to create the realism and believability. You really have to dirty up what the computer gives you, otherwise it’s too sterile.
Music was the other key element to the concept, he noted: “Singing Serpent delivered a killer track that really set the tone and pushed the piece to a higher level. It was a completely unexpected direction, but I appreciated it that they took my brief and dug further into what the idea needed.”
Client BMW (spec spot) Production CinemaStreet Pictures Ed Han, director; Dana Offenbach, producer. Editorial/VFX/Graphics dPost Andy Donovan, exec producer; Bill Cousins, creative director; Sam Tato, 3D artist; Peter Arcara, 3D effects artist; Ben Barnhardt, compositor/colorist. Music Singing Serpent Loren Parkins, music supervisor.
Director Gia Coppola Teams With Mejuri For “A New York Minute”; 1st Episode Takes Us To The Grocery Store
Mejuri, known for turning fine jewelry into an everyday luxury, has partnered with director Gia Coppola (The Last Show Girl, Palo Alto) and The Directors Bureau in Los Angeles, for the first time reimagining the brand’s story as episodic content. In a series of microfilms, co-created by Coppola and premiering following New York Fashion Week, Mejuri eschewed a typical celebrity campaign and cast us as voyeurs to a group of aspiring young women--real people, not actors--at the crossroads of their adult lives against the backdrop of New York City.
Titled “A New York Minute,” the series features five real-life friends, who include one perfectly imperfect heroine named Emma. The women celebrate ordinary moments and interactions which reveal, sometimes retrospectively, the extraordinary within the mundane. Adjacent to the brand’s own community, the 30-something year old cast includes Laura Love (Emma), Rebecca Ressler, Natalie Vall-Freed and Rozzi Crane. Mejuri’s jewelry makes an appearance as the best supporting actor.
“When I met with Gia and The Directors Bureau team, there was instant creative and personal chemistry and a natural alignment on the desire to push and blur the lines between marketing, storytelling, and the construct of what a ‘campaign’ could be,” said Jacob Jordan, chief brand officer, Mejuri. “Gia was able to push that idea into something that truly feels new and artful, with a realism and relatability that almost feels jarring. Gia was such a perfect collaborator and partner, someone I had complete trust in to be a catalyst for Mejuri’s values of celebrating women as their truest selves. I can’t wait for us to continue to tell the next chapters of this story.”
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