The latest BMW Films production celebrated its world premiere recently at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Titled “The Calm,” the short offers audiences an enthralling dose of Hollywood action on board the new BMW i7 electric vehicle. Directed by Sam Hargrave, with Joseph Kosinski as an exec producer for production house RESET Content, the film stars Pom Klementieff and Uma Thurman. Jim Haygood of Union edited the seven-minute film, which was scored by composer Hans Zimmer.
This full-length version of “The Calm” can be seen on the BMW YouTube channel.
Credits
Client BMW /BMW Films Production RESET Content Sam Hargrave, director; Jeff Cronenweth, DP; Joseph Kosinski, Dave Morrison, Michael Garza, exec producers; Matt Wersinger, producer. (shoot locations: Croatia, Serbia and France) Editorial Union Editorial James Haygood, editor; Roman Petrov, assistant editor; Michael Raimondi, president/managing partner; Joss Ross, editorial exec producer. Telecine Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist; Blake Rice, exec producer. VFX Method Studios Aiste Akelaityte, VFX producer; Bennett Lieber, exec producer. Music Hans Zimmer, composer. Sound Design & Mix Lime Studios Michael Anastasi, sound designer; Adam Primack, mixer; Susie Boyajan, audio producer
How do you top one of the most viral brand videos ever made? Spoiler alert: you can’t. But when Dollar Shave Club tapped Zack Seckler to direct a new campaign to revive the absurdist humor of its iconic launch video, he knew he had a rare opportunity to create something special.
The brief was simple: introduce the concept of a physical “Club” that people would love to join while showcasing Dollar Shave Club’s products and embracing the weird. From script to direction and post, Seckler--an alum of SHOOT’s 2021 New Directors Showcase--was invited to help sculpt that vision.
The result is this “Welcome to the Club” spot which invites us to join a unique, seemingly exclusive but in reality an accessible and affordable fraternity of Dollar Shave Club members. But you need to know the password or more accurately, the two-word phrase--"shave money."
“The Club” campaign brings the brand back to its humorous roots, reflecting a new chapter after being acquired by Nexus Capital Management from Unilever in late 2023. The work takes Dollar Shave Club back to its disruptive beginnings and what made the brand a viral sensation from its inception in 2011.
