The design and creation of a business website come together right before our eyes in this three-spot “Build It Beautiful” campaign–including this spot titled “Apothecary”–for Squarespace.
Each commercial showcases the beauty of various ensembles of objects in motion, falling from chaos into perfect arrangement, ultimately landing as beautiful still images on Squarespace pages. Using the Phantom Flex4K and masterfully lit sets, director Tim Brown of 1stAveMachine, partner/executive creative director Aaron Duffy of SpecialGuest and DP Martin Ahlgren were able to shoot 1,000FPS footage so crisp that at first glance, the slow motion spots, made entirely with practical effects, look like clever CG. The result is a series of vivid, high-definition masterpieces, each appearing as a living still life.
Credits
Client Squarespace David Lee, chief creative officer; Ness Higson, creative director; Jenn Grossman, creative partnerships; Donovan Mafnas, Luis Gonzalez, Michelle Liv, designers. Creative SpecialGuest Aaron Duffy, partner/executive creative director; Jonathan Emmerling, creative director; Barry Gilbert, producer; Morgan Harary, sr. art director; Eddy Choi, jr. art director; Chloe Corner, creative development. Production 1stAveMachine Sam Penfield, partner/executive producer; Tim Brown, director; Lisanne McDonald, head of production; John Loughlin, VFX supervisor; Alec Sash, line producer; Martin Ahlgren, DP; Dylan Griffin, still photographer; Clement Price-Thomas, production designers; Karl Amdal, Jonathan Vitagliano, editors; Michael Glen, Joseph Pistono, Gerald Mark Soto, compositors. Postproduction Ricart & Co. Seth Ricart, color grading. Sound Design Joseph Fraioli. Music Sofia Hultquist, composer. Music NoiseRacket Brienne Rose, music supervision. Audio Post Gramercy Post
For the global EX30 Cross Country launch, Volvo and creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors wants to de-dramatize the outdoor experience--and remind people that small trips into nature can be grand experiences.
Cross Country is Volvo’s concept of turning their regular cars into more outdoor-capable versions, with higher ground clearance, all-wheel drive and other features making it more capable and off-road ready. And now, the compact, fully electric EX30 becomes available as a Cross Country version. It’s a small car designed for big experiences, made to elevate both urban living and outdoor adventure, and to bring people closer to nature.
“With Volvo being such a human-centric brand, it felt natural to focus on the human side of nature. The child’s perspective became the perfect metaphor for this, to spend time in nature on nature’s terms,” said Karl Risenfors, creative at Forsman & Bodenfors.
In a category that often portrays epic journeys deep into the wilderness, the campaign serves as a reminder that even everyday adventures can be memorable experiences. Thus this launch spot--directed by Marcus Ibanez via production company New-Land--shows nature through the point of view of a child. A child’s imagination and perspective generates a visual metaphor for the magic that nature can bring, no matter the scale of the adventure.
