CZAR Amsterdam’s Willem Gerritsen directed this film for FCB Amsterdam that embarks on an emotional journey of a woman’s memories of her father. The spot is part of the Safety & Security campaign for Mastercard, meant to highlight the importance of having your purchase insured against damage, loss, theft, and wrong delivery. The concept behind the film, as envisioned by FCB Amsterdam, revolves around leaving nothing to chance when creating a perfect moment.

The story starts out with a woman discovering a photo of her younger self together with her father and his car. The viewer is unaware whether the father is still alive, and as the story develops, with the woman restoring her father’s car to honor his memory. A tagline reads: “Bringing back old memories: priceless.”

The film was shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina. CZAR wanted capture the “passing of time” element, showcased through a series of side events that happen while the woman is fixing the car, as well as through a classic film aesthetic, where everything seems to dissolve and fade away. Next, to that, Gerritsen and DP Robbie van Brussel managed to deliver a romantic consciousness towards the cinematography. 

Director Gerritsen said, “We had to finish everything in three days, made sure that we were able to project an elaborate lighting plan and convey a legitimate message to the viewers. One of the most touching moments was almost unbelievable–the main actress gave a performance behind the camera in order to help the older actor in his shot. It was a very emotional moment for all of us and she couldn’t stop crying because she was taken aback by the actor’s performance and the scene that they were playing.”

CZAR producer Roos Blank added, “The production process was challenging, especially in finding the perfect looking car. The car is definitely one of the focus points of this film. We used three different cars in order to achieve an aesthetically pleasing vintage car.”

Credits

Client Mastercard Agency FCB Amsterdam Massimo van der Plas, chief creative officer; Rolf Bais, Wouter Kampman, creatives; Kirsten Scholte, strategy; Joze Rikken, producer. Production CZAR Amsterdam Willem Gerritsen, director; Willem Bos, exec producer; Roos Blank, producer; Robbie van Brussel, DP. Editorial Wouter van Luijn, editor. Grading & Post De Grot Audio Sound Circus Music Jorrit Kleijnen Line Production Basica cine Francois Huvelle, Jorge Malatesta. Art Direction Lola Llaneza

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