Music videos and television commercials share a lot in common. Both need to relay a lot of visual and auditory stimuli in a very short amount of time. Music video directors have it easier since they have several minutes to convey what they need while commercials usually have sixty seconds or less. A lot of the time, these directors don’t successfully jump to full length feature films because of the scope and scale they need. But, here are a pair of commercials from well known directors who truly hit the mark.
The first is the trailer for the short film DESIRE starring Damien Lewis and Shannyn Sossamon. The film, directed by Adam Smith, comes from producer Ridley Scott. I definitely get a vibe similar to THE HIRE starring Clive Owen featuring BMWs. This movie focuses on the new Jaguar F-TYPE. It definitely has a big budget quality to it and could make for a pretty cool feature.
Plot: The film tells the story of Clark (Lewis), who delivers cars for a living, running into trouble after a chance encounter with a mysterious young woman (Sossamon) in the middle of a lawless desert. Directed by Adam Smith, this is a story of betrayal, retribution, passion and greed.
Pretty cool, huh? The next one comes from Tarsem, the director behind the visual feasts THE CELL, IMMORTALS and THE FALL. He also directed last year’s MIRROR MIRROR which tarnished his reputation in my mind. He does seem suited for short films that rely primarily on visuals and this Sony commercial is no exception.
Tarsem definitely uses a lot of slow motion, but he also has an eye for framing and color that really make this commercial look like a moving painting. I wish he would bring this same sumptuousness to his feature work. But, for now, enjoy this commercial.