The latest Shield commercial “Power Life’ was directed by young talent Warwick Allan of Velvet Films who used techniques and suggestions that he thought would give pace and energy to the final composition.
He used in-camera techniques that he stated, “gives the piece authenticity beyond what a post-production treatment could have achieved’.
Although most of the shots were extreme close-ups in action, Allan insisted on utilising the location’s Northcliff Ridge view of the city with its city lights aglow to give the commercial a moody and glossy night-time feel.
In addition, Allan required that the commercial be shot on 35mm film to acquire that glam high-end look, all with the aim of placing the Shield brand in an aspirational zone. The commercial needed to give the viewer a peek into the “high-life’ that the winner of the competition (which is central to the ad’s message) could have, if they entered and won. “We needed to create a very desirable lifestyle as well as show the prizes that could be won in the sexiest light possible’ adds Allan.
Durban-based Ad Agency, The Hardy Boys selected Allan as they believed in his ability to deliver the visual execution the Shield brand requires.
Velvet also developed the interactive titles with animator and graphic artist Clint Corden, who took Allan’s references and created some fantastic title work.
“Warwick wanted the titles to exist in a 3D space, and to be linked within the scene to the object that the title was referring to. This meant the titles needed to be tracked to the movements within the frame and that we had to give the titles a heavy perspective treatment to ensure the titles sat comfortably and believably within the scenes, always working along the natural lines that existed within the shot,’ commented Corden.
