Shot on 35mm over two days, the new Castle Milk Stout television commercial was conceived by Lowe Bull Johannesburg to tug at the heartstrings.
Directed by Frieze Films’ Tony Baggott, the commercials features an older man sitting with his friends in a tavern, telling them the story of his son’s graduation. While he is proud of his son’s achievement, he is certain his son’s journey has taken him away from valued African traditions.
The ad was developed by creative director Eoin Welsh and his team of Steve Clayton and Matthew Berge. Locations included the Physics Hall at the University of Witwatersrand, down-town Johannesburg for the exterior and travelling scenes, City Hall for the Graduation scene, and a tavern in Soweto.
Baggott says he was extremely touched by Lowe Bull’s emotional script and wanted the visuals to complement it. “So, in addition to shooting on 35mm, we used a bleach-bypass negative process that helped create really beautiful pictures, enhancing the skin tones and giving an overall creamy texture to the footage. Of course, the lighting and art direction for each scene was crafted specifically with this process in mind.
“In addition, we wanted the soundtrack to lift and emphasise the emotional beats in the story. Rich Aronson was the perfect choice as composer, and blended traditional Zulu harmonies and instruments with an orchestral undertone to create a uniquely African, but still cinematic, piece.”
Welsh added: “Frieze Films excelled on this one. Tony’s a consummate, uncompromising craftsman. He delivered not just a highly emotive film, but a beautiful-looking one to boot. We’re thrilled with the results – as are our clients at SAB.”
