US music streaming service Rdio have launched a new campaign to promote new music releases. Swedish director Oskar Wrangö from Stockholm-based production company It’s Showtime – who recently produced the striking spot for Västtrafik - was tasked with making the visual commercial. The result is an eerie and unsettling film.
Author: Nia Daniels
Published: 03 Dec 2013
US music streaming service Rdio have launched a new campaign to promote their upcoming music releases.
Swedish director Oskar Wrangö from Stockholm-based production company It’s Showtime – who recently produced the striking spot for Västtrafik - was tasked with making the visual commercial. The result is an eerie and unsettling film.
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Concept
The film is set against the Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons) remix of the song Dissolve Me by Alt-J, and is part of a global YouTube campaign. It follows a large white figure, Smokeman, as he makes his way across the rooftops of a bleak grey landscape, emanating clouds of white smoke as he moves.
The director was given pretty much free rein, the only stipulation being that he had to use the song title as his creative brief.
Wrangö said: “I wanted to create an organic, vibrant and fragile character. After much experimentation and testing, we managed to develop something we haven’t seen before, which was really exciting. I like contrasts, hence, the environment or context to this character is also of great importance. It is a visual, vague and open story”.
Making of
The spot was filmed in an old communal school in Stockholm, providing a hard, urban backdrop. Kent Wendel, a top Swedish prop maker, created the costume for Smokeman. To disperse the smoke, a tube system was used inside the costume.
The team built up pressure inside the white suit, allowing the smoke to egress. Some smoke plates were filmed separately, and some also added in post.
The kit used to get the smoke into the costume was also edited out during the post-production process.
You can watch the ad below. Let us know what you think by leaving your comments below or on our Facebook page.
Credits:
Idea, direction and editing: Oskar Wrangö
DOP: Simon Rudholm
Colorist: Edward Negussie
VFX: Love Fagerstedt
Props: Kent Wendel
Stunt: Eos Karlsson
Produced by: It’s Showtime
Client: Rdio USA
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