Underwater Cenotes, one of Creature’s 30 viral films for Pacifico Beer, takes viewers to one of the Yucatan’s mystic sinkholes, which the Mayans consider sacred and gifted by the gods.
“Pacifico is about being associated with Mexican experiences and memories,” said Creature’s creative director Jim Haven, who was director and DP of the film that was shot in the Yucatan last June. “It’s a beer that takes you off the beaten path, so we made sure to highlight that at no typical tourist site.”
The 55-second film, which began playing March 1 at www.mexicoviapacifico.com and in banners at sites including Backpacker.com, iexplore.com, Fandango and Yahoo! Travel, is part of a campaign being used to promote Pacifico’s national expansion. The Mexican beer, which has been sold in the Southwest to date, is about to be offered in 20 additional markets, from New York to Chicago, Boston and Atlanta, according to Paul Verdu, VP of marketing at Crown Imports, Pacifico’s importer. Verdu said print and outdoor advertising have been utilized in the past and will continue to be used. “But the new campaign is digital, for national coverage,” he said.
The film, which shows locals and expats from Argentina swimming in the cenote, reaches out to “adventure minded consumers,” Verdu said. “There’s a strong emotional connection with consumers who take trips to Mexico.”
“We were looking to create the idyllic Mexican experience,” Haven said. “We wanted to find one we thought represented a perfect Pacifico moment.”
The film features beautiful underwater swimming scenes with the camera capturing bubbling water and rock formations at the bottom of the cenote. At the end of the film an above ground scene provides the opportunity to show a bottle of Pacifico.
To make the film, Haven said he took scuba lessons. “We had scuba equipment and we dove down into the pools and filmed the guys swimming around.” A Eumig Nautica Super 8 camera from 1979 was used on the shoot. “It’s the only camera of its kind that was designed for underwater use,” Haven said. The camera produced footage that veered from crystal clear to a little rough. “We shot with various styles, some out of focus and blurry. These were intentional mistakes to make it feel like the camera is a character.”
“Butterfly Nets,” a soft dreamy song by Bishop Allen, an indie rock band from Brooklyn, provides the soundtrack for the film.
Haven said the film is also being played in bars. Among the 30 films made for the campaign are a few :30s that will play as pre-rolls and used on TV.
Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt Find A Home In “Sentimental Value”
“Home is where the heart is.” The universality of that time-honored adage is in many respects at the core of Sentimental Value (Neon)--not just as it applies to the story but also as part of the process that went into telling that story. On the former score, director Joachim Trier’s film--which he wrote with long-time friend and colleague Eskil Vogt--is set in an old family home in Oslo that carries memories that help to define two sisters, now adults, and their strained relationship with a father who prioritized his filmmaking career over being a parent. The sisters are Nora (portrayed by Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas). Nora, the older sister, grew up to be an accomplished actor, following in the cinematic/stage career footsteps of her dad, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård in a Golden Globe-winning performance). After years of absence from Nora and Agnes’ lives, Gustav unexpectedly appears at the time-worn family residence to attend the funeral wake of the daughters’ mother but his prime motive for turning up is a movie that he wants to make in order to fuel his career comeback. And he has Nora in mind to play the lead in the film. She immediately refuses the role, which ends up going to a movie starlet (Elle Fanning). As shooting begins, psychological scars revert to open wounds and the presence of the American celeb forces Gustav, Nora and Agnes to look at themselves and their family’s fragile emotional underpinnings more closely. The family home is a repository of past lives spanning love, loss, alienation, joy, resentment and estrangement--as such, it’s a centerpiece for the characters in Sentimental Value and lends great insight into them. For example, at one point around the middle of the film, we see... Read More