Director Grady Hall of production company Motion Theory dramatizes a young woman's life story as an imaginative visual journey for Camparisoda. Via ad agency Euro RSCG Milan, the epic :45 commercial titled "Welcome to Giulia" represents the launch spot of Campari's major marketing push for the iconic aperitif brand in 2011.
"Welcome to Giulia" opens as a bartender flips the cap off a Camparisoda bottle. The opening triggers the life story that Giulia shares with a handsome stranger, who so vividly imagines her tale that the pair is transported into her daydream world. A series of intricately linked adventures reveal Giulia's past as a ballerina, peace protester, and princess whose heart is broken by a knight in shining armor. Subsequent vignettes show her exploring the world by horseback, motorcycle and hot air balloon, before finally returning to the present day at the bar as she shares her story over a drink. Each vignette creatively segues into the next through various in-camera and visual effects, with each transition providing a key storytelling element as Giulia travels effortlessly through time and space in the scenes.
Euro RSCG Milan wanted a visual representation of the brand concept "We are all worlds to explore" and the tagline "Nice to meet you." Hall, who specializes as a story and character-driven director with an ability to weave in highly filmic and conceptual visuals, worked closely with the agency to further develop and refine the life journey of Giulia.
"This huge, round-the-world visual adventure is really about the simple idea of getting beneath the surface - beyond the small talk - with both friends and strangers," said Hall. "I wanted to evoke that sense of a deeper personal connection, but also show how the imagination can run wild when interpreting someone's story."
Hall and his Motion Theory production team shot the commercial on location in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The highly technical shoot involved wire and stunt work of the lead actress, who had a background in dance and horseback riding, so was physically capable of carrying off the spot's various stunts. This was all captured as live-action footage with a RED One camera fastened to a Locomoco motion control rig. To achieve the Viewmaster-like effect as seen in the spot's final travel vignettes, Hall spearheaded the engineering of a custom crane arm weighted on a pendulum that allowed DP Martin Coppen to spin and shoot at the same time. The visual effects team back at Motion Theory sister company Mirada then contributed extensive CG, matte painting and compositing work to give the spot its final polish.