Vol. 31
From American football to German cars to Scotch Whisky, this volume of Cut Culture is going global. We’re highlighting some of the best work we’ve seen over the last month, taking you behind the scenes of our Longmorn campaign in Speyside, and finally offering an intro to the set designer from our latest shoot. Spoilt rotten…
Cut Culture
Touchdown.
To the uninitiated outside observer, American football probably doesn’t look like a picnic. Even if you play really well, chances are you’re still coming off the pitch (or field, as our transatlantic cousins insist on calling it) pretty worse for wear after being battered around by some improbably large humans who grew up on a diet of calorie-dense foods and political division. That’s a dangerous mix. As such, players would understandably want to gain every advantage they could get - but simply being able to hear is a leg-up that we’d previously taken for granted. While American football isn’t a sport for the faint of heart, apparently it can be for the hard of hearing. This ad from AT&T tells the story of Gallaudet University, who claim to be “Home to the USA’s only deaf and hard-of-hearing football team” (which does raise the question of who they’re playing against). The film itself has a strong emotional thread and inherently cinematic bearing, both of which are heightened by the mellifluous tones of partially-deaf singer Amira Daughtery’s cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Sound of Silence’. That’s all well and good, but truthfully, it was the concluding apogee revealing a 5G augmented reality football helmet that really sealed the deal for us. Did anyone else know that was a thing? How did we miss that? I feel like my nan when she found out about Skype. I’d probably feel more confident stepping onto that field if I knew a mobile network could turn me into Robocop.
Aime Leon Corhhh.
Nobody does it quite like Aimé Leon Dore. Ever since they burst onto the scene around a decade ago, they’ve arguably set the standard in terms of aesthetic and creative - so much so that there have been countless attempts from countless other brands (we could count them, but out of politeness we won’t) who have attempted to rip them off in both departments. Yet all those attempts have proven to be in vain, with ALD’s latest piece of content proving once again that none can compare to the “original and the best” (that’s a slogan previously used by IRN-BRU, which just goes shows the type of revered company ALD now find themselves in). With this being the second instalment in the ‘Doublemint’ series, the short film picks up from where the previous one left off to reveal another collaboration with Porsche, this time featuring the 1986 944. You know, the one with the “dookie brown leather”. Pure Brooklyn poetry, that is. Unsurprisingly, the film and what we’ve seen thus far of the teased collaborative capsule has gone down an absolute treat with basically everyone who’s laid eyes on it. We say basically everyone, because several of the top comments on the video were lamenting the fact that this will likely drive up the prices of the Porsche 944. Siri, define ‘champagne problems’.
BTS
If you’re thinking this suave-looking chap chilling in a boat looks a little familiar, you’re right. This isn’t the first time the sublime scenes of Speyside have deigned to grace the filthy corridors of Cut Culture, courtesy of our recent Longmorn work.
However, this is the first time we’ve been able to reveal the BTS exclusive ‘Through the Lens’ video we created for the campaign. Because, contrary to popular apocryphal aphorisms, we know everyone loves seeing how the sausage is made (not that we’re comparing a justifiably-pricey, premium single malt to a sausage).
From traipsing through woodland, to discovering hidden waterfalls, to traversing verdant glens, to very carefully not rocking the boat for fear of suddenly becoming intimately and unwillingly acquainted with the crystal clear waters of the River Spey, this was a campaign built around the raw beauty of the local natural terrain in all its glory.
We also had a quick stop off at the legendary Lynn House, because we were cold and our legs hurt. We said the natural terrain was beautiful, we never said it was easy. And how else was our DOP supposed to find a piano to serenade us with an original freestyle about friendship and whisky? We defo weren’t posh enough for that gaff…
India is a set designer and prop stylist specialising in interiors who we’ve had the pleasure of working with recently on a shoot for Chrome. Well, we say had, but for full disclosure, at the time of writing this the shoot is actually happening tomorrow. So, if you’re reading this version, know that it was indeed a pleasure and we didn’t have to go back and re-write anything. India brings a distinctive character and aesthetic to all of her work and has done so for brands including Next, Pringles, Liberty, Tesco, Paramount, Snug, Audible and more equally impressive names that we couldn’t be bothered to type. And if all that wasn’t enough, she’s also an artist in her spare time. Add another hyphen into that already extensive multi-multi-hyphenate bio.
If you want to see more of India’s work, check out her website and Instagram.