THE PROBLEM

Shea Creams came to me with a problem; they were a new startup with a great product but no-one knew who they were or what they stood for. They also wanted people to understand that moisturising your skin wasn't only for women. There was this stereotype that men don't moisturise, even though it is good for you. 

They needed something bold and unique that separated itself from the, often bland, advertising content found within the skincare space. 

CREATIVE STRATEGY

I took the brief and started to do my own research into skincare brands for men as well as speaking with friends, family and colleagues about their own skincare routine. I was surprised to find that a lot of friends did have skincare routines but were shy when talking about them. They liked to moisturise at night and in the morning as it felt like a ritual. 

The idea was to make one simple point; Shea Creams is for everyone and every body.

THE IDEA 

Playing against stereotype felt like the best angle to shoot from here, it felt like the boldest move which would have the biggest, long term impact.

I set out to create the world of a construction worker who had finished a day of work. He'd had a terrible day, was down and out but the ritual of lathering himself with Shea Creams' butter took him from overwhelm and sadness to euphoria. It's his vice, his own way out of a bad situation. Some people go to the gym, some run, some play an instrument; our man dances and puts cream over his body. Who are we to judge?

There's something about subverting stereotypes i.e a burly construction worker dancing a balletic dance that is inherently funny and surprising.

VISUAL DEVELOPMENT

After pitching my idea to the client I brought my team together. We had a very short turnaround on this one so it was all hands on deck. I contacted a composer whose music I loved and briefed him to create a 30 second score based on Spanish flamenco music for the actor to dance to. From there we cast a burly dancer who was versed in ballet and worked out each of his moves. It was an intense collaboration between the choreographer, the dancer, the cinematographer and myself. 

Here are some of the storyboards I created from our rehearsals which were used on the shoot to help guide us through the shoot day. 

PRODUCTION

After intense planning, rehearsals and using our iPhones to pre-visualise every beat of the film, we had plenty of time on the day to experiment with new shots and new dance moves while keeping the core message at the heart of all of our decisions.

Here is an in depth conversation with my main collaborator on the project; cinematographer Wouter Verheul. 

FINAL FILM 

The final film went on to be a finalist at the Young Arrow Awards, long listed for the Berlin Commercial Awards, the Porsche Awards and the 1.4 awards. Most importantly though, I had a happy client!