COMMERCIAL WORK
CRAFT: USE OF SOUND & MUSIC (2022)
COMMERCIAL WORK (CRAFT: USE OF SOUND & MUSIC)


The Rhythm of Denim - G-Star RAW
Halal Amsterdam

Shortlist
Title of Piece: | The Rhythm of Denim |
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Brand: | G-Star RAW |
Production Company: | Halal Amsterdam |
Director(s): | Paul Geusebroek |
Producer(s): | Job Sanders; Gijs Determeijer; Julia Llamas; Vanessa Janssen |
Agency: | The Family Amsterdam |
Client: | G-Star RAW |
Director of Photography: | Menno Mans |
Editor: | Brian Ent |
Creative Director: | Ed van Bennekom; Joris Kuijpers |
Music Composer: | Mark van Bruggen; Rachel Tauwnaar |
Instagram Tag: | @sizzeramsterdam @thefamilyamsterdam @halal.amsterdam @paulygeus |
Extra Credit 1: | Music Supervisor: Rachel Tauwnaar |
Short Synopsis: | The narrative of the film is based on how tap can form a conversation between two world-class dancers, separated by space, but echoing each other in a balletic call and response. The campaign’s choice of tap dance as its central medium was daring for a brand focused on ‘hardcore denim’: for many, the form presents a stuffy, classical image, lacking in the grit associated with G-Star’s ‘raw’ aesthetic. However, the campaign was inspired by the medium’s revival embodied in the urban tap movement as well as by tap offering something unique: of all forms of dance, it is perhaps the most auditive, where the expression and emotions of dancers can be felt most strongly through the sound of their feet. The reinvention of tap demanded that sound should be central to the entire film, and the composition integrated throughout every stage of the production. That meant a careful dance between disciplines: composing every step of the way alongside choreography and shooting. Drawing from a wide range of references (Stomp, Phil Collins, tribal drumming, and more), an initial concept beat set the rhythm for the dancers. Their first rehearsals, in turn, set the tempo for the melodic arrangement. A classical choir approach accentuated – without dominating – the core tapping rhythm, and provided a clear arc for the film’s build-up in intensity. That score accompanied the final shoot, during which the taps you see on film were recorded back into the final mixdown. The result was a uniquely interdisciplinary, dynamic film – a highly expressive conversation between forms, just like that of the dancers in the film. |
Extra Credit 2: | Executive Music Supervisor: Sander van Maarschalkerweerd |
Extra Credit 3: | Executive Music Producer: Michiel Marsman |
Extra Credit 4: | Choreographer: Jack Evans |
Extra Credit 5: | Dancers: Lee Howard; Kamira Samuel |