
Dorian & Daniel
Brace yourself.This beautiful spec commercial for Johnnie Walker, shot on the Isle of Sky by two film students, will give you all the feels. The filmmakers are Daniel Titz and Dorian Lebherz, students at the Film Academy of Baden-Württemberg, and they made the whole thing for $9,000.
Featuring music by Renée Abe and a poem written and read by voice actor John “Bang” Reilly, it’s honestly the most moving bit of cinema I’ve seen in a long time. And it achieves all that in 1:30. Phenomenal. I hope these lovely boys go on to make many, many more beautiful films of whatever length.
Here is the poem:
Walking the roads of our youth
through the land of our childhood, our home and our truthBe near me, guide me
always stay beside me so i can be free, freeLets roam this place
familiar and vast
our playground of green frames, our pastWe were wanderers
never lost, always homeWhen every place was fenceless
and time was endless
our ways were always the sameCool my demons and walk with me brother
until our roads lead us away from each other
and if your heart’s full of sorrow, keep walking, don’t rest
and promise me from heart to chest
to never let your memories die, neverI will always be alive and by your side,
in your mindI’m free
Bizarrely, Johnny Walker declined to use the ad. I think they’re nuts. You’ll soon see why.
Ready? Here we go . . .
When you need a break from obsessively replaying the video and crying (or is that just me?), there’s a quite good interview with Lebherz on Adweek that’s worth checking out. Now please pass the tissues.
Oh, and NO SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS PLEASE. Thanks.
August 31, 2016 at 6:47 am
DONNA!!! Talk about lost in translation… I was thinking by spoiler you meant nasty comment… Feel free to erase my 6:33 post..!!!! 😮
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August 31, 2016 at 7:36 am
Done! Thanks.
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August 31, 2016 at 7:35 am
Yep. And now I delete you because spoilers!
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August 31, 2016 at 8:47 am
Beautiful! And yes – they’re nuts!!
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August 31, 2016 at 9:14 am
I can’t imagine why they turned them down unless they have some kind of contract with their current ad agency that prohibits them from using work from other creatives.
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August 31, 2016 at 10:22 am
Oh. My. Lord. Everything about this is beautiful. Stunning. Screw Johnny Walker. These folks are going places. Heck, they’re already there.
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August 31, 2016 at 11:52 am
Exactly! So much talent. I can’t wait for their first feature!
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August 31, 2016 at 10:40 am
Oh my gosh. I am a blubbering wreck. Without risking spoilering, the content of this video spoke to me on a very personal level and whipped up emotions from my own personal experiences. It is a beautiful piece, so evocative and moving and absolutely beautifully shot and directed. I think Johnnie Walker were wrong for declining to use it. I get why they probably didn’t but they were wrong.
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August 31, 2016 at 11:54 am
Sorry about the blubbering (but it’s nice to know I’m not crying alone). This is certainly the best 1.5-minute movie I’ve ever seen. Heartbreaking awesomeness. Sorry again.
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August 31, 2016 at 12:18 pm
No need to apologize. I’m in an emotional week anyway and I’m also massively sleep deprived. It doesn’t take much right now to make my eyes go glossy with water. My bladder’s too near my eyes!
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August 31, 2016 at 12:48 pm
Erm… Awkward.
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August 31, 2016 at 12:52 pm
Oops. Did I accidentally spoiler something?
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August 31, 2016 at 1:04 pm
No. It was the peeing/crying thing. You may not borrow my handkerchief.
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August 31, 2016 at 1:09 pm
Oh. Ha ha! It’s an old saying about people who cry too easily. I didn’t even think before using it so didn’t get that was what you were referring to. Apparently I’m having a spacey day.
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August 31, 2016 at 2:33 pm
No worries. I’m sure it’s me. Hugs!
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September 1, 2016 at 6:43 am
Wow. Not an ad – a 90-second motion picture.
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September 1, 2016 at 7:27 am
Precisely! So much communicated on such a deep level in so short a time!
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September 1, 2016 at 8:41 am
It’s kind of almost too much for a booze commercial…..I suspect Johnny Walker felt they’d be playing second fiddle to something far more powerful. What a lovely little film.
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September 1, 2016 at 9:21 am
It really is lovely. Talented lads!
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September 1, 2016 at 11:57 am
Wow.
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September 1, 2016 at 12:04 pm
Truly.
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September 1, 2016 at 4:17 pm
Everything about this is classy and beautiful. Probably just needed to focus in more on the scotch bottle. Thanks for finding daily beautiful things, Donna.
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September 1, 2016 at 4:41 pm
And thank you for visiting and commenting!
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September 11, 2016 at 2:52 pm
Good stuff!
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September 11, 2016 at 4:19 pm
It really is exceptional!
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