With Thanksgiving now in the past, Christmas is our future. Literally. And Future, one of hip-hop’s hottest rappers, is here to help us find the perfect gift, from Samsung and production company SixTwentySix, for all our techy-loving friends on our list this year.
In this musical collaboration creative, the hip-hop artist puts his individual spin on great gift ideas like the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G and Galaxy Buds2.
Created by Samsung’s in-house agency, Cheíl Worldwide and produced by our friends at SixTwentySix, the five spots are distinct, diverse and legit cool, while showcasing Samsung technology and innovation.
Much of the production credit can go to the directorial duo, Miles and AJ.
The two have produced creative that provides a deep sense of human connection which is demonstrated through every aspect of the campaign. Living on just about every digital platform right now, the ads are running through Christmas Eve and are sure to inspire everyone (along with the Reel 360 Team) to get their holiday gift-giving vibes on this season. Watch below:
REELated: Don’t Look Up: Jennifer Lawrence on collision course with comedy
We went behind the scenes and got the intel from Miles & AJ. Here’s what they had to say about the spots and more.
The Samsung holiday campaign is very bright and bold. How did you come up with the concept?
Miles Cable & AJ Favicchio: The scripts came to us from the creative team led by Resh Sidhu. We fell in love with them instantly and were thrilled to bring them to life in collaboration with them. We did make some tweaks and add our sauce in pre-pro and on the day.
Can you walk us through your creative process for beginning a project like this?
We always begin with vision of overall style from art direction to camera movements, focusing on the elevated reality we’re after. Once we had our vision, we went back to basics by filming animatics with action figures and cereal boxes as our sets. That was such a fun process and the agency loved it which was an amazing way to kick off our collaboration. “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.”
How long did the campaign take to shoot from start to finish?
4 days. 4 commercials. Like clockwork.
Were there any challenges you faced when it came to creating the campaign?
AJ: There are always challenges and teachable moments, but this campaign was incredibly smooth, and our team really made that possible.
Your spots feature the chart-topping artist Future. How did your strategic aims guide him in filming?
Miles: We really just stuck to our guns and did us. Thankfully we have a lot of experience with artists and was able to work with Future really well. He’s a pro as well, so he made it easy.
The campaign really shows off a lot of items in the Samsung line of products, but also allows each individual personality in the ads to shine. Miles, in addition to directing, you also edited the spots. How did you strike this balance when it came to cutting the campaign?
Miles: With our partnership and me editing, it’s a big part of our pre-production process. It allows me to really find the balance between the music video “wow” factor, and the commercial’s call to action. I had a ton of fun cutting these because their creative team really let us do us and entrusted AJ and I completely.
What did you enjoy most about shooting this holiday campaign for Samsung?
Honestly, it was the team we’re working with. Resh Sidhu and Jenna Capozzi are incredible, our production company, and all of our crew. The energy and collaboration was effortless and truly made for a wonderful project. Tons of trust for all parties involved.
Are there any moments that didn’t make it onto the final cut?
Miles: With all the extensive pre-production, we really honed in and made sure to shoot with the final products in mind.
Miles & AJ, you’re both a team when directing projects. What makes for a successful directorial collaboration?
Trust and communication. Communicating with each other and sending that down the line to our keys. It doesn’t take long for crew to realize who to ask what questions to and it’s part of why our partnership works the way it does.
What recent technological innovation has had the biggest impact on your work?
AJ: We have been utilizing many means of pre-production, from 3D animatics, to filming action figures with our phones.
What’s going on in your world when you’re not looking through a lens?
Miles: Looking for more lenses to look through! But for real, striking a balance of work life and personal life is key. Enjoying the slow days when we have them and getting excited when new opportunities arise. Video games, puppies, and food mainly.
AJ: I’ve gotten my Rubik’s cube solve time down to 48 seconds, I’ve started doing ice baths, and I (try) to write scripts. Hope to do more of those soon.
Can you tell us anything about your upcoming project(s)?
AJ: When we have something to share we will.
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
