THE PARTY DIRECTORS TREATMENT BY DAWN SHADFORTH
Little Minx
INTRODUCTION First of all, what a fabulous concept. This really is an amazing opportunity to make something truly special. For me, the real strength of this commercial lies in how we marry our two worlds together. Bringing the resort chic and high-end environment of Lily’s parties, into the warm, contemporary and brilliantly accessible world of Target.
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LILY MEETS TARGET
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APPROACH The charm of this idea is in the glamorous mischief we encounter along the way. Therefore, why not create something that takes direct inspiration from Lily herself. Bold, daring and totally unique, Lily was a rule breaker - the embodiment of “the life and soul of the party”. Her renowned events were full of personalities; from the Rockefeller’s to the pool cleaner – the elegant to the bizarre. I’d love to craft a film full of these kinds of characters and their wild eccentricities. I see our spot as having all the colour, vibrancy and fun of an authentic Lily party but with an editorial, modern and super stylish twist.
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“ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH SUNSHINE AND A LITTLE PINK”
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THE FILM We open on a stylish looking front door, 60’s modernism brought right up to date. The doors swing open to reveal a woman - bare feet, wearing caftan, she’s chic, effortless, stylish and bohemian – a young Lily Pulitzer. She greets the camera like it’s a guest.
Jackie O now Lena Dunham, Sam Rockwell where it would have been Cary Grant. Iris Apfel now Michelle Harper or Caroline Seiber. All wearing a range of vibrant patterns, super animated and unique in their general vibe.
We glide through the room – intercutting in some quick tight shots couples chatting and dancing, people pouring colourful drinks. Each cut moves us further into the room. The faces - an interesting mix of old Hollywood and New York glitterati but a modern version. 6
THE FILM Our house, an elegant Eames style mansion, but we reveal little of the scale. It could easily be a more modest size house of the same elegant style. We cut to a dashing young couple chatting - our camera jibs down to a dinner table to reveal a beautiful pink flamingo. It’s running along the table hopping along each plate like lily pads. We cut in closer as it knocks over a vase/lamp. A George Peppard type character comes to the rescue, catches it deftly and hands it to an elegant older lady like a gift - she smiles and then suddenly shrieks with joy. We jib down to her feet and reveal the reason for her shriek. George Peppard is pursuing the bird- crawling between feet under the table, still looking suave. We track him past slender legs wearing the Pineapple Motif Sandals, flounce dresses and Nosey Posey prints. Somewhere in the distance a phone rings.
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THE FILM Cut and hold on on two lovely long print shift dresses framed from the waist down. Suddenly they’re forced apart. It’s our Peppard character. Squeezing between the women, he reaches forward and picks up an old school telephone atop a print cushion. Cut out wide - a stunning looking girl in a print shift dress steps over him and places a dazzling Pineapple bag on the table - cut in tight when ZIP out jumps a tiny poodle. The poodle jumps into the arms of another woman whose face it starts to lick. She swiftly off loads it to the nearest guest – It’s George Peppard again. He strokes the dog as a group of women stream past. We burst into the garden tracking behind a full rabble of colourful headscarves through some elegantly framed doors. The girls join another group of stunning women and burst into a classic 60’s influenced dance with a modern twist. 8
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THE FILM Cut to a tracking shot of a super slick waiter as he glides from the house through the pack of dancing women and little girls. He carries a silver tray with a monkey - we see him from above – our monkey set against a sea of dancing print. We never see the women’s faces - just the patterns of dresses next to the little girl’s super chic facial expressions. We continue our tracking shot and take in the scene - a woman on a beach towel in the middle of a giant chess set, a couple recline in hammocks sipping colourful drinks, two people play backgammon with chairs half submerged in the pool.
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THE FILM Cut to a woman in a Boom Boom Jumpsuit elegantly reclining in a beach chair. A Rafia bag in pink sits on the table in front - our waiter smoothly places the monkey on a tray in front of her. She’s painting her nails – cut back to the table – the monkeys now sitting next to the tray that we now see is full of nail varnish. She blows a kiss at the monkey and looks up from her nails seductively. She’s seen something or someone…. We clock what she’s looking at as we cut to a dashing lothario strolling through the middle of some women on sun loungers. He really does look every inch incredible. He walks to some kids who have made an elaborate pretend boat out of Umbrellas with Lanterns in the middle.
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THE FILM He salutes a little girl dressed in a jump suit and sailors hat. She salutes back. A woman across the way watches serenely as she sips some tea. A string of golden lights hang above. We pan around the table taking in the expressions, as in the background a beautifully serene Giraffe walks into frame - A wonderfully surreal moment that we’ll capture seperately as a plate shot.
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THE FILM Our camera begins to pull up from the table, higher and higher, revealing more of our scene. Our pool - a couple of lilo’s drift, lazily, a man and woman are bathing. Our parasols begin to open and close rhythmically into patterns. We pull out further - Our Giraffe begins strolling off. Then further - our people becoming dots now - a little further and the penny drops. This definitely isn’t the neighborhood we quite expected. Our incredibly lavish mansion in Palm Springs is actually a simple, modest house in a classical American suburban cul-de-sac. The surrounding streets begin to form a beautifully symmetrical target logo.
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THE REVEAL & EXTRA SCENES There are many ways we can go about our reveal to give it maximum impact. My main issue is keeping it tasteful and well considered. I’d love to discuss and develop these ideas further with you over the coming days. Also I am aware that the film as it stands reads over 30 seconds. I have added scenes in that are subject to discussion in terms of their logistical difficulty . In many ways these scenes are more suggestions and I don’t feel wedded to them.
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“STYLE ISN’T JUST ABOUT WHAT YOU WEAR, IT’S ABOUT HOW YOU LIVE”
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STRUCTURE Cause and effect is a far more calculated approach to storytelling, that makes the film as a whole so much more memorable. To me, this a chic way to tell a chic story. The rhythm and flow of each scene propels our narrative forward into the final reveal – building in intensity from start to finish. I love the idea of using the key products as heroes in each transition. They become an integrated part of the beautiful world we create and intrinsic to the quirk of our story. Not only will this look amazing but it will allow for a super smooth and fluid edit from start to finish.
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THE LOOK With a brief inspired by the world of Lily herself as well as the brand, there’s absolutely no doubt this is a spot that’s going to look every inch incredible. With such a diverse range of wardrobe, talent & characters, we really are spoilt when it comes to the potential for some absolutely stunning visuals. Stylistically the film should feel super editorial fashion, graphic and modern but at the same time cool, warm and inclusive in terms of what we see within the frames themselves. The imagery should be colourful and bold but very slick and composed. Similar to a cover shoot for Vanity Fair’s guide to summer - lots of crisp saturated scenes, touches of opulence and of course fabulous looking models.
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CINEMATOGRAPHY We want this to really feel like it’s a one-track movement through an awesome party. Therefore, the cut as a whole needs to feel smooth with a constant sense of forward momentum. Camerawork should be a balance between the poetic and kinetic – fluid, longer crane shots gliding over the top of the party intercut with more dynamic, frenetic steadi cam action elsewhere. Each wide shot we see should be teeming with colour, shape and movement but careful to never appear overly grand or decadent so as to takeaway from our final reveal. Every image we see should feel glamorous and full of character, photographic in the sense that we want to crystallize the emotion in each composition in the same way a photographer would with stills - the sensual body language, the confident smiles, the suggestive hand gestures. Every shot should tell a story in itself. 18
PRODUCT When shooting such vibrant colours I’ve always found that the movement and personality of the models is what creates a truly captivating visual and elevates the clothes immensely. It’s how the clothes are worn, how they drape on the body, the shadow and form they create. Lily would most certainly approve. This kind of bold beauty comes through careful direction and of course lighting. I’d like to light our models using a bright sunlight feel front light, mimicking the way old Technicolor was lit. This will bring our colours to life and create a pop art pallet that’s sure to make our clothes the star of the spot. I used this approach in my work for Kylie, H&M and Christmas Belles and am sure it will look stunning in this kind of environment. Making sure our products really stand out in each frame is a question of tailoring our production design. It’s all about colour and perspective. Often shooting against more neutral background colours exaggerates the tones. We can further enhance the colour in the grade to push the highlights and really make sure our product is our main focus.
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CASTING Casting would be made up of a combination of models and a whole host of other characters. Rabbles of New York glitterati and socialite high flyers. Each of our cast needs to look the part. Striking and full of character - I’d like to go for a super cinematic and modern look with tons of interesting faces. To find the modern and universal equivalent of Lily’s Scene, vibrant, excitable, conversational, interesting, eccentric stylish and fun.
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“BEING HAPPY NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE”
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PERFORMANCE Each woman’s performance should be playful, yet composed and packed full of fashion flair. For me naturalism is the key here. We need to be casting in front of camera and searching for REAL characters. Our women won’t simply be “modeling”. They need to BE the people who you’d expect at this kind of party. Real and authentic – it’s about letting our cast bring their own unique personality to the stage if we are to truly capture the energy and spirit this film deserves.
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TONE When I first read the boards and started putting together these ideas in my head, I couldn’t stop thinking back to the classic party scene in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It has a real decadent and eccentric quality but comes across in a way that feels very inclusive and avoids being too elitist or out of reach. I see our film as doing exactly this but in a modern fashion arena. It will absolutely feel very fashion but I want to give it a warmth and sophistication more akin to a Wes Anderson film. I’d like to create our own unique and elevated world of fun filled mischief. Mario Testino’s considered style of lighting and often bizarre subjects is an interesting reference point too. He often mixes the eccentric and the bizarre with the beautiful and composed. It’s done is such a way that the juxtaposition in the content creates a unique yet harmonious composition. The subjects never feel shocking or out of place no matter how outlandish they are. This is where we want to be – each scene of our spot should feel super dynamic, smooth and totally harmonious. I’d like to avoid anything feeling too outlandish and definitely not comedic! Keeping it contemporary, cool and warm from start to finish. 23
COOL & WARM
STYLING This film is by no means a “period” piece but more of a homage. A modern take on an opulent circle of high flyers in the 60’s and their fashion. For me these clothes actually pop. So I’d set them within an aesthetic that is bang up to date with the edge and modernity of the best fashion films for high end houses. It should be lush, colourful and playful but neither kitsch, nor cartoon. Remaining warm, modern and fun in every aspect of its style.
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LOCATION I see our location being a slick, well designed house that isn’t too large. The Pool Party scene in Boogie Nights is a good reference for style and size. The whole strength of our final reveal relies on the believability that this place could well be in suburbia, but for the most part of the film we are fooled into thinking we’re in a Hollywood Hills mansion. Therefore lets keep it ambiguous and let our characters, art direction and style supply the vibe.
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ART DEPARTMENT I’d like to reference Wes Anderson here - I totally see this is a being a very flat graphic world full of sophistication. The art direction should be super quirky yet sumptuous in its design and appearance. It should really feel as though our party is a backdrop and a frame for our product range. Wherever possible we’ll bed the products into our world and design the set from the bottom up, using our product as a base and building the scenery around it. I love the idea of shooting our Poly Satin Jumpsuits within the shadows of some palm trees, the tones of light splayed across our models.
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SUMMARY Thank you for sending me these boards. Creating unique worlds of beauty and colour is what I love doing the most. Especially when given the chance to draw inspiration from someone as fabulous and game changing as Lily. I love the collection – what an amazing opportunity to make something very special indeed. In the words of Lily herself, “That’s what life is all about: Let’s have a party. Let’s have it tonight.”
I’d love to be involved. Dawn
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THANK YOU
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