…is, in fact, an ad for Persol sunglasses.

This “fashion film”, created by Publicis 133 and directed by German Wim Wenders, is a movie in a movie in a movie of a reverse love story…

…that is rather likely to make Persol’s 50s-style Cellor series of glasses and sunglasses le dernier cri this season.

While the 2 minute film has an intriguingly surprising (and surprisingly, given that it’s a fashion ad, comprehensible) plot, it is also alluringly beautiful with its black and white cinematography by Franz Lustig and Vogue Italia styling…

…all underscored by a classic “film” soundtrack, composed by Laurent Petitgand (‘The Salt of The Earth’, ‘Winds of Desire’) and enhanced by the sound design of Grand Central’s Tom Pugh.

Vai, Paparazzo! was shot on location at Cinecitta Studios in Rome. Cinecitta was known as Hollywood on the Tiber in the 1950s because of the number of international productions being made there. The film was also inspired by Francois Truffaut’s La Nuit Americaine.

As well as both writing and directing the film, Wedner makes a cameo appearance as the film’s director.

Grand Central’s Tom Pugh described how sound and music added to the seductive personality of the film, “From an audio perspective, this is a film of two halves. The first part balances music and SFX, while the second is almost completely music-led. This was an exciting opportunity for us, especially given the reputation of legendary director Wim Wenders  [Wings of Desire; Paris, Texas: ed].

“We wanted to create a track lay and mix that would do justice to the beautiful images we see on screen. This meant experimenting with different things, including using a vintage video camera, and throwing ideas around among the Grand Central team, until we got it just right.

“The biggest challenge was mixing the music as the film progressed, as we wanted to make the transition into the second half feel as natural as possible. It was a tough one to achieve, but I feel we nailed it in the end.”

Creative credits: 

Global brand manager, Persol: Paola Calaresi

Agency: Publicis 133 (Paris)

Executive creative director: Florence Belisson

Art director: Augustin Laffuge

Creative director: Gabrielle Harend

TV producer: Cleo Ferenczi

Production company: 2AM

Director: Wim Wenders

Executive producer: Nick Crabb

Producer: Alice Morris

Italy service company: Orlando Films

Producer: Matteo Lando

DoP: Franz Lustig

Editor: Bobby Good

 Post production: MPC

Colourist: Kai Van

Composer: Laurent Petitgand

Audio post facility: Grand Central Recording Studios, London

Sound design & mix: Tom Pugh; George Castle (assistant)

Costume designer: Daniela Ciancia

Production designer: Laura Pozzaglio