A very bold initiative from Vodka Cruiser. A very clever idea from TBWA\Melbourne. And two power-packed music videos by Eight directors, Courtney Brookes and Anita Lee.
Vodka Cruiser is aiming to smash through the stigma of female masturbation, after its study which showed that the time for self-pleasure to be normalised is now. TBWA\Melbourne, Courtney Brookes and Anita Lee have worked with The Veronicas to achieve Vodka Cruiser’s goal. The campaign, The Solo Project, supports the brand’s aim to remove barriers to female and femme fun. Each sister’s original tracks and music videos were created to break down the societal stigma associated with female and femme masturbation, as well as to use the brand’s platform to create awareness around the important topic. The campaign’s Solo theme also links to the fact that The Veronicas twins are becoming solo acts. Its two songs and music videos are their first solo works.
Courtney Brookes directed Jessie’s bold and brash anthem, Seeing Stars, with its punchy lyrics and a metaphor that flips the idea of “boys toys” (aka monster trucks) on its head:
Anita Lee directed Lisa’s heartfelt ballad, Cruisin’ On My Own, an evocative film rich in design with a vintage glamour edge:
The two “pull no punches” films champion the sadly still risqué idea that pleasure is for everyone. Brookes and Lee took The Stable behind the scenes:
Courtney Brookes:
The Stable: What was important to you as a director making this video?
Courtney Brookes: Because we were taking over a male-dominated space with the monster truck and the idea of boys’ toys, we really wanted to make Jess look as powerful as possible and not just a pretty girl dancing in front of a car. She’s in charge of this giant machine and knows what she’s doing; I wanted to make this look as authentic as possible as well as making sure that the masturbation message came through.
TS: It can’t have been an easy shoot?
CB: No. The first challenge was where to shoot it. Because the trucks are so heavy there are lots of places they can’t go. I was pretty determined to find somewhere that has a raceway aesthetic because I thought it suited the theme more. Plus, we only had one day to pull off the shoot. This was a commercial with a music video timeline, so we really had to juggle to capture as much as possible as well as ticking off what the agency and client were looking for.
TS: The last time The Stable wrote about you, you’d won Emerging and New Director awards, with Ciclope Asia’s New Talent Award among four other nominations. What have you been doing since?
CB: I’ve directed five new commercials in the last few months that are all about to come out, plus one that has – and to get there I’ve become something of a master at treatments. I’ve just finished a spot for VW’s R range. Another car shoot, which I love. We had four cars to shoot in a day, which was hectic but we got to focus on the cars and use all the toys to make something really fast paced, really modern and really colourful. I really got to put my stamp on every element on it. I also did a very stylised McCain shoot for a new type of chip and my first job in New Zealand, for Kiwi Plates, directing a dog that did a dance. We had three weeks of rehearsals to teach this dog a routine. Watching the rehearsals, I thought the dog would never pick it up, but it did an awesome job on the day. It was a wonderful challenge to figure out what we could capture to make sure the dog looks as though it is actually performing.
TS: What strengths have you gained?
CB: I have a really clear aesthetic and one thing I’m really aware of is making sure I am versatile. I don’t want to be pigeon-holed into one style. So, it’s been fun to being able to stay true to my style across different campaigns with different agencies and brands. I can feel my talent diversifying, knowing how to approach each ad. I’ve also been working with different cinematographers, so developing my communication on set to achieve my vision.
TS: And working with Eight?
CB: I love working with Eight. It’s a most supportive production company, always willing to back me and go to the ends of the earth to make the job as good as possible. Every job now feels like the dream team coming together.
Anita Lee:
The Stable: What made this work important to you
Anita Lee: It was a really unique brief, a specific concept but very open in terms of how we interpreted it. My interest as a director is creating very unique story worlds and I take great joy in creating worlds that are visually heightened. I love design and I really wanted to show that off in this clip, especially because it was my first job with Eight. This project gave me the opportunity to show off my visual style. I was able to inject so much variety in terms of design. It crosses different design periods, references from the ‘60s to old MGM musicals from the ‘20s and ‘30s.
I got to work with new equipment such as a crane for the first time, to flex my muscles using something really different, like grand aerial shots, which was great to expand my repertoire. I got to use a range of different camera gear as well. More of that, please.
TS: A music video-commercial with a mission. It’s a complex idea. What were the challenges in making it?
AL: A hectic timeline. It’s a two-and-a-half a music video so there was a lot to shoot. This meant there was little time to think; we just had to go, go, go. Luckily, everything was greenlit quickly. Everyone involved was on board with all of our ideas quite early. And Lisa loved my idea very immediately. Lisa actually had another idea in her head but when I described mine, she was sold. We had collaborative chemistry straight away, which made me very happy, firstly because the deadline was so tight and secondly because the relationships I create with talent, crew and clients are just as important to me as creating the work.
We also had to work around the alcohol restrictions. My idea was about this transformative thing. Lisa enters a new world of decadence and pleasure and there couldn’t be a hint that she had consumed alcohol, but we had to embed the brand in the film.
TS: Your first short film, Only One, screened at the Palm Springs International Shortfest, Rhode Island Film Festival, St Louis Film Festival and Miami Short Film Festival. Since then, your commercial work has been through your own production company, with your DOP brother. What was it like to do your first work with both the Veronicas and Eight?
AL: The Veronicas were amazing to work with. They have such strong voices as both women and creatives and strong ideas as to what they like. I was fortunate in that Lisa and I have a similar aesthetic and similar energy. That first conversation was magical. I showed her a clip of a musical-style commercial with an elaborate choreography and I was going to tempt her with that because she had a completely different idea. We both loved the vintage aesthetic I suggested and she was very trusting in terms of what I wanted to create with the story world. Eight already makes me feel as though I am part of the family. I feel that they see the value of my voice as a female director, that I have something very unique to say as a female director from a diverse background. I’m excited about where I’m going and feel very supported.
Watch the behind-the-scenes video.
The Vodka Cruiser initiative comes off the back of a new survey* commissioned by Vodka Cruiser, which is mostly enjoyed by females and femmes aged 18-24. The survey revealed that while most Australian women** find masturbation to be fun and healthy (72%), 57% admit to feeling ashamed when they masturbate. Despite this, 60% believe now is the time for self-pleasure to be normalised, and a third want more people to be talking openly about the topic.
Credits:
Song, Seeing Stars: written and performed by Jessie Veronica and mastered by Chris Collins.
Music video directed by Courtney Brookes, DOP Tyson Perkins, Executive Producer Lib Kelly. Produced by Jess Belgiovane.
Song, Cruisin’ On My Own: written and performed by Lisa Veronica and mastered by Chris Collins.
Music video directed by Anita Lee, DOP Alex Leeway, Executive Producer Lib Kelly. Produced by Jess Belgiovane.
