Working in branded content material has by no means been more durable. Audiences scroll previous your fastidiously crafted promos in milliseconds, but crave genuine storytelling that feels real. Even for the most effective within the enterprise, it could possibly really feel like making an attempt to sq. an unimaginable circle. However whereas some shrink from that problem, others run headlong into it with concepts and enthusiasm. And here is an amazing instance.
For director Ilanna Barkusky, the necessity to create compelling branded content material for wine firm Whiny Child grew to become a chance to discover nostalgic filmmaking methods, while celebrating themes of feminine independence. Her 90-second spot, ‘Do not Keep Bottled Up’, transports us to a sun-soaked Sixties California, the place a free-spirited protagonist discovers liberation via journey – and wine.
It is witty, it is archly tongue-in-cheek, and it will get the message throughout (this wine model is altogether totally different) in a manner that is supremely entertaining.
And that is not all. Shot solely on 35mm movie inventory, ‘Do not Keep Bottled Up’ feels extra like a mini-feature than conventional promoting, full with surfboards, classic swimwear, and the form of easy cool that outlined an period. So I could not wait to speak to Ilanna and uncover the way it was made.
Sudden inspiration
The idea, she reveals, emerged from an unlikely supply. “I would not too long ago watched a bunch of episodes of the Sixties TV sitcom Gidget with my mom,” Ilanna recollects. “And when it got here to growing a pitch idea, it felt like all of the items got here collectively in my thoughts.”
For the uninitiated, Gidget follows the adventures of Frances ‘Gidget’ Lawrence, a bubbly teenage lady residing in Santa Monica, California. The present chronicles her life as she navigates friendships, household, romance and her love for browsing.
“Gidget was a fearless, impartial character who wasn’t afraid to go for what she needed,” Iliannna explains. “And that felt very aligned with Whiny Child founder Jess Druey’s philosophy. I then took some inspiration from the model’s origin story and its daring and vibrant method to the wine business, and constructed a world that melded the 2.”
It was additionally vital to replicate the uniquely interactive options of Whiny Child’s merchandise. Particularly, once you uncap one in all their bottles, you reveal a dialog starter (a query, thought or dare) that helps break the ice. You will additionally discover a distinctive peel-and-stick label on the again, which might be stuffed out with particulars concerning the event and function a memento.
“These interactive options have been so enjoyable to seamlessly combine into the storyline,” recollects Iliannna. “It by no means felt pressured, as a result of they don’t seem to be what you’d count on from a wine label to start with.” However the best way to stability such fashionable parts with a way of nostalgia? Making the visible language seem authentically Sixties required a collection of cautious technical selections, starting with movie inventory.
Fashioning the feel and appear
Working with director of pictures Leo Maco, Ilanna selected 35mm Kodak Vision3 5213 and 5219 for his or her color traits. “The best way they render highlights and mix colors in daylight provides the photographs a timeless high quality that completely matched the nostalgic, poppy vibe we have been going for,” Iliannna displays. “We additionally needed to really feel a bit extra texture within the picture, and the grain that each shares produce felt like the right match.”
The color grading course of, dealt with by colourist Dustin Wadsworth, started with a movie LUT initially created for a serious theatrical launch, offering baseline authenticity earlier than scene-specific changes. All in all, this technical basis supported the interval aesthetic with out overwhelming it – a typical pitfall in nostalgic initiatives the place approach turns into extra distinguished than story.
Then there was a query of interval element. “Not limiting the workforce to only supply props and wardrobe from a selected 12 months was vital,” says Iliannna. “A lot of the clothes, particularly the swimwear, was sourced from Sixties archival items from a fancy dress home in LA, and the inexperienced surfboard belongs to my pal’s dad from that point.”
There have been additionally quite a lot of bespoke customized parts, created by the stylist and the manufacturing designer, which weren’t tied to any particular period. These included a surfboard repainted pink, a shell-inspired bottle holder, and seashell-adorned equipment; all enhanced the whimsical tone, with out sacrificing interval credibility.
Emotional resonance
Filming in Malibu throughout April 2025 carried explicit emotional weight, as the world was nonetheless recovering from the devastating January fires. “I watched quite a lot of episodes of Gidget for inspiration, and it was stunning and saddening to see many scenes filmed in areas that had burned again in January 2025,” displays Ilanna.
“For instance, we used a shot of Gidget driving to the seashore as a reference, which had been filmed on the intersection of Sundown Boulevard and Pacific Coast Freeway. Once we began manufacturing, although, it was utterly inaccessible to the general public. That stretch of street is open now, however the devastation is heartbreaking as the world begins to rebuild.
“Malibu has such a wealthy and iconic seashore tradition that has at all times impressed me and drawn me to Southern California,” she continues. “So it felt significant to have the ability to movie the undertaking there on location, to help among the native eating places, and have a good time the world’s wealthy historical past in browsing and leisure.”
Technical challenges
Once you watch the movie’s car-mounted canyon sequence, it is astonishing to be taught it was shot in a single take. “We had a restricted period of time, and I needed to shoot a couple of totally different setups,” Ilanna recollects. “The shot with the digital camera mounted on the automobile was the body I used to be most excited for.
“I feel it was the mixture of capturing on movie and the time it took to arrange the automobile convoy on the prime of the canyon with the police escort, however after I preferred what I noticed via the monitor the primary time, I made a decision that we should always transfer on, to seize every thing else we needed to get. It felt a bit dangerous after we have been ready per week to get the movie developed, however it all labored out!”
That wasn’t the one problem, although: the crew needed to cope with some critical climate situations, together with rising tides and surprising rainstorms, all through the manufacturing. Ilanna, nonetheless, remained unruffled.
“Each shoot has its personal set of challenges to beat,” she shrugs. “I simply form of embrace these challenges as a part of the filmmaking course of now. It actually helps when you have got an extremely gifted crew working alongside you, who take all of it of their stride.”
Balancing message and medium
A unique form of problem was guaranteeing the advert’s feminist theme hit the precise notes with out being clunky and apparent. “I feel that the campy, unserious nature of the visuals actually helped with that,” Ilanna displays. “It is laborious for something to really feel heavy-handed when the aim of the undertaking is to not take itself too severely.”
The underlying message of the advert, she explains, is the reverse of the standard notion of ‘this product will change your life’. “As an alternative, our story implies that our major character took her future into her personal palms and wasn’t afraid to experiment and fail.
“My aim via the visuals and the efficiency was to be gentle and ironic about it,” she continues. “Our manufacturing designer, Lana Boy, actually nailed that together with her method, the place among the props match completely into that form of world and supported that tone.”
Sustaining creative integrity
For anybody navigating branded content material, Ilanna’s method serves as a masterclass in the best way to preserve your creative voice while serving the wants of commerce. “My method is about selecting to be intentional and work on initiatives that talk to me artistically and that I’m keen about,” she says. “Consequently, I am excited to place my all right into a undertaking.”
This method extends to these she chooses to collaborate with. “I look for a similar form of synergy when hiring division heads, like a manufacturing designer, editor or director of pictures,” she displays. “I would like them to additionally interact with one thing that speaks to them, and permit them the identical freedom.”
At the moment growing a function movie tailored from her mom’s unpublished guide, Ilanna sees branded work as an amazing coaching floor for creativity. “Irrespective of the size of the completed product, whether or not it is 90 seconds or 90 minutes, I like directing and preserving my storytelling expertise sharp,” she enthuses. “It is an artwork kind that includes quite a lot of tender expertise, and I at all times need to be on set, studying extra.”
In an business more and more dominated by digital effectivity, Ilanna’s success demonstrates how craft-focused approaches can nonetheless create memorable work, which serves each model goals and creative imaginative and prescient. Extra particularly, the success of ‘Do not Keep Bottled Up’ means that audiences will nonetheless reply to real creativity over manufactured content material; an encouraging reminder for administrators navigating right this moment’s branded content material panorama.
