Rankin, Campbell And Lawton Talk Dirty

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This week saw the launch of X, luxury lingerie brand Coco de Mer's saucy new film, created by TBWALondon in collaboration with renowned British photographer/director Rankin.

Shot by an ensemble of directors and photographers (including Rankin himself), the three-minute spot explores the limits of the erotic imagination through a series of abstract, explicit and often bizarre vignettes, from birds in flight to cellophane-wrapped torsos and spanking paddles.  

Below, three of the key creative and directing talents on the project tell us about elevating the conversation around modern-day sex and turning six-second cliches to their advantage.

WALTER CAMPBELL, Creative Director, TBWALondon

How did you come up with the concept for the film?

When I arrived at TBWA, I noticed an old poster from about ten years ago: ‘Hello boys’ [Wonderbra]. There was a mythology around it and I wondered if we could do a sort of equivalent now. As the company that understands the fine art of erotic seduction better than anyone, we naturally migrated to Coco de Mer and thinking about how they’d express that feeling.  The idea of passion and obsession, the space between one thought and another opened up and that cliché of how often we think about sex suddenly struck me as very funny… I then landed on this thought that the objective of this wonderful brand was so simple – simply to make you think about sex more. 

And by thinking of it more, think more of it, elevating the ideas and the celebration of modern world sex. This felt like a great space for this brand to work in. Coco de Mer embodies these intricacies, and in conversations with their management team it became clear their internal brand agenda was for the exploration of the erotic imagination to evolve and express itself more and more and with greater innovation.

At what stage did Rankin get involved with the project?

I’d been noodling about with the idea for a while [and was] unsure about how to really make the breadth and depth of the lyrical imagery to be created. Then it came up in a conversation with Rankin and he just said: ‘I’ll do it’. He got his team on board and suddenly he was briefing half a dozen directors and showing me locations and it was all being implemented. All the while, Rankin was doing what he does best, refining and refining these images without diluting them. We have a weird understanding of each other that frees up a lot of 'talking' time for 'doing' time. We work together by working more than by talking. He knows what is bullshit and that helps. He and his team just embraced the subject with a vigour and passionate skill you don’t see often. It was a joy to see such real commitment in action. 

Fashion advertising is relatively new ground for you – is this an area you’d like to do more in?

I love fashion actually, I used to make clothes and many years ago won some awards for my clothes design. [X] is something that sits above fashion, it’s actually more psychological, but in that way that clothes can be psychological. The mood and the feeling around the person inside the clothes is so key and such a wonderful balancing act. 

How easy was it navigating the boundary between porn and erotic art for a commercial purpose?

I think the boundary was simple for us. It had to be somehow more lingering and lyrical. Porn is very immediate, puddle deep. We wanted something that you’d think about and wonder about. 

RANKIN, Director/photographer; founder of Rankin Films

How did you approach the brief?

When Walter first discussed it with me I immediately thought it would work best with an ensemble of photographers and directors and as a company we’re totally set up for that. So that made sense straight away.

How closely did you work with the agency team?

Walter is very generous with letting you shoot what you want, but in this case if he or Nick didn’t like it, they just didn't use it. There are loads of bits of genius (in my mind anyway) that are not even in the film!

What was the hardest part of the process?

I think the hardest thing was handing over the footage, that was kind of an unspoken part of the deal. We could make comments on the edit, but it was really Walt and Nick's show. However in some ways that was also a bit freeing, as we didn’t have to think logistically about the things you normally think about when directing that really suited the projects as you were just looking for feeling out moments.

And the highlight?

When you see it really come together and feel like you’re part of something bigger than you. 

VICKY LAWTON, Director

How did you approach the brief?

I knew it was important to really push each idea so that it was gripping instantly, there wasn’t time have a beginning, middle and end - each moment had to be powerful, with a gut reaction. Every shot was to be considered from multiple angles and moods, I wanted Walter and Nick to have lots of options to play with in the edit.

How much free rein were you given over your individual segment?

I would submit a treatment to Walter before each shooting day so he had a clear idea as to what I was intending to create - his notes were always fantastic. Every idea was pushed, twisted and turned on its head - as a creative and a director it was a very inspiring way to work.

What was the hardest part of the process?

Ensuring that each frame mattered. There was a high volume of shots needed to make the type of edit Walter wanted to create, so I wanted to make sure each shot still felt crafted and special - and always remembering to push every moment. The mantra as a whole was to think differently, offer a new version on what was expected.

And the highlight?

Getting to work on a project where there are no limits. The creative process challenged my way of thinking and how I direct – it helped me grow on both parts.