This rich and lavish TVC for Queensland sensuality boutique, Honey Birdette aims to raise brand awareness prior to the opening of their third store early this year. Directed by Zenon Kohler (The Post Lounge), shot by Tony Luu ACS and written by Karl Mather (Clemenger BBDO) the spot needed to be not only sensual, but also a little bit cheeky so as to appeal to both the male and female audience.

director spotlight

with Zenon Kohler

What did you enjoy most about directing this TVC? 

The first thing I loved about this TVC was the quirky concept (written by Karl Mather from Clemenger BBDO). Some of the best lingerie ads have a twist or a punchline. Sexy with a cheeky sense of humour is way sexier than just sexy.

Where did your idea for the look of the TVC come from?

The purpose of this ad is to brand the Honey Birdette stores not to sell a specific brand of lingerie. I think there is a clear Helmut Newton influence in some of the Honey Birdette branding but some of Newton's photography can be quite cold and distant. We needed to introduce some warmth to that. To do so I think it's obvious I took inspiration from David Lynch's Twin Peaks. Since our commercial is about a wind-up monkey watching a woman trying on lingerie, my aim was to capture that same weird but strangely titillating Twin Peaks mood.

What do you feel shooting on 35mm had to offer the project?

DOP Tony Luu ACS and I discussed the best way to achieve the rich, elegant Twin Peaks look. Shooting 35mm was the obvious choice, especially when Tony suggested we could shoot 2-perf on the 'Penelope' Aaton to capture the best shots on a limited budget.

How did you enjoy working with 'Penelope' the Aaton 2-perf camera?

The Penelope is a brilliant camera. Shooting 2-perf gave us an aspect ratio of roughly 2.60:1. This actually contributed to the cinematic look of the commercial and, I think, increases its voyeuristic appearance.

How important was the grade, to the overall look and feel of the finished TVCs?  

The grade was incredibly important. It needed to convey the warmth and cosiness of a boudoir but also have a certain opulence  - a lot of which can be achieved with production design (brilliantly designed by Karen Harborow) and Tony's great lighting, but made all the more sweeter in the end by our colourist, Alex. He nailed it. But also, let's not forget Sam's awesome editing job and Matt's 3D monkey eyes. Perfect. And also, a big thank you to Mark McDuff for his brilliant music - it's spot on.

Have you ever considered quitting your day job and taking up your passion for lingerie full time?  

Who said I can't have both? You don't know what I'm wearing right now.