Longchamp celebrated its 70th anniversary in Paris with Kendall Jenner, John Pina (Miniac films) and Hanne Evans Production services.
To celebrate its 70th anniversary, Longchamp Paris, one of the most iconic French Luxury Houses did not only pop a bottle of champagne but, noblesse oblige, the prestigious label treated itself with an advertisement campaign in April up to its international fame.
"The Encounter" is the rendez-vous given on the square of the Sacré-Cœur, after a frantic race in Paris, two muses competing with glamour: the model Kendall Jenner and a thoroughbred bay horse, coming from the stables of trainer Mario Luraschi*. A romance in the form of a romantic thriller masterfully directed by John Christopher Pina, the co-founder of Miniac Films, who just made an impression again in another register with his film Adidas Futurecraft 4D during the last edition of the Cannes Lions festival.
Longchamp Paris, a bridge between generations
Entrusted to the agency Air Paris and to the young and talented director John Christopher Pina, this 60-second film is a gem of aesthetics and technical achievement shot in 48 hours in the heart of the capital in the first hours of light at dawn, in this awakening Paris so dear to Jacques Dutronc. The City of Lights plays the guest star here. The film opens on the ultra modern and graphic set of the National Library to have us run across a legendary heritage: Place Vendôme, the Louvre, the Tuileries garden, the Bir-Hakeim Bridge, the Eiffel Tower (making its own revolution) and finally the Sacré-Cœur Basillica. Two Paris, the one of yesteryear and today's. The classic inheritance and the technological world symbolize the journey and the ambition of the brand: to build a bridge between times, generations. Casting participates in the same specifications: a thoroughbred stallion, the icon of the famous logo of the Longchamp brand but also a symbol of the centuries-old French lifestyle. Regarding the American Kendall Jenner, it was a natural choice for Sophie Delafontaine, the Artistic Director of Longchamp: "Our aim is to show that Longchamp is about dynamism, individuality, creativity, authenticity – values we share with Kendall and the generation of millennials she connects with." To underline this renewal spirit, Kendall Jenner, as a Longchamp Ambassador, downed on the clothes of the collection, opting for a young, casual outfit: a black sweater with the brand's logo revisited that sometimes shows with discretion and sensuality in the midst of action, the graceful rider's belly button. "Nothing is worth more than skin!" It should be reminded when one is one of the most historical French companies having built its success on leather craftsmanship.
This breathless and passionate chase tracking shot like a galloping horse is carried by the symphonic music created and mixed by ROB with the horse shoes tempo on the cobbles evoking the wild beats of a heart until their encounter at the top of the steps of the Sacré-Cœur. The final kiss uniting the two protagonists in Montmartre with a rising sun in the background. A new day, new promises!
A horse can hide another!
Backstage Hanne Evans said: "There was not only one horse but two, perfectly identical. This, in order to be more successful on the set while remaining perfectly in synch with the animal's movements and trajectory. Time was pressing. We were only shooting at dawn. We had to be quick! It was not only a race between the rider and its mount, but also for the team a race against time, against the Sun. This trick enabled the director, helped on set by the trainer Mario Luraschi, to match at the time of editing, the movements of both stallions to turn them into one. It is the other achievement of this film!"
The Encounter is entirely filmed on location, without any Computer Generated Images, which gives it an authentic charm, an almost vintage charm. A quite legitimate retro shade to celebrate this venerable Luxury House created in Paris in 1948 and owes its name to the Longchamp Racecourse. Jean Cassegrain the founding father of the brand residing near the famous race track.
The Longchamp House is one of the rare French companies still independent today and managed by the family. After having started its career with its famous pipes covered with leather, the Longchamp Paris brand made a name for itself thanks to its savoir-faire in leather craft extending its offer to ready-to-wear collections.
* A horse advisor, stuntman, horse trainer, trainer for actor-riders, Mario Luraschi worked with the most famous directors on more than 500 films including the series Versailles, and on the big screen for Vidocq, Jappeloup with Guillaume Canet (2013), The Brothers Grimm by Terry Gilliam and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arch by Luc Besson.