There is so much to say about this video, from the iconic artists, to the cinematography, to the locations.
The director, Koen Mortier, who has directed numerous commercials, music videos and feature films, and who is also currently developing a 12 part Netflix docu-series about the second World War, has a wide range of skills and knowledge about filmmaking. When contacted about directing this Telenet commercial, he already knew who he wanted to use and why.
Telenet, one of the largest providers of cable broadband services in Belgium, wanted to showcase 2 different generations, but with similar mindsets and attitude: be yourself, be creative, be bold.
We begin with the two singers, and then it turns into a split screen masterpiece. Arno (right) enters a laundromat, with a man being cleaned, quite literally, we mean actually spinning in the machine. While ZG (left) enters the underground sewer system.
Here you have a sense of what type of atmosphere this spot is going to take you.
Arno then enters a gorgeous Cadillac, accompanied by his driver, who gives off the Agent’s from the Matrix type of vibe.
Throughout the whole film, we watch them walking through hallways, open doors, and entering a whole new (different) environment. All of which is symbolic to moving forward: when life shuts one door, another one opens.
Every location keeps the audience intrigued: we go from churches, to boxing arenas, to pools, to tunnels, to roofs, to cemeteries and more. The artists sometimes switch sides, mimic each others lyrics, and sometimes even meet in their respective screens.
The left and the right side of the screen could be a film in itself, but the way Mortier has managed to connect them, you wouldn’t want to see it any other way.
In the final scene both artists are side by side (without the split screen) on the top of a roof with the view over the city of Brussels.
This is a highly technical, very well crafted piece of work. For Telenet itself, the contrast of these two, multi-lingual (yes, Belgium has 3 languages) artists, with strong personalities, reaches a wide audience. But more specially, a similar mind-set group: do what you want, and don’t look back.
It’s the type of video you want to watch, again and again, and every time, you notice something new.