How Deutsche Telekom Brought a Carefree Summer to Life
REKORDER, the Berlin-based film and photography creative production studio, is proud to support LBB. Over the upcoming months, as part of its sponsorship of the German Edition, we will celebrate creativity and introduce some of the most innovative and creative minds in the industry.
In this feature, LBB’s Nisna Mahtani speaks to the teams at REKORDER and Saatchi & Saatchi London to hear about the Deutsche Telekom campaign celebrating the summer of 2023. With a focus on the gen-z market, the spot shot by BRTHR (Alex Lee and Kyle Wightman) touches on festival culture, carefree summer celebrations and late nights filled with memories.
The directors’ pop-culture influences, energetic style and mix of cinematic moments and visual effects made for the perfect match to convey the fast-paced story. REKORDER says, “Comprised of filmmakers Alex Lee and Kyle Wightman, the directing duo are bold innovators and pioneers, who create multi-layered storytelling and performance with a visual punch. BRTHR’s visual style and scope of filmmaking is further enhanced by their abilities off camera, with the majority of their work having been shot, edited, coloured and animated by their own hands.”
Shot in Greece, taking place across various locations and delving into several different scenarios, music producer Jayda G also provided the sound that left desk jobs and studying behind, taking audiences into a portal of electronic music. Shot across just four days and packing all the summer vibes into one spot, the campaign exemplifies Deutsche Telekom’s commitment to the gen z market.
Here’s what the teams had to say about the process:
LBB> How did you first approach the brief for this campaign and what were the first ideas you had about creating the feeling of a summer festival for the gen z audience?
REKORDER> Firstly, as always, it was about choosing the right director. BRTHR was a perfect choice as they embody the gen z spirit. As the production company behind them, we had to give them all the tools to make a unique treatment that would unanimously win the client's heart, which it did.
We also had to think about the locations and Athens was a great fit, mainly to shoot the IRL forest rave scene.
Saatchi & Saatchi> Over the last four years, Deutsche Telekom has made a promise to be there for the youth. So gen z isn’t really the audience; they’re the ones on stage. This whole campaign is about and for them.
So much of the content aimed at gen z is telling them to be more, do more, solve the world's problems, and look great doing it. We didn’t want to tell them what to do anymore. We wanted to give them a break. Culture depicts gen z as the generation that has the answers to all the hard questions, but… they’re young. They should be allowed to do what the rest of us did and just be young. Party, make a mess, have fun – it’ll make you a better person.
LBB> “I am youth, I am joy, I am freedom”, the quote from James M Barrie’s Peter Pan is the underlying message. Can you share how this resonates with the market?
Saatchi & Saatchi> Well, here’s the fun thing: it doesn’t. Yet.
We know most young people aren’t whipping JM Barrie out for a chilled weekend read. What we wanted to show was how the attitude toward youth has changed over time. Peter Pan is a story about a boy who never grows up, and the kids go to Neverland to learn the importance of being an adult. But, what if they never got the chance to be young in the first place? That’s a tasty tension. And that’s where we are today.
LBB> Talk to us about the timing of this campaign and how it coincides with summer festivals and concerts.
Saatchi & Saatchi> We worked hard in finding the correct partners so that we truly could create an entire Summer of Joy, Youth, Freedom for as many people as possible. For us, the real impact of this campaign is not going to be measured in click-through rates. It’s all about giving people amazing nights out. Real tickets to real parties.
LBB> There are so many scenes and scenarios which the audience is taken through. What was the script creation process like and how much was shot on the fly as opposed to planned?
REKORDER> The script we received from the agency was great but what really was a game changer was the trust in BRTHR’s imaginative ideas involving fun and energetic camera angles capturing multiple different points of view. There was also a lot of collaborative feedback and changes to the script regarding the narrative and relationship between all four characters to execute the final storyline.
Overall, we had a lot planned out and multiple different takes for each scene and generated a lot of footage. There were some ‘shot on the fly’ moments, but a lot of this footage did not make the agency final edit (wait for the DC!) but it definitely helped the cast get into character and have fun in front of the camera. One example which did make the final edit came from the voice recording session with the cast on set in Athens. This contained a lot of laughter, a range of vocal sounds and in the end, “I am definitely calling in sick tomorrow” – Michael is featured in the final rave scene and was not originally part of the initial script.
LBB> Initially, we see the protagonists in a very urban city environment before they jump into a party portal of fun. Can you tell us a little bit about the duality and contrast of this?
Saatchi & Saatchi> In all honesty, we weren’t actively thinking about duality and contrast. We wanted to toe the line between magical and real. Taking a million-hour train ride to the middle of nowhere and your friend almost missing the train – that’s a very real experience. That train then goes through a space and time portal… that’s magical.
LBB> Can you share a little bit about how lighting played a part in creating the ambience for the spot?
REKORDER> The lighting played a big part in identifying Telekom’s brand colour, Magenta Pink. This is featured when Wendy falls asleep on her desk from studying, waking up to a text ‘NVR’ on her phone. Another memorable feature is the circular entrance to Neverland. Also, we used innovative approaches such as scouting photos and AI to create the light use of the scenes in pre-production.
LBB> Sound also plays an important role in conveying the music festival atmosphere. What was the sound design process and how long did it take to compose?
Saatchi & Saatchi> Jayda G and her team were involved really early on. On set, she wasn’t fake DJing, she played a live set and people went nuts. You can see that in the final creative. Sound is always very important, but when you’re depicting a party, even more so. That’s why it was amazing that Jayda G and Ninja Tune created a bespoke remix for the ad that was fresh and full of energy.
LBB> In terms of locations and sets, how did you find/create the right spots to deliver the right tone in the spot?
REKORDER> Before the shoot, there was the director’s scout. This allowed both BRTHR, our executive producer Konstantin Nerger and production designer Eugenio Perrazo to see and experience all the chosen locations in real life. This is a fundamental part of the pre-production to find the best and most favoured place to shoot. Then following this the art department worked their magic and did a fantastic job at set designing each location.
Saatchi & Saatchi> There’s a phrase we’ve thrown around in this campaign a lot - ‘a party is never just a party’. A party isn’t just a dance floor. It’s about the freedom and liberation and impact that dancefloors can have. That’s why we drew inspiration from inspiring parties – the raves being held in Kyiv, where young people are fighting oppression with joy, the hip-hop parties in New York in the eighties, and even the female-only dance nights in London today. These parties are escapism, true Neverland.
LBB> This ad is three minutes long and mimics a music video but also has various social activations. Why was this the best approach for the spot?
Saatchi & Saatchi> A lot of people see gen z’s shortened attention span and feel the need to make the shortest videos in the world. What they don’t realise is that gen z aren’t swiping past ads because they’re too long, it’s because they’re boring. That’s why every frame in our film has a new angle, a new POV, a new fresh take. If you’re going to take three minutes of someone’s time, it better be entertaining as hell.
Social activations were a given. You’re not going to talk to this generation and not do it on social media. We worked with Twitch, TikTok, and Snapchat to create work that was platform first. Not riding trend waves, but interrupting the format to do something interesting.
LBB> Are there any hidden elements we should go back and look out for?
Saatchi & Saatchi> There are so many tiny nuggets of Peter Pan in there. From the ads in the train for Crocky Energy and mermaid tuna, to the tiny fairy sitting on Wendy’s desk. There are pirates in the party and Peter Pan quotes throughout. The work is a giant basket of Easter eggs.
LBB> What was the most rewarding part of the process?
REKORDER> As always, seeing the whole process come to life from start to finish. It was a very smooth production, the collaborative and positive relationship between all crew members was excellent, which led to a very successful and fun production, leaving a great piece of work we are all very proud of. Concept-wise, successfully addressing the audience that the ad is meant for, gen z, from every angle.
