No Restrictions, Just Inspiration: denim Director’s Creative Adventure with John Legend for Rove’s ‘The Journey’s Collection’
There’s a lot to be said for owning a great furniture collection. Yes, beyond the day-to-day function of having nice places to sit, think, eat, lounge - the list goes on and on - it serves to tell a story about the owner. It’s a reflection of taste, personality, aesthetic preferences, and ultimately, a critical factor in making home feel like home.
But, what we don’t often consider is that this story goes both ways. After all, someone has to design the furniture you end up with. And that means each and every piece you bring home represents the love, care and creativity of another mind – someone who designed with a purpose, and, in a way, to express a small part of their own tale. Such is the case with John Legend, who recently, along with Rove Concepts, launched ‘The Journeys Collection’. Intended to establish a tableau created for moments of comfortable reflection and pursuit of the sublime, it’s a beautiful set with great branding on its own, but to bring it over the top, it needed a great marketing campaign to round it off.
Enter creative agency NewKid, production company denim, and director Theo Skudra. Working alongside the iconic singer-songwriter, they created a reflective, thoughtful and visually striking campaign to not only celebrate the set, but the ways in which taste and creativity can come when one takes the time to let them in.
So, to learn more about just what it took to bring this to life, and, ironically, why they really couldn’t take their time with this one, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Theo for a chat.
LBB> From the top, what was the brief for this campaign? And why was it something you were keen to be involved in?
Theo> The entire process was very iterative… it was originally pitched to me as John daydreaming until inspiration strikes, and then he goes from the couch to a piano, mostly in one continuous take. I liked that it was a simple idea – simple for me just means everyone has room to explore as the idea develops. Nothing felt restrictive.
My producer, Christian Tyler, and I met with Matt and Rich from the agency NewKid, and I felt like we were in good hands. Most of the time, I think you’re just looking for good people to collaborate with, and we all hit it off.
LBB> Was the script pre-written? And if so, how did this influence your storyboarding process?
Theo> It was. Matt and Rich wrote a great script after those first few meetings – and that led to my shot list, which then led to the first draft of the boards. We all poked and prodded the concept from there until we felt that all the key moments were being handled appropriately.
I wouldn’t say the script affected the storyboards too much. We always knew the lines would be delivered in a voiceover so, in a way, we had the freedom to let the visuals operate on their own. Once we were closer to the day, the idea had shifted away from the one-shot idea and landed on a more grounded and static approach. I rewrote the VO, and we all arrived at the final concept together. I’m grateful to Rove and the agency for being down to let the idea evolve as we went along.
LBB> Building on this, what inspired the decision to create a more reflective, artistic, slow-paced film? Why was it the right way to showcase the new collection?
Theo> I think that was my intention from the first time I heard about the project, actually. Maybe it was just a weird combination of things. I think slow, quiet, and reflective aren’t words usually awarded in a pitch session, but I stressed that that would set us apart in some way. I also think it was right for the message more than anything. The concepts of time and taste didn’t seem well served in a snappy, action-paced package.
LBB> And with that in mind, how did the need to showcase the collection influence the way you wanted to shoot? Did it pose any unique challenges?
Theo> The Rove collection was built into the concept in a way that didn’t really take any finessing shot-wise. One advantage we had is that we didn’t need to worry about logos. The furniture in that location spoke for itself… Finding a location that was the right size and felt right for the design of the collection was a bigger hurdle, if anything. That took a long time.
LBB> Notably, you got to work with John Legend for the film. What was that like?
Theo> John was great. No ego. We only had four or five hours to shoot the video, take photos, and record voiceover, which meant there was no time to be back and forth from trailers. So, he was with the crew and me on set all day, and was a pleasure to hang out with. We talked music, movies, and politics the whole time. We all got the news Trump was convicted the moment John walked on set, which was an interesting icebreaker.
LBB> And what was the shoot actually like? Do you have any anecdotes from on set?
Theo> The shoot was a blur. My favourite moment was John sitting across from me at the table to begin taking photos at the top of the day and very politely asking if it was alright if he played some music. I said sure, of course, and he pulled out a small speaker and started blasting heavy rap the whole time with the most class act attitude as I gave direction. Just smiling and looking out the window pensively was a great way to start things off. Not what I was expecting!
LBB> The peaceful, reflective nature of the work is a standout element. How did you approach directing with this goal in mind?
Theo> Hard to say. My approach is tough to articulate because I don’t know what it’s like to be another person directing. I try to keep my mind open to every idea people come at me with. Working with good people is my favourite part of the job, and when everyone’s on the same page on set, there’s no greater feeling. We all knew what we were after, and I think that’s the result of everyone involved communicating at length beforehand.
LBB> Equally so, the use of ambient noise really juxtaposes nicely with the introduction of the piano. How did you approach capturing sound, and putting it all together in post?
Theo> The wind chimes were actually an idea born out of the tech scout. It was making this beautiful sound as we were exploring, and I decided to let that breathe into what John ends up coming up with in his head. We recorded the audio then recreated it in post with my sound guys, Chris and Jimmy, back in Toronto. It took a lot of effort to not make the chimes feel natural, but they’re so good at what they do. The back-and-forth, almost conversation, between the piano notes and the chimes, became my favourite part of the spot.
LBB> One of the coolest shots is John Legend’s reflection in the piano, cutting to him playing. What did it take to bring this sequence to life?
Theo> I’ve been filming docu-style on the road with Drake for a long time, so I’m used to keeping my eyes open for those photographic moments. The reflection shot was just a quick request I made to Marz, and he nailed it.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Theo> The biggest challenge was the score – the piano that would be played in John’s mind. In a way, it was an oversight on my part because the concept called for this whole thing to result in a payoff that was this magical, inspirational, elevated piano piece being played – one that’s of John’s talent. So when it was time to score, we quickly realised, ‘oh shit… this isn’t going to happen easily, is it?’. It took a very, very long time and a tonne of effort to get it right, but my buddy, Jahaan, who’s an absolute genius, finally stepped up and brought the whole thing home with only a couple of tries.
LBB> Finally, is there a shot in this campaign you’re particularly proud of?
Theo> Yes. John walking around the house on the phone, seen from outside the house in a wide. I love that shot.
