Your Shot: Why Vinnie Jones is Dancing Around This LA Villa in His Pants
Vinnie Jones is a man known for bruising players around the football pitch and playing equally hard characters in movies. He’s less known for dancing around tropical locations in his underpants. But that’s exactly what he’s doing in this brilliant new film from mattress brand Muun and its agency Amsterdam Berlin (the same pairing that brought you last year’s ‘German Softness, featuring a famous Berlin bouncer posing naked It’s a joyous watch, full of subtle nuances that’ll make you want to watch again and again. The film was directed and created by Moritz Grub, founder of Amsterdam Berlin - LBB’s Addison Capper spoke with him to find out more.
LBB> What was the initial brief like from muun? And where did the idea come from to get Vinnie involved?
MG> The brief was to position Muun as the brand for individual sleeping whilst establishing the new claim “Choose Your Comfort”. Under the campaign motto “None Fits All” the series dramatises that sleep is an individual process that humans have themselves. Muun is the only brand that offers a modular sleep system that allows people to find their own perfect solution – their own personal comfort.
LBB> How was the process of getting Vinnie involved and how did you get him to open up? Was he apprehensive to show off this softer side or quite keen?
MG> Vinnie Jones does not have a softer side. And if so it is very well hidden. No, jokes aside. Vinnie Jones is exactly as you expect him to be. Which is not easy, but exactly why we chose him. This is about a person that found his comfort in hardness – that is the story.
LBB> His dancing is bloody sublime. I can’t stop watching. What kind of direction did you give him? Or was it more a matter of just letting him get into the groove?
MG> No no, we looked at a lot of references of course, and had a very good young choreographer on set - that helped in getting hard man Vinnie into the groove. We looked at Reservoir dogs and a couple of other classics to get in the right set of mind.
LBB> Was he dancing to the track that you ended up using for the film or something else of his choice?
MG> This is of course a secret… -What is the track? It’s excellent. The track is an old New Wave Classic from Warner Chapel – its called “Love Hazard”
LBB> His facial expressions too - brilliant. How did you coax those out of him?
MG> Well those are entirely his own – the challenge was to find Vinnie’s comfort zone. After that it was all easy. Well, not easy, but lets say a little less intense.
LBB> From where did you look for inspiration for the art direction? I am digging the tropical vibes.
MG> I wanted to contrast him, not show him in the typical British surrounding in the typical hooligan outfit - a setting we know from Snatch or other films.
I wanted him in his underwear in a tropical chill environment. Hence the location decision.The Sheats house, owned by Jim Goldstein, is an architectural masterpiece and has a nice open and chill vibe to it at the same time. The perfect setting for Vinnie Jones dancing in his underwear.
LBB> Where did you shoot and why?
MG> LA, because Vinnie was there and for the location too. Also the main character for the second part of the series… narcoleptic Jewish transvestite Jinkx Monsoon. (Stay tuned for that. Coming in August.)
LBB> What were the trickiest components during the creation of this and why?
MG> Well getting Vinnie in the right zone was definitely challenging, but overall this was a great shoot, and turned out exactly as we wanted it to.
LBB> This is part one of three of this campaign - what have you got lined up for the rest of it?
MG> See above for part two. Part three, which will come out in early fall, is still a secret but will also be amazing!
