Love is All Powerful in Spot for Activewear Brand ellesse

ellesse, reputable for their trendy yet playful approach to activewear, reached out to production company Anattic with the brief to create a film on the hot topics of love and reunion. The result is a raunchy online commercial that will get you searching for that special something - or someone - that makes you feel the same way.

Matt Page, the producer, expressed how Anattic was excited to be revisited by an old flame, having worked with the brand in 2017 on another passion-fuelled project. The major differences between now and then being approximately four years and a global pandemic. 

This ambitious commercial was directed, shot and edited by James Copson. With romance in the current climate resembling the 1920s dating scene, James described how he set out to create a film "to help people reconnect, whether it is someone you love, or digitally, it’s about celebrating that human connection that everybody misses.”

The shoot took place in Sitcom Soldiers Studios, Bolton, spanning over two days. Matt's militantly planned schedule made it a slick operation. The first day was dedicated to preparations; readying an initially, nondescript industrial space for six sexy scenes - think 60-minute makeover but hotter. The prep day wouldn’t have been complete without a few long moments locating the light switches, indiscriminately sanitizing almost everything, and a compulsory last-minute dash to B&Q.

The second day was that of the actual shoot. An early and icy start made sure of an invigorated cast and crew. From there, things got heated pretty quickly. Terry, pyrotechnics coordinator and fire expert, was on hand to safely supervise the explosions of indoor fireworks.

The excitement only built as the day progressed, pulling off bold plans to achieve powerful visual metaphors. The weightlessness of love encapsulated by Maxine, a cast member, defying gravity, the experience of being head over heels reflected perfectly in camera movement, and the tumultuous emotions of a relationship felt in Gianluca and Shyla’s underground dance. The cast was made up of real couples and you can’t not notice their genuine passion.

The final result is a fast-paced, evocative sixty or a hundred second - depending on whether you watch it on ellesse’s YouTube or Instagram - poetic film. Some of its strongest moments are some of its smallest; grazing touches, longing glances and intimate mirrored movements. It feels defiant. The film is playful in its use of emojis, on the pulse in terms of style, and uncensored in its attitude to love. If it is not clear already, we are really feeling the love for ellesse. 

This production was filmed under covid restrictions, following recommended government guidelines at the time and industry standard production guidelines.