Vol. 30
90s nostalgia and manga too (without a pea pod in sight), this month’s Cut Culture is celebrating some seriously heavy hitters. Speaking of heavy hitters, we’ll also give you an intro to the photographer and DOP duo who we just shot a load of Irish rugby players with. Plus, as a seasonal bonus, we’re offering a sneak peak behind the scenes of Depop’s spring campaign.
Cut Culture
Mind the Gap.
Nothing says Next Gen like some retro Americana and a 50-year-old pop star. But when it works, it works. And this new Gap x Palace ad celebrating 90s style and skate culture definitely works. The entire collaboration capsule is an absolute belter, but the video is Palace’s appropriately regal crowning glory. Directed by Will Robson-Scott and photographed by Jim Goldberg, the 90-second film follows a day in the life of young skaters as they explore iconic San Francisco landmarks such as St. Mary’s Square, St. Francis Fountain, and the Golden Gate Bridge, all presented through the lens of Palace’s signature VHS-style aesthetic. Presumably Palace elected not to show the kids dodging the mounds of human excrement and swelling encampments which San Fran has become famous for in recent years - at least according to the right wing press, which we of course never pay any attention to. The Pier 7 cameos from skating legends Karl Watson, Elissa Steamer, and Tommy Guerrero, and Palace skaters Kanin Garner, Jamal Smith, Heitor Da Silva, and Jahmir Brown - plus Mel C as a moody Northern mum - are just the cherry on the icing on the cake. Palace simply do not miss.
Manga Carta.
We’re not idiots. We know there’s little-to-no chance that you’re going to sit there and watch a 19-minute video. And why should you? What possible reason would you have to imbibe some rich, juicy content imbued with layers of depth, heritage and meaning when in that same amount of time you could watch approximately 76 TikToks each more forgettable than the last? For the latest instalment of their ‘Shot on iPhone’ series, Apple partnered with Japanese director Takashi Miike to create a 19-minute ode to the iconic 1986 manga ‘Midnight’, shot entirely on, you guessed it, an iPhone. The iPhone 15 Pro, to be precise. And it is, in a word… epic. Seamlessly blending live-action sequences filmed on the streets of Tokyo with illustrations from the original manga, it represents a glorious example of the iPhone’s ridiculously capacious cinematic potential. So no excuses; you’ve got a phone, get out there and create your masterpiece. It would also probably help if you happen to have access to a world class editing suite.
BTS
Last month we showed you our work for Longmorn with the breathtaking landscapes of Speyside as its backdrop. This month is a little different. We felt a pallet cleaner was required, so this time you get no backdrop - just clean spring fits for Depop. Do you think they bought that? Shit, am I still typing?
Depop came to us wanting an elevated studio shoot for their spring campaign to create timeless content that felt bold and intentional and could be utilised in a number of contexts. So we went down to Hackney Studios and asked to borrow their whitest wall to allow us to champion the products in all their glory - plus the occasional mirror selfie shot thrown in for good measure.
To achieve the elevated, directional feel, we played around with the lighting in the studio to create more dynamic shadows while maintaining a consistent eye-line, with models and products positioned square on to the camera. There was also a dog there for about 20 minutes. We know that isn’t strictly relevant, but our OCD needs to get this copy to neatly align with the bottom of the shot featured to the left somehow.
Shot by the inimitable Annie Reid, the full campaign is now live across Depop’s social channels and on the app itself.
Radar
RAD by name, rad by nature. RAD Studios are a duo made-up by DOP Nathan and photographer Marcus, and we had the pleasure of working with them recently on our shoot with the IRFU for their upcoming kit launch - which we can’t show you or tell you anything about, so don’t even bother asking. Oh, go on then. We’ll just say that we saw that RAD had done a lot of work in the music world, which worked well for our shoot concept - but that’s all you’re getting out of us. However, what we can legally tell you is that the boys were hyper nimble pre-prod, contagiously energetic on set and just an all-round joy to work with. But don’t just take our word for it. To explore some more of RAD’s work, go check out their website.