Bacardi: The Sound of Rum
Agency
AMV BBDO
Director
Tucker Bliss
Production Company
1stAvenueMachine
Post Production
Work Editorial
“Hi, can you please bring to life the spirited beat and rhythm of cocktail making?”
The moment we read the brief for this Bacardi campaign, we couldn’t help but give it a shot.
Challenge
Mixing the irresistible vibe of the rum brand’s Caribbean heritage with the skilled rhythmic tempo of cocktail making led us to jump on a plane and fly to Slovenia, to take care of on-set music production.
“Together with AMV BBDO and 1stAvenueMachine director Tucker Bliss, we had this codependent music/picture vision. MassiveMusic was tasked with musically directing the on-screen talent to ensure that each physical action would match the intended sound in the correct velocity and tempo. Next to pre- and post-production, we also took care of the whole on-set music direction – that’s what makes it special” says Tim Preston, former Head of Production at MassiveMusic London.
Approach
Ice being chipped becoming a snare drum or glasses being tapped turning into hi-hats. We used anything we could find to create our beat-from-the-bar.
Time Preston continues: “It was a true show of collaboration, with MassiveMusic not only creating a banging dancehall track out of found sounds, but also crafting and shaping the concept from its inception. It was highly creative and refreshing, even more so if you consider the crew had to endure 40-degree temperatures with 100 people on location in Slovenia.”
With none other than hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz as the Executive Producer of the track (yep, you read that right), we also ensured every sound was captured live on set for use in the final music track.
Solution
Who thought ASMR and cocktails could go together?
Director Tucker Bliss comments: “We took inspiration from the ASMR world, focusing on the instantly recognisable and familiar sounds of the bar – honing in on what rum might sound like. We had such an amazing time breaking down each mixed drink to its core sonic components, to their most simple form, and then building the vibe back up into a new track.”
The cocktails created on set? With names such as Flamingo Domingo, Match the Beat, Mi Mundo, Toronto Tropico, Ritmo Tropical, the feeling of summer will last forever.
And no, no pineapples and lime fruits were hurt during the making of this video. Well, maybe a little.
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