Inside an internet café, there are mundane things that the new Coca Cola advert brings to life with the accompaniment of the sound of an amapiano track.
In Africa, our cafés are boxed spaces where we do not wait in line for a warm drink. These are spaces that, with one print, can change our lives. Internet cafés allow us to work and print important documents such as CVs. They are significant to us, although very mundane. When you step into an internet café, how far do your eyes go? Are you able to see more than just an array of computers and printers? What about the people, those who sit and focus on their work while trying to ensure that they find what they’re looking for within the limited time they have paid for? Is there something beyond their fixed gaze on the computer screen that you’re able to see? Can you see more than what the mundane presents itself as on surface level?
The new Coca Cola (South Africa) commercial digs into the mundane to find beauty and extraordinary experiences from it. Its spin on the life that is inside an internet café will make you forget for a second that the space is primarily for work related purposes and tasks. By bringing amapiano into the space, the commercial pays homage to the art that is alive within the music. Directed by Sam Coleman for FCB Joburg, the narrative of our spaces is given a voice that tells us that we are seen even in the moments where we feel we are not. Additionally, with the music that accompanies it, the visuals of the commercial allow us to come to life in the same way the internet café does. Read the article below to find out more about the life of the mundane things inside an internet café in the new commercial.
*all the words above were written by SA Creatives
Coca-Cola’s salute to South Africa’s Amapiano music in ad directed by Sam Coleman
Patriot Films’ Sam Coleman has transformed a mundane African internet café into a refreshing dance-like-nobody-is-watching fantasy for Coca-Cola. Shot in downtown Johannesburg, Sam brings his visual storytelling ability to thejoyous ad that was superbly choreographed by Zoyi Lindiwe Muendane and set to an original Amapiano track by Sowetan artist Njelic.
The commercial begins with a young woman frustrated with the heat and slow wifi connection in an internet café. She takes a sip of an ice-cold Coca-Cola and her world is instantly transformed from ordinary to awesome. Propelled into asurreal version of her surroundings, she loses herself in the moment and launches into a euphoric dance sequence.
The choreography was all designed to be in sync with the lighting design, which also transforms in-camera as her world changes around her.
To keep the performance authentic and maintain the charm of the character, Sam did not cast a professional dancer, but rather a ‘girl next door type’ in Rendani Khetani who broughta freshness and relatable authenticity.
He then enlisted the expertise of top South African choreographer Zoyi Lindiwe Muendane, who helped him transform Rendani from a ‘non performer’ into a dancer overnight. Zoyi adds: “Sam’s direction was always very clear: “Let the storytelling lead the dance moves and not the other way around. It’s not about a pro-dancer but rather about a girl next door who gets inspired to let go in a situation where one normally wouldn’t.” This automatically pushed my choreography thinking and I appreciate him telling me this as I’ve continued using this technique.”
The original track was created by Njelic, one of Soweto’s fastest rising Amapiano DJs, in collaboration with the talented team at Audio Militia. Amapiano (Zulu for ‘the pianos’) is a genre that perfectly pairs with the dance floor and the energetic African aesthetic of the ad. The music style originated in South Africa around 2012 and is a hybrid of deep house, jazz and lounge music.
Conceptualised by FCB Johannesburg, Creative Director Jonathan Wolberg weighed in: “This simple story was crucially hinged on the performance, the track and the overall aesthetic of a timeless Coca-Cola tale told in the beautifully unique and eclectic style of an African Internet Café. There was no better Director for this than Sam, with his extensive experience on music-driven storytelling, his incredible eye for detail, performance and ability to capture everything in-camera.”
Find out more about Sam and Patriot Films here
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CREDITS:
Director: Sam Coleman
Executive Producer: Zayd Halim
Producer: Boris Vossgatter
Production Manager: Kelly Grobler
Creative Director: Jonathan Wolberg
Art Director: Naledi Manama
Copywriter: Marvin Mpanda
Agency Producer: Tanya Wagner & Stephan Campher
D.O.P: Tom Revington
Post: Left Post Production
Editor: Evy Katz
Online: Keno Naidoo
Choreographer: Zoyi Muendane
Original Music: Audio Militia featuring Njelic
Stylist: Bee Diamondhead
HMU: House of Queen
