You never know when a solar eclipse might ruin a good photo or video you had your heart set on. Worry not, Oppo has you covered with night portrait mode, which the brand pitches in a new campaign highlighting features on its latest phone.
The nicely filmed one-and-a-half-minute spot, done by Kode Media director Jara Moravec, opens on a busy city street of commuters who stop and turn to see an eclipse casting a shadow across the day.
Everyone reaches for their phones to capture the moment. One woman takes out her Oppo Reno8 Pro 5g phone with its 4K Ultra Night Video and lightning-fast fingerprint unlock to film the eclipse before then turning her lens on a giggling child nearby.
We’re not sure if she knows the guy in the following scene, but it’s always a good thing to smile and be friendly during an eclipse in case the sun has no plans to return. And in general, actually.
“Jara and KODE helped us make a film for Reno 8 that was a big departure from the usual style we’ve done before and it was a great surprise,” Oppo’s James Jing Ping Li said.
“From the epic opening, to the amazing acting, until the last shot of the old man, every moment was beautifully crafted out and shot. We did have an original vision for the film but with Jara’s direction, he really elevated what we had in mind .”
Kode director Jara Moravac added: “This brief from Oppo was a big departure from what we usually get to see in phone ads. The idea of solar eclipse as a catalyst for night time portraiture, the main selling feature of this phone, was pretty exciting, especially because we decided to shoot it practically.”
Wait, that giggling kid is cuter than this eclipse.
“At the same time I wanted to avoid the usual pitfalls of today’s phone advertising, relying heavily on extreme angles and camera techniques. The story was better suited for a cleaner, classic look that I associate with big blockbuster movies of the 1980’s and 1990’s. I’d like to thank James and Joseph at Oppo for letting me go full on Bruce Willis style.”
Credits
Production Studio: Kode Media
Director: Jara Moravec
Producer: Gwilym Gwillim
Executive producer: Jack Goodwin
Service production company: MR Films
Service producer: Rafiq Samsodien
Executive producer service company: Earl Redcliffe
Director of photography: Filip Marek
Production designer: Andree Du preez
Wardrobe stylist: Gabrielle De Gersigny
Hair & makeup: Lisa Bailey
Editor: Katarina Gramatova
Post & online: Daydreamer—Pete Rypstra
Color: Tom Mangham—Black Kite
3D animation—Phone interior: WeAreCovert
Post exec producer: Cat Hammond
Sound design & mix: Samuel Jurkovic
Music/composer: No Words/Elvett
