The Key To Reserva

Branded content has been a buzz word(s) in ‘unconventional’ advertising for quite some time now. Whist product placement has been rife in movie-making since George Bailey expressed his interest in National Geographic in It’s A Wonderful Life, and in TV since Soap Operas were sponsored by soap companies, the recent concept of incorporating a brand into a piece of filmmaking that consumers actually want to view has been like catnip to adland. With Axe/MTV’s The Gamekillers proving that successful TV shows can be derived from advertising concepts and the likes of Tony Scott and Baz Lurman providing fully branded movie stylings, it’s only fit that cinema maestro Martin Scorsese should take the reigns in this excellent piece for Freixenet Cava – The Key To Reserva.

Hosted on the Frieixnet site - http://www.scorsesefilmfreixenet.com/ - the film follows Scorsese’s quest to film a ‘lost script’ of Alfred Hitchcock’s. Shot in a ‘mockumentary’ style, the short opens with Marty revealing the script to an intrepid crew, explaining how a page is missing, and going to Spinal Tap-esque levels of anguish when his interviewer attempts to touch the pages (showcasing the acting skills the director honed in his own film cameos). However, the quality of the piece is truly revealed when the film changes gear and showcases Scorsese’s tribute to Hitch. By using classic Hitchcockien motifs (action-reaction editing, contra-zoom, the icy blonde) alongside familiar icons from his movies (the music from North By Northwest, the red spot-out from Rear Window, the birds from … well you get the jist), the homage nails the key aspect of any film-lover’s Hitchcock obsession. Working as a stand-alone piece as well as a tick-box reference game, the short again stirs memories of Tap with its pitch perfect reconstruction.

Trailed on TV and in cinemas, with the full length film only being available online, the campaign hits the nail on the head by creating not only a short that is a joy to watch, but also an environment that is heavily branded, yet not intrusively so. It’s a skill to make a branded piece that satisfies its audience, but to create the best Hitchcockian footage since the master passed (eat your heart out Brian de Palma) is a miracle.