After the success of her Boys project this summer drew critical acclaim, Rosie Matheson’s latest project for Kodak features a diverse range of talent wearing the Kodak branded apparel and talking about what creativity means to them.
“I shot all of Boys on Kodak film, both the stills and the super8, and because of that I have a lot of love for Kodak,” says Matheson. “So when they asked me to respond visually to the idea that creativity doesn’t discriminate, I jumped at the chance to shoot another film on Super 8 for them!”
“I cast a variety of talented people across the board to show the broad range of talent and skills that represent the word ‘creativity’.” She continues. “It was important that each person could offer a unique narrative and perspective on the idea and the experience of discrimination and how important creativity is in combating this issue and also in their everyday lives.
Being creative keeps me sane and brings excitement and freedom to my everyday life. There’s nothing I enjoy more. With creativity, everyone has a place to be who they want and to do what they want, it’s for everyone and that’s what makes it so important. I use Kodak film to be creative almost every day of my life and I’m extremely proud of what we have created together and of everyone involved in the video.”
With the analogue renaissance in full swing and brands including Gucci, Tiffany and Adidas incorporating film – and in particular the Super 8 format – into the content and campaigns they are producing, real film really is having a moment.
“Analogue in general has seen a massive resurgence in recent years and there’s something very zeitgeist-y about that,” says Joanna Della-Ragione, Director of Content and Partnerships at Kodak. The young talent we work with, super-talented emerging directors and photographers that didn’t know a life before digital, are feeling a really strong affinity with it, with having something real and tangible to work with. As a brand, we have long been a creative enabler, providing people with the tools to make amazing work so the idea that creativity doesn’t discriminate is a key narrative for us and it made sense to leverage that as brief for this film.”
Aesthetically, there’s a romanticism with the Super 8 format too – it’s very nostalgic and it harks back to a simpler time in a way. Traditionally that’s what home videos were shot in so everyone kind of sees this picture – and even if they don’t know exactly what it is, or even if they’re not familiar with different film stock or don’t themselves shoot film – people see Super 8 and immediately have this emotional affection, this connection to it.
“With a brand like Kodak – which is an amazing heritage brand with over a century of incredibly rich, diverse history – leveraging that nostalgic element is important,” says Chief Brand Officer at Kodak Danielle Atkins. “But we don’t want to just look to the past. It’s not just about nostalgia – it’s about using nostalgic elements and bringing them up to date, making them relevant to a contemporary audience – why is why the Forever 21 collaboration made perfect sense, and Rosie’s film is the perfect vehicle to showcase it authentically.”