Many have probably already seen the new H&M ad directed by Wes Anderson, but for those who don't know: Wes Anderson, a major Hollywood director, known for his very specific stylistic films recently directed a 3 minute and 52 second commercial for H&M.
When I first saw this, it kind of shocked me. Wes Anderson is not normally the kind of director who wants to listen to producers and people infringing on his art, but here he is directing a literal commercial?! It doesn't get any farther away from art than that... right?
It seems I was wrong. The commercial is less of a commercial, and more of a short film with H&M's logo on it (and costumes supplied by the store as well). And I found this to be very impressive. Many films have product placement in order to pay for the film, which makes sense. Movies are expensive, and they have to be paid for one way or another, but having product placement often times takes me out of the film and reminds me that it's all a money game. Having the film already be a commercial though, is another story. Every time I noticed a product or the H&M ad, it strangely only took me further into the film. The film was about a holiday spent on a train car, and oddly enough, the ad being about clothes and things that people will buy for christmas only put me more into the christmas spirit. The product placement and the film actually strengthened each other.
Through all of this, Wes Anderson was still able to (at least from what I could tell) keep all of his directorial integrity. It seemed like every decision was made by him in a very calculated manor, and there were only a few times that I imagine he would have done something differently.
It was an extremely refreshing commercial to see, and based on its popularity I have a feeling that we are going to see a few more commercial films like it in the future.
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