Prada challenges its observers with cinematic short

July 3, 2018

Prada Cinéma Evolution is a surreal, vintage-inspired short film for Prada Eyewear. Image credit: Prada

Italian fashion label Prada is introducing its new eyewear collection with a campaign that celebrates femininity and is inspired by the power of film.

The Prada Cinéma Evolution campaign features a television commercial within a short film. Along with playful changes in perspective, the film asks viewers if they are the observer or the observed.

“The Prada Eyewear video is unique in that it goes beyond product promotion, instead challenging the viewer to a question about one’s life,” said Jim Gentleman, chief strategy officer at SK+G, Las Vegas. “While this query indirectly relates to the product being sold, it poses a challenge of sorts that suggests we should all strive to be ‘the observed.’”

Mr. Gentleman is not affiliated with Prada Eyewear, but agreed to comment as an industry expert. Prada was reached for comment.

The observed

Directed by Francesco Maria Tiribelli, the short film opens with flashes of seemingly unrelated images: a woman touching a still pool of water with her fingers and a woman blowing out birthday candles. The Prada Eyewear logo appears on the screen, in the style of opening credits, and a new scene opens on a young woman watching a vintage television.

Onscreen there is a commercial for Prada Cinéma Evolution. The model watching television is wearing the same eyeglasses from the commercial, as the retro-style graphics flash on her glasses’ lenses.

The woman keeps rewinding and playing the commercial, before viewers themselves are transported to a new setting.

The Prada Cinéma Evolution campaign features a commercial within the campaign

A blonde woman climbs onto a dock from a lake and begins walking in a forest. She approaches a home in the woods, and as she gazes on her surroundings, she appears on the television screen the first woman is watching.

From that point, the film’s soundtrack picks up tempo, as do the scenes in the film. The first model appears again, having traded eyeglasses for sunglasses.

The star of the Prada Cinéma Evolution campaign is these oversized metallic pair of frames. Image credit: Prada

She was originally the observer of the commercial, but is now the observed. She frolics outside, tanning and playfully playing with marbles and pretending to use a seashell as a phone.

“The inference is the best way to attain status as ‘the observed’ is through the purchase of Prada Eyewear,” Mr. Gentleman said.

The featured sunglasses and eyewear have oversized cat-eye frames, and a vintage touch is seen throughout the short film. The hair, makeup and wardrobe is feminine and reflective of midcentury styles, as is the home where several scenes take place.

As the film wraps up, the woman speaks directly into the camera, saying, “The world is becoming less black and white, and more evolution.”

Inventive campaigns

Prada Cinéma Evolution is yet another surreal and inventive campaign from Prada.

This spring, Prada’s “Summer Odyssey” followed a group of young friends as they headed to classic hangout spots such as a diner and an arcade. Diverting from typical peppy summer scenes, Prada's short sets laid-back scenes with a group of stoic models.

Similarly to Prada Cinéma Evolution, Summer Odyssey featured three models partaking in somewhat retro activities, from dialing a rotary telephone to watching a vintage television and playing cards (see story).

The label also turned models into graphic novel heroes in an advertising effort that blurred the lines between fiction and reality.

Part of Prada’s spring/summer 2018 campaign, Real Life Comix promoted both its men’s and women’s lines by combining photography by Willy Vanderperre and illustrations from numerous artists. As luxury brands look to tell stories around their products, the comic book format has been adopted by marketers for its eye-catching style (see story).

“Of all of the legacy fashion brands, Prada tends to be the most eccentric and unexpected in its approach,” SK+G's Mr. Gentleman said. “The avant-garde Prada Cinéma Evolution video is true to Prada’s independent, progressive and creative spirit that often surprises its fans and the fashion world at large.”

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