Celebrity Cruises:
Nothing Comes Close
Overview
Our long-time partners Celebrity Cruises were undertaking an exciting re-branding, one that focused more on the emotional experience of being onboard rather than a product-driven “luxury” approach that had gone a bit stale. We teamed up with them to support this ambitious change of direction, interpreting the brand’s vision into a video and photo look-and-feel palette and creating a :90 flagship film that kicked off the bold new identity and announced it to the world.
We embarked on a 7-day shoot with a large cast and crew, onboard an active revenue sailing, that also generated broadcast :30s and a video/photo library that serves as the bedrock of their new brand imagery.
Process
We were laser-focused on creating something that felt immediate and observational, was packed with energy, and establishing a signature visual language that stood out from the rest of the industry and would be instantly recognizable as Celebrity. To some key elements to this:
- Each scenario has a rich backstory that the actors are playing, rather than demo-ing product or "lifestyle." We think of this like a quilt of memorable vacation moments and feels specific to these characters. The performances are detailed as a result, and you get the sense that you've hung out with these people by the end of the spot.
- We used a very active handheld style that immerses the viewer in the moment, with lots of intentional little imperfections and a cinematic film grain, and combined that with very technical transition elements to create a feeling of being magically whisked from one part of the ship to another, enjoying genuine moments at each stop
- We focused on adding clever and technically complex transitions as our way of getting around the ship. From traveling through the pool into a silent disco, to flying through the ice in cocktails and landing on an aerialist in a theater, these ensured a wow factor while adding fluidity to the spot.
Staging all of this on a revenue sailing, with a 50+ member cast and crew, where the client’s priority is not interrupting the guests, was perhaps the most difficult element here. We were able to leverage our extensive experience with on-board productions to create a tour-de-force of logistics. Even though it involved a 2am call time in the Grand Plaza, it was like we were never there- with zero compromises to the creative.
Results
And we’re so excited to present the final work- not since our Johnnie Walker spot has our work been so purely, authentically US in a commercial space. It’s our sensibilities and executional confidence, all on a single platter. We’re so proud to be a part of this!
This project produced 1x 90 brand film, 4x :30 broadcast spots, social assets, and a large library of footage and photography to support a large rebranding.
Artex was responsible for the creative treatment, production, execution, and post-production of the spot.
We can’t wait to further flesh out this new aesthetic territory with Celebrity Cruises, and feel honored to be trusted with such a delicate undertaking.
