We were approached by the Skincare company “Skincode” to shoot a Commercial for their new campaign “Unlock the Code”. As a video production company specializing in cars and watches with the occasional fashion commercial, we were excited to apply our skills to a cosmetic commercial.

At Otakus we love to explore new avenues of commercial filmmaking and put in the time to explore the visual language. It’s always interesting to find ways to use texture, color, and light to put emotions at the forefront. After several iterations, we settled on a simple yet elegant concept. 

The idea: The story highlights the blend of nature and science to emphasize the natural beauty that skin inherently has. The model had to look very natural. Absolutely no heavy makeup was called for in this spot. The client had requested Ana as the model which was fantastic because her natural beauty and her inherent kindness are immediately apparent through her eyes. Just see for yourself. 

The film highlights some of the elements that are used in the creams such as the alpine water from the glaciers of Switzerland as well as a plethora of elements that were arranged in scenes to convey texture. 

For the color pallet we wanted a sun-kissed silky smooth look with an intrinsic softness throughout the film. This was accomplished with meticulous costume design, lighting and of course color grading. On the film set we used linen with a wind machine to create those waves to illustrate the smooth texture of the cream. 

CAST & CREW

Client: SKINCODE

Story: Xaver Walser

Production: Otakus GmbH

Talent: Ana Colja

Producer: Marlan Röthlisberger

Wardrobe Stylist: Daniela Correia

Hair & Make-Up Artist: Sarah Ciarrocchi-Schär

Key Gaffer: Marlan Röthlisberger

Gaffer: Benjamin Martin

Voice-Over Artist: Ana Colja

Creative Agency: OTAKUS

Model Agency: Option-Model

Camera Rental: Eberle Filmequipment Zürich 

Light and Grip: FTK Zürich

Post Production: OTAKUS 

Color Grading: Marlan Röthlisberger

Director: Xaver Walser