Spot “Don’t be afraid of the dark”

On this occasion, Abstract Groove DLV BBDO, once again created the same creative team for the realization of the spot "Don't be afraid of the dark", with which the new Yamaha motorcycle, from the MT series, was presented. (link to another Yamaha MT09 project)

This spot was part of Yamaha's “Dark side of Japan” campaign. In this spot, the world of sub-cultures, the alternative, the transgressive were once again emphasized.

The project

To communicate these concepts, the art director, Luigi Pane, asked us to create a costume design inspired by an urban tribe created by us, but reminiscent of the samurai aesthetic to refer to the Japanese world.

We found our references in science fiction cinema, fashion, and urban art, and we designed the costumes through figurines that were built through experimentation with various materials, mainly synthetic in nature.

We took care of the decoration and manipulation of the helmets and the construction of the suits.

Since some of the characters in the spot didn't have to drive, we were able to create a more extreme costume design, with modified bulges, tubes, sports, and riding gear that allowed us to create unique figures and silhouettes.

For this project we had to travel to the Dutch city of Amsterdam, since all the sport was shot there. We shipped all the assembly material and finished building and dressing the characters on the set, which this time was an abandoned industrial warehouse.

This ephemeral design project also allowed us to experiment with materials that we had never tried in the creation of characters and props, creating artifacts and signs that helped the team to set the scene and generate a transgressive, dark and alternative environment.