The Dreamer
A fASHION FILM
FOR MERCEDES-BENZ
WATCH THE VIDEO
BEHIND THE SCENES
South African director Robert dos Santos Film and Commercials Director
THE DREAMER
The Dreamer is a fashion film created by Cars.co.za for Mercedes-Benz Daimler and produced by And. set in West Lesotho in Southern Africa.
Directed by Robert dos Santos, the film utilises fashion created by Klipa, a local South African fashion house, who created two one of a kind fashion pieces specifically for the shoot.
With inspiration from the interior and exterior of the vehicle, the fashion reflects the elegance and pedigree of the vehicle while embracing African heritage.
The concept
The Dreamer is the combination of European manufacturing brilliance with high end African fashion and couture in the marriage between Mercedes-Benz Daimler and Klipa.
The original concept was to create a work which married both the elegance of Mercedes-Benz and local African fashion into a single narrative.
To achieve this we follow the short and fantastical story of a man traveling across the incredible vistas of the Maluti Mountain range in Western Lesotho as he passes into a daydream and imagines himself to be a magical warrior charging accross the mountain range.
THE CAR
The Car chosen for The Dreamer was the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT, an incredible 8 cylinder sports car capable of speeds in excess of 300km per hour.
The colour of the vehicle was instrumental in the entire construction of the video. A bright but subtle mustard yellow which jumps out of the mountain background is mirrored in the African fashion.
THE SPARKS
The Mercedes-Benz AMG GT is the product of F1 engineering, being a vehicle which was developed by the winning F1 AMG team, which assistance from F1 drivers such as Lewis Hamilton.
Sparks are a regular and natural spectacle in the F1 with the titanium baseplates of the vehicles sending out sparks where there is contact with the ground. The sparks seen in the video is an homage to the cars F1 pedigree.
THE WARDROBE
The wardrobe was created by high end African fashion house Klipa, which is local South African slang of a R100 note. The wardrobe was designed solely for this project and mirrors the concepts which are explored.
The yellow wardrobe reflects the cars exterior while the leather jacket reflects the cars interior. The leather straps on the riders wardrobe reflect that of the horse while the circular motifs reflect the Mercedes-Benz logo itself.
THE HERO
The hero serves as the physical embodiment of the dream and the movement for the narrative. Crossing this incredible vista he is sent into a dream and imagines himself and the car to be tearing across the countryside.
The eventual ending, which sees our hero step off the mountain and into the abyss is followed by his suspension in the air, a moment in which he obtains his freedom.
MOVEMENT
Movement, or the lack thereof, is an incredibly important and effective tool in film. The movement of the vehicle is reflected in both the movement of our hero and the horse.
In particular, the horse serves as a physical representation of the abilities of the vehicle and the means of transport of our hero in his journey to freedom.
lesotho mountains
Africa is often portrayed as vast grasslands and savannas. Our idea was to present the scenery of Africa in a different light.
The Maluti Mountains served not only this purpose, but also allowed us to create a sense of majesty and fantasy.
The mountain slopes, cascading waterfalls, and deep valleys created an additional sense of wonder and impact in the audience.
