You can't help dreaming
My mind is levitating
Cause I got hunger
I never thought I'd say it
It won't last longer
How the hell I've been dreaming
How the hell I've been missing
How the hell I've been for my old dream
Right from the start this documentary was cool
It was different
These guys believed in something
It was a world first
We've sort of come up with three years of really
Intensitaring on the world
And everyone was sort of feeling a bit washed out
We couldn't really stand the side of the studio anymore
Everyone's got access to all the software
That allows you to create an album on a computer
No matter where you are
And it means that everyone's kind of creating music
That sounds the same, especially within our sort of genre
You were reading an in-flight magazine in airplane
And you saw a picture of Sausage Flay
And you went, I reckon there's no wind here
And I reckon we could record our album here
Approaching brands to get involved in projects like this
And giving brands the opportunity to work
In a creative capacity with creatives
It's something that we've done our whole career
But it's about choosing the right ones, yeah?
Yeah, it's about working with the brands
That work also with the content
When we came together on this project
And we decided we were going to do it
We did a short three-day record to Sausage Flay
And Dead Flay, and then we walked in
Been just crushed down and dragged his nail on the floor
And it just roared
It was like loud
And there was nothing else that you could hear
Besides his fingernail roaring on the ground
And that's when we knew, okay, we can definitely do this
We had our first meeting with the sales team in Hino
He saw great potential in this
As being a pilot for a project that could
Align bands and brands
Or music with brands, essentially
And we could showcase a lifestyle
Brand-based content marketing
Is fundamentally about the brand
Not only bringing the consumer a product
But also bringing the consumer an experience
And I think that South Africa is catching on
Very quickly to that idea
And that's that way forward
Currently, we have a really awesome relationship
With Goodlack
Last year, we embarked on an awesome project with them
And for us, it was about partnering with
Locals of African talent
And giving them or assisting them
With this awesome opportunity
And also for us to gain the exposure
For JC to give the big brand
Awareness that we need as well
It's quite difficult when you sit across the table
From someone before you've done any of this stuff
And you're trying to convince them
This idea that nobody else has ever done before
Using technology that doesn't really even exist yet
Is going to, you know, not be a complete stop-up
Prior to even leaving, we had so many people backing us
And so many people buying into this concept
And it was so refreshing to know that people
Are excited about new things and crazy things
And they still are going, you know
Well, this doesn't fall into anything we've ever done before
And it's not in our comfort zone, but let's go
Let's make it happen
There were a bunch of guys that approached us
That want to shoot a film
We want to shoot this film in the middle of the desert
Far away from anything, including the electricity point
Is this possible?
We actually sat and we thought about it
Rolled around, debated it, etc.
And finally we designed the equipment
In such a way that it could literally be plugged and played
And assembled in the middle of the desert
And that it would produce enough electricity
That these guys could do what they asked us to do
Free energy, close to anything
The creation of brand-based content
I think is the future of advertising as a whole
Because it opens up the doors for brands and clients
To become as creative as they want
And it stimulates the whole creative industry
Beyond the roles of traditional advertising
As a consumer myself, obviously
I'm acutely aware of how people don't want to feel
Like brands are coming on too strong
So it was always in the back of my mind during filming
That we never really pushed the brand
Because I think that ultimately
That becomes detrimental to not only the narrative
But also to the brands themselves
We didn't want our brand to be fleshed all over the screen
Throughout the documentary
But rather to bring in our branding
In more subtle ways, in more exciting and different ways
So small things like the good live room drop
That we did and the popping of the cork
And recording that sound and bringing that into the documentary
And various other ways of bringing in subtle branding
I think made it more exciting
Thank you, look at life
So with production starting
Meredith, our editor, has actually gone with the band
On this exciting journey
She was editing on set already
We got brushes off to the truth
We sunk them up and we went into the post-production process
Of this documentary
People don't want to watch ads anymore
But they still want to know about products
So how do you get around that?
You show them how the product could be used
In a really interesting and unique way
It's going to push the boundaries of advertising
But that's what we've got to do
And what it means for the creative or the musicians
Is that they can still have the ability to actually
Do exciting projects, make music in unique ways
Work together
Do something different, you know
But it's natural
It's nothing forced
It's not an advert that's being sold
And pushed down your throat
It's showing you how you can utilise
Things in a real natural way, you know
And it's being associated to something different
And something exciting that I think
Is what's interesting for the brands
That are involved
Product placement with integrity
The most important thing is we like challenges
To us it was important to make sure that
The technology worked and that the film was shot
The production is there for everybody to see
If they associate Ellie's with innovation
And doing something good for the community
Or good for the greater country
That would be a bonus
The final night
We arrived to a secret location
In the middle of the desert
A giant fox was sitting there waiting for us
With Jason Roog
To show us to the core
But the way it began
It was like there was a parachute
And the box had to be kind of burst open
With fragile stickers on it
And it looked like it had just fallen out of the sky
That's an example of how to incorporate a brand
Without actually going, you know
Oh, here's a bottle of champagne
We're drinking some sparkling wine
That's the hardest thing
Documentary, you know
So there's no script
And that's where the creativity comes in
You've got to be planning things
And trying to achieve natural reactions out of people
And that's really what consumers want to see
There are so many cool stories to tell now, eh?
The list of people that we have to thank
Is really endless
But I think we have to start with our headland sponsor
Who are Jason and Roog
We had the support from Ellies
They were totally keen to try something new
Well, we had many who obviously drove us around
And had been driving us around for the last while
Namibian tourism really helped us out a lot
They sorted out the visas, the permits, the accommodation
We also really have to thank
Seoul Street and Haino and Swine Meredith
And also the Russian city forms
And Anastasia, our producer
For just taking this project
And believing in it so much
And putting so much time and effort into
Making it something completely extraordinary
They're big players
And they have read a lot further into this project
Than we could ever have dreamed
Oh my gosh!
Get out
I never said it's early
Now I'm looking at you baby
And I don't know
Give them a chemistry
Get out
But only if I'm worth the fall
You'd be stealing me away
For the winter
I wouldn't fight at all
