Director Taylor Steele recently delivered his first project with commercial production company Milkt – a campaign for Pacifico beer. Working closely with the agency creative team, Andy Miller and Joel Davis of GSD&M, Steele directed a pair of atmospheric spots for the Mexican brewery.
“Original Explorers” is a grainy recreation of Baja Mexico circa 1972, narrating the journey of VW bus-driving surfers who discover Pacifico at a roadside bar and carry the brew back to the U.S. in wooden crates. For a more contemporary take, “Spin the Bottle” works the beer in as a subtle accessory to an intrepid band of hip, devil-may-care explorers who spin a Pacifico bottle and wheel off to wherever it points on the map.
“I find that people resonate more with a product or film if they feel it, so my goal is to make the audience feel as though they are living the story,” explained Steele. “This requires capturing details both close and intimate to complement the wide-angle shots that we chose. Everything from frame rates to lens choice can have a big effect on audience perception.”
In joining Milkt, Steele is aligning himself with a commercial production company for the first time after decades of making travel and surf documentaries through his Poor Specimen production company. He is also known for his work for Corona, which includes conception and management of their hugely popular La Casa retreat for artists and musicians in Byron Bay, Australia.
“Taylor’s evocative, memorable work is a seamless fit for Milkt’s pioneering spirit and dedication to excellence,” said Milkt founder and EP Lindha Narvaez, who runs the studio alongside industry veteran cinematographer Vance Burberry. “We are the little known secret in the production community, always striving for the simple and believable.”
“Taylor brought a level of expertise to the subject that was invaluable,” said Miller. “On top of that, he understood the balance between cinematic storytelling and client branding extremely well, and delivered a perfect mix of the two.”
The Pacifico campaign will broadcast in mid-June in Southern California and Austin as well as nationally on digital sites such as Hulu and YouTube.
