People complete ridiculous tasks for candy in a mesmerizing Danish campaign for Carletti

Director Peter Harton, represented by Great Guns for commercials and music videos exclusively in the UK, US, Asia, India, and ME, created four quirky and visually alluring commercials for Danish confectionery company, Carletti. Created by the agency Envision and produced by TorpBerthelsen, the four 30-second adverts show people inventing bizarre excuses to reward themselves with Carletti candy.

Each of the four films begin with a group of people gazing longingly at a mysterious wooden box. In ‘Dry Artistic Swimming’, they drop to the floor in synchronized movements and finally forming a hexagon with their bodies. In ‘Big Toe’, a man confidently kicks off his shoe to reveal impressive toe movements, which are met with approval from his companions. One film features a woman slowly dancing her hand towards a mousetrap as the others dance anxiously behind her in a mesmerizing combination of casualness and nail-biting tension.

Carletti – Dry Artistic Swimming, Big Toe, Push Up & Mousetrap from Peter Harton – Director

In each scenario, after the group complete a peculiar activity, the wooden box opens and reveals Carletti products – accompanied by the voiceover, ‘There’s always an occasion to enjoy a [Carletti candy]. If there isn’t, invent one.’

Peter Harton delved into his signature quirky and dark comedic style with this latest campaign:

The brief from the agency was very loose so I had a lot of creative freedom. I really enjoyed getting involved, very early, in the process. The insight was that people reward themselves with sweets for all sorts of reasons – for example, when they hurt themselves, are active, or do something cool. With this in mind, the characters’ excuses had to be simple but a bit ridiculous. The strongest visual reference was Carletti’s distinctive packaging, so I worked with my production designer and stylist, Jane Marhall Whittaker, to develop the aesthetic references.

On creating the funky, pastel-colored world for the campaign, Peter comments:

The product is ridiculous and the scenarios are ridiculous, so I felt that it needed some contrast – otherwise it would become too much. Rather than just shooting on location with the available light, documentary style, I wanted to make it beautiful. I really like Jens Maasbøl’s cinematography on this. One of my inspirations was the work of my friend, the photographer Casper Sejersen. I wanted to create something that was simple and easy to decode, but still had you wondering what the hell just happened, so I took it away from reality and tried to make something special. I like it when you question the whole premise: are they friends? Is it a club? Is it a religion?

 

Commenting on the distinctive music, Peter added:

Music was definitely important as it helped dictate the mood and direction of the films. My composer, Asger Baden, came on board early and put his spin on it. I wanted a piece that was hard to pinpoint time-wise – it needed some retro elements as Carletti candy is a Danish classic, but also something to show its contemporary relevance.

Credits

Advertiser: Carletti

Agency: Envision

Production Company: TorpBerthelsen

Director: Peter Harton

DoP: Jens Maasbøl

Production Designer: Jane Marhall Whittaker

Editor: Ole Kristian Krogstad

Composer: Asger Baden