The Sweet Shop’s Mark Albiston directs new spot for Tokio Marine via Havas Worldwide Singapore

NZ director from The Sweet Shop Mark Albiston has recently directed a new spot for Tokio Marine through Havas Worldwide Singapore.

The piece is a beautiful portrait of life that celebrates those rare moments that stop and demand people’s attention. The moments where life reminds people of its infinite possibilities and everyone’s need to be ready for them.

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Entitled ‘Yesterday/Today’, the piece features a series of stunningly photographed images that tell an all too familiar story – people from all over the world going about their daily routines in a haze. Disconnected, distracted, and dulled by routine, Albiston pushes his trademark visual sensibilities to new heights as he moves the viewer from a world of tedium to one where characters find new, refreshing takes on life.

Featuring a diverse cast that mixes trained actors with non-professionals, Albiston cultivates a series of authentic performances that are as intimate as they are universal; a musician finding the courage to take stage, a bride slipping into her wedding dress, a baby taking its first steps and through careful direction, we view these moments with new life and possibility.

Says Albiston: “When I try to think about what happened yesterday, I can hear the ship’s foghorn but I can’t see it. It’s all a blur. But there are times when your life comes to a screaming halt. I still remember just sitting and staring at my firstborn. It was a moment so incredible it felt like the world stopped and I had become enlightened somehow. This script captured that feeling perfectly.”

Says Claire Davidson, managing director & executive producer of The Sweet Shop Asia/MENA: “Yesterday/Today is the perfect instance of how a commercial can be visually exciting while remaining delightfully understated. It’s the kind of emotionally charged storytelling The Sweet Shop has become known for. The entire collaboration was a great experience from start to finish, with the team working seamlessly together. Marty Williams perfectly captured Mark’s vision and Pete Richie used his masterful grading skills to help create this powerful film.”

‘Yesterday/Today’ is yet another example of Albiston’s mastery of both story and rhythm as well as his ability to use composition to great emotional effect.

Title: Yesterday/Today