A Short Film For Lacoste: The Big Leap
How & Why Lacoste made a short film about a first kiss
I encountered this commercial as I searched for the song within the film: You & Me (Flume Remix). The song is a remix of a more up-tempo version of the song. In its original version the song is played with a much more standard 2-step garage beat. The version remixed by Flume takes the beats and moments within the original song and slows them down, expanding them and sitting in them for much longer than the original song, which speeds through moments with its high tempo beat.
“The Big Leap” is a branded and very short short film for Lacoste, directed by Seb Edwards. In many ways it does the same things as the Flume remix, expanding and sitting in a single moment that might otherwise be sped through. At one minute it is succinct and efficient in its storytelling, managing to have emotional resonance despite its brevity.
“The Big Leap” captures a single moment in two parallel plotlines.
A man and woman sit in the middle of a café. Next we see the man standing on the roof of a skyscraper pacing back and forth. Then we’re back in the café. The man stares nervously at the woman sitting across from him. We’re back on the roof. The man steadies himself, preparing to run. Back in the café the man reaches for the woman’s hand. On the roof the man lets out a scream as he breaks into a sprint. The woman’s eyes meet his. The man continues sprinting. The man leans towards her. The man leaps off of the roof. The man falls through the air as he slowly moves towards her. Then they are both floating together in the air as their lips make contact.
The film parallels a jump from a skyscraper with going in for a first kiss, using visual beats to connect the two worlds emotionally. The framing often acts as the most basic ways of connecting the metaphor and reality. We start off with a close up shot of our protagonist in both reality and the metaphor. This immediately prepares the viewer to connect the two worlds. We next see him pacing back and forth on the roof as he sits relatively still in reality, capturing the nervousness barely hidden behind his façade. Both are framed in a medium shot. Next we see parallels in movement. He reaches his right arm forward as he prepares to run on the roof and does the same in reality as he reaches for her hand. He is steadying himself in both the metaphor and reality. We see this again with the forward movement of our protagonist leaning forward in reality and leaping forward in the metaphor.
Then we see lighting and the actual subject of the frame used to connect the two storylines. The lighting in the metaphor and reality both hit the protagonists face from the front. And as the protagonist desperately reaches out in the metaphor he finds her grasp in reality. Towards the conclusion of the film all of these visual tools of lighting, framing, and movement (of both the actors and camera) are combined as the metaphor and reality seem to become one. Together they spiral for a moment in the foggy unknown before the fog clears away.
We have seen this moment before in countless films, but never really from this perspective. Much more focus is typically placed on the kiss and not the build up to it. This decision helps to illuminate the message Edwards and Lacoste aim to communicate about the brand.
I was confused, at first, as to what idea the film was meant to associate with the brand. The only hint I initially saw was the slogan at the films conclusion, “Life is a beautiful sport”, presented alongside the logo. I watched the film multiple times and started paying attention to the other moments in the film where the logo was shown.
The first moment reveals the central idea of the film. After grabbing her hand and making eye contact, he lowers his arm as he moves in for the kiss. The Lacoste logo had been hidden behind his arm up until this point. The Lacoste logo is never revealed until the point of no return.
This is the moment which requires courage, the central theme of the film. The entire film expands a single moment of courage, using the image of a literal leap of faith to communicate this. The moment when the Lacoste crocodile is revealed is the moment courage is required.
The film says in this moment that perhaps the clothing we wear can provide the boost of confidence needed for leaps into the unknown. “The Big Leap” seems to say, Lacoste can provide that boost.
You can take a look at an analysis of another Lacoste advert here.
