Nic says, “I got a call from long-time collaborator, director Lebogang Rasethaba, when the shoot wrapped, and his excitement was infectious. He told me, ‘Nic, this is your open brief buddy’ and that’s exactly the kind of trust that drives me to pour everything into the work.” Although it was an open brief, Nic ensured that every part of the ad speaks to the planned communication of letting go of life’s burdens, even just for a moment and putting your crown on ice.

“When someone gives you such a relaxed brief with very few limitations to creativity it can be easy to get distracted by the possibilities and go down the wrong path. With this much freedom to be creative, you must be able to practice restraint and remember that the end goal is to make the audience feel something very specific,” adds Nic.

Nic’s editing work is always grounded in storytelling, but here, the focus was equally on the visceral, immersive quality of the visuals. “The idea of putting your crown on ice is about setting down life’s burdens, if only for a moment. Every shot I chose had to reflect that, everything was filtered through the lens of ‘Does this convey the feeling of letting go and being present?’”. The main scenes were beautifully directed by Lebogang and captured by the talented DOP Josh Levi, and a second DV cam was given to the performers to operate themselves. A true masterstroke, this DV cam footage brought effortless energy to the piece, capturing the cast’s genuine joy and comfort with each other. 

“I have to give a huge shoutout to the phenomenal team who brought this vision to life. Lebo and producer Julia Schnurr from Egg Films, Melusi Mhlungu, the founder and CCO at We Are Bizarre, and the client Ramona Kayemba at Black Crown Gin and Tonic,” adds Nic. “Working with a team this passionate, trusting and collaborative made every moment in the edit suite an absolute pleasure, and their energy is woven into every frame. And another shoutout to the phenomenal post team of Stuart Botha (producer), Jarryd Du Toit (colourist), Bradley Glossop (online) and Rob Mitchley (audio). All of them brought such skill, creativity and dedication to this project.”