RSA's 'Desire' For Jaguar

Desire' is Jaguar's ambitious and entertaining branded short for their fantastic-looking new F-TYPE sports car. Shot by RSA, we caught up with Director Adam Smith and Exec Producer Caspar Delaney to ask them about the prep, shoot and distribution of the film.

by shots on 3^rd May 2013

RSA's 'Desire' For Jaguar

A handsome British hero. A gorgeous leading lady. A mysterious package. An exotic location. A STUNNING vehicle. You could be forgiven for thinking that the latest short causing a stir online is a James Bond micro-story released in the wake of Skyfall, but the true star of 'Desire', Jaguar's ambitious and entertaining branded exercise, isn't the suave fella or damsel in distress – it's the super-slick automobile that carries them.

Shot in Chile's Atacama Desert by RSA's Adam Smith, 'Desire' sees Damian Lewis take on the role of a snappily-dressed courier, whose simple job is complicated by the unwitting intervention of Shannyn Sossamon's feisty stowaway. Throw in a car chase, a maniacal villain (Jordi Molla) and a school's marching band and you're left with an entertaining slice of action with enough twists and turns to keep you hooked.

'Desire' is an interesting project from Jaguar and their agency Brooklyn Brothers. Essentially handed to the creative minds at RSA with few stipulations other than to include Lewis, the exclusive track 'Burning Desire' from singer-songwriter Lana Del Ray and, obviously, the new F-TYPE model, the film marks another brand's brave decision to eschew the conventions of the 30-second spot and instead create content that engages on a strictly entertaining level. With RSA being a natural fit – their work for Philips and the Prometheus virals proving that they are well-versed in generating brand-related experiments – the project proved so successful that the filmmakers were asked to premiere the film at the Sundance London festival.

We caught up with Director Adam Smith and Exec Producer Caspar Delaney on the day before the premiere to ask them about the prep, shoot and distribution of the film, as well as the experience of shooting such a high-quality mini-movie.

For the impatient amongst you, here's a list of questions and timings from the video:

What is the Jaguar Project? – 00:20
What was the interaction with the brand / agency? – 01:26
How did the script develop? – 02:21
How did you choose the location? – 04:52
Did the script change much on the shoot? – 06:42
How was the shoot? – 07:25
RSA have worked on lots of 'Branded Content' in the past. Is it the future of moving-image advertising? – 09:50
Did the Jaguar project feel like a short film or an ad? – 11:30

For more behind the scenes nuggets, you can see a series of 'Making Of's here:

Part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgRti4QuKc4
Part two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ly1YM9HPKE
Part three: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvZDzb8cF94

We've also been handed a handful of exclusive behind-the-scenes images: