Italian jeweler Bulgari is collaborating on a short film contest in which entrants must use the house’s gems as inspiration for their art.
A Shaded View on Fashion Film, a traveling film festival that begins its tour in Paris, has combined forces with Bulgari and AltaRoma AltaModa, the fashion week in the Italian city, to host a screening of the Bulgari-centric film. With this film screening and entry process, Bulgari will boost its awareness among a fashion-forward audience.
“Fashion film is now an essential part of the fashion industry's repertoire,” said Diane Pernet, founder and director of A Shaded View on Fashion Film.
“Fashion professionals today rely heavily on the medium," she said. “Bulgari is the most revered heritage jewelry brand, so it seemed like a good fit.”
Focus on film
A Shaded View on Fashion Film was created in 2008 as a way to present fashion through film in an unconventional way, with an entire festival devoted to cinema focused on fashion, beauty and style.
Bulgari posted a link to the ASVOFF submissions page on its Facebook page.
Facebook post from Bulgari
The one-minute films are to fit the theme “Let Bulgari dazzle your senses,” and the films must reflect the colors in Bulgari jewelry pieces.
ASVOFF created a short video to ask for submissions, which includes bursts of clips from a variety of art films, and posted it to its Facebook page.
ASVOFF Roma in collaboration with AltaRoma & Bulgari - call for submissions
The call for submissions will end Jan. 15, and the winners will be announced Jan. 24-26 during AltaRoma AltaModa Fashion Week at an event hosted by the same company responsible for the fashion shows.
The ASVOFF Rome event will be attended by film stars and AltaRoma attendees, giving Bulgari a star-studded audience for the brand-centric selected fashion shorts.
While the film is only for editorial purposes, the director entering the contest can choose an option on the submission form to have their film archived on the ASVOFF Web site, meaning that the winning films could live for longer than the one screening.
On-screen jewelry
Bulgari has previously used film to communicate more about its products.
The jeweler tapped masculinity in a short film featuring Australian actor Eric Bana to push its new Man Extreme fragrance.
The 60-second video titled “Dvels The Film” shows Mr. Bana’s toughness as he does not back down when confronted by wild animals. The brand heavily pushed the masculine factor and story in the video, since selling a fragrance through video can be challenging (see story).
Jewelry videos tend to focus more on craftsmanship or heritage than art, so this film festival placement distinguishes Bulgari.
For instance, French jeweler Cartier explored its high-jewelry collection through an immersive social video that takes enthusiasts on an animated adventure meant to symbolize the brand’s creative journey.
While viewing the video for “Odyssée de Cartier – Parcours d’un Style,” consumers traverse different elements of Cartier’s history and encounter many of its inspirations. Brands such as Cartier with a rich history can use their identity to inspire and engage consumers (see story).
By hosting this event during fashion week, Bulgari is likely to get a lot of attention it otherwise would not have received, but the project will be beneficial for all parties involved.
“We are screening ultra-modern, creative genre-fashion films from around the world in the remains of an ancient pagan temple erected almost two millennia ago,” Ms. Pernet said.
“The films themselves are inspired by one of Rome's most revered heritage jewelry brands and we are celebrating the city's legacy and future as a center of couture,” she said.
“I think putting ASVOFF, Bulgari and AltaRoma together will definitely be greater than the sum of our parts.”
Final Take
Sarah Jones, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York