Les Bolos de Billie
Billie | Brussels Bar & Bolo
Commercial for Billie
The Briefing
Some time ago, we were introduced to Paulin Grenade, a young filmmaker with one thing on his mind: storytelling. Paulin already has several short films to his credit, but had never tried his hand at advertising. We gave him carte blanche to take up the challenge: to make a “fake” commercial for our favorite “stand café” in our neighborhood: Billie, Brussels Bar & Bolo.
The story we wanted to tell
We asked Paulin to retain his inimitable style, where absurdity intrudes on normality. We also wanted to take advantage of his acidulous, colorful universe.
Paulin rose to the challenge. He went to Billie’s for lunch. While he waited for his bolo, he went to the bathroom and then… boom… he had the idea for the film!
A month later, the film was shot.
Paulin GrenadeBeyond the absurdity and garish colors that are my hallmark, I banked on an ironic punchline that would leave a lasting impression.
The creative process
Paulin tells stories. So he wanted to make a commercial like a short film. Three sequences: an introduction, a break, a resolution. He had carte blanche, so we said yes.
We produced a “long” version of the film, 1’36”, and a more classic 30” version.
Paulin attaches particular importance to the styling of his characters. This contributes to the narrative by creating a visual style that is finalized when the film is color-graded.
Post Production
Post-production plays an important role in Paulin’s work. Editing, of course, but also and above all color grading. This is done by Paulin himself, because for him, color manipulation is an integral part of his visual style and part of his creative signature.
Broadcast
No clients for this film. Billie generously and graciously welcomed us for an entire night of filming in their restaurant, which is open 7 days a week. They were immediately delighted with the result, and the film is being used on their social networks.
Very short versions
We also produced very short versions for social networks. Like this 10 seconds version.
Or this one by 6 seconds.
Why not just 3 seconds?