Desktop Site08 February 2012
James Franco was chosen by Seven For All Mankind to direct a new advertisement for the brand because they wanted to avoid commerciality.
Seven For All Mankind chose James Franco to direct an advertisement for the brand because they wanted to avoid commerciality.
The '127 Hours' actor's debut commercial for the company's spring campaign will be released on February 15 and sees a wide ranging cast including Lily Donaldson, Henry Hopper and actress Nathalie Love "living the life of Seven".
James told WWD: "They came to me because they wanted to get away from that. We always knew that there would be print ads and videos but we could go about getting those things in a way that was very unconventional and shoot it like an art film.
"The videos have a vintage feel to them. They feel like they are from a different era, which I think really fits with the new line that Seven had in the shoot - a lot of cool denim tops and jeans."
David Lipman, chairman and chief creative officer of Lipman, the New York-based agency helming the campaign, added: "Seven is embedded in the concept of the film. It's not a billboard for Seven - rather the cast is living the life of Seven.
"There is a narrative and everything was story-lined, but it's also spontaneous and improvised."
David also revealed that the vintage inspired campaign will "shock and surprise".
He said: "There are some dark moments - there's a vampire in there - and it's a bit of a twisted story. But it ends in a wink and a smile and a laugh. It will shock and surprise you, but not in a Lars von Trier kind of way. It's sexy, alive, mad, hilarious and wacky."