TRUEWERK is an apparel brand for the “industrial athlete.” They believe that tradespeople make the world go round. Truewerk pays homage to those who build things with their raw hands and thus needed storytelling to personify that gritty, gravely voice they pictured in their minds. “The Elements” is a social media campaign developed by MKL and Move Media Agency that sought to illustrate how Truewerk garments are meant to prepare the wearer for just that… The elements they might encounter at any job site. Whether they’re nailing a frame together or repelling from a control tower.

Writer | Co-Director | DP | Lead Edit

As creative director, I needed to develop a campaign, style, and vision. The client wanted to lean into the “Elements” theme as pitched. I was also the cinematographer, lead editor, and post production coordinator. This meant I was seeing the project all the way through delivery.

The deliverables needed to highlight unique garments into a layer system (shell, base, mid). We designed 3 character vignettes that would each highlight a specific garment and its attributes, then combine with a 4th hero cut. We decided to take inspiration from documentary and blend with a stylized commercial approach. We scripted a narrative for each character and hired voice actors for polish. We kept crew to a minimum (roughly 8 personnel) and shot all three locations within a day and a half. Wrapping at 10pm in a mountainous quarry was certainly a logistical challenge. Overall, the client was pleased with the result.

Living inside the entire project was difficult. I had to marry the vision in my head with budgetary and production constraints. Being aware of all the details is cumbersome and heavy on the mind. The timeline was also very aggressive, which didn’t leave much time for prep work. Location scouts, storyboarding, production, and post had to all occur inside of two months.