Beefeater 0.0 and Jamiroquai's Jay Kay create a new handmade 'Virtual Insanity'

In a market full of nostalgia plays, Beefeater 0.0’s reboot of Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity is more of a reimagining.

Beefeater 0.0's 'Virtual Insanity (30th Anniversary)' has enlisted agency Lucky Generals and Jamiroquai's Jay Kay to recreate one of the most iconic music videos ever made.

The film begins deceptively as a retread of the original Jonathan Glazer-directed video, in which the Jamiroquai frontman appears to be in motion without physical effort. The illusion, apparently, was achieved by shifting the surrounding decor and walls, rather than the floor itself.

The impossible perspective shifts, the oversized hat and Jay Kay's effortless glide across the floor helped make the art piece one of the defining music videos of its era.

Lucky Generals builds its campaign around that collective memory, evolving the video into something new, with cityscapes and creative lighting, before Jay Kay grabs his prize: a bottle of Beefeater 0.0.

It's less of a remake and more of a sequel, with the original room opening into a succession of strange new environments and adventures.

Directed by Julien & Quentin, the film succeeds because it treats the source material with genuine affection. The campaign could easily have relied on digital wizardry, but instead the production team mirrored the practical ingenuity that made the original famous.

Nine physical sets were built, the visual effects were achieved largely through in-camera techniques, and Jay Kay once again took responsibility for the choreography.

The nostalgia works because, instead of merely triggering recognition, the directors enrich the mythos surrounding it.

Of course, 1990s culture is enjoying a prolonged relevance, but few campaigns have done so with this level of precision and understanding.

Credits

Client: Beefeater 0.0 (Pernod Ricard)
Agency: Lucky Generals
Directors: julien & quentin
Production Company: Magna Studios
Choreography: Jay Kay