Hasta La Ideas

In the few short years since forming Sugarkane, Milan-based duo Nicolò Cerioni and Leandro Manuel Emede have come to work with some of the most esteemed names in entertainment. The passion with which they take on…

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Witty cast commentary and Blu-Ray synching in this behind-the-scenes app for iPad

Offering Flying Circus fans a behind-the-scenes look at “Monty Python & the Holy Grail” (now out on Blu-Ray), the just-released companion iPad app “Monty Python: The Holy Book of Days” covers the epic film’s 28-day shooting schedule with previously unpublished content sure to please Python aficionados and pillocks alike. The production story is laid out in animated pages that mimic the movie’s transition screens and title sequence, with interactive bits hidden throughout the app.

Users can browse by scene or production day to find outtakes, film stills, storyboards and original script pages. Terry Gilliam’s storyboards are hilariously brilliant, and actor Michael Palin’s daily filming journal provides valuable insight on making of the cult classic. John Clese provides the video introduction—just a few of the 70 never-before-seen minutes—and all of the Pythons chip in to narrate a day-by-day recollection of the shoot.

Melcher Media’s Charlie Melcher created the app in collaboration with Holy Grail producer John Goldstone to highlight the newest version of the film on Blu-Ray. The companion disc syncs with the app on a Blu-Ray player, letting you keep up on production notes as you watch the film. Using a simple home wifi network, the Blu-Ray converts the iPad into a second screen to augment the film content. Users who are surfing the app can also play relevant scenes on their televisions with a simple tap.

“We wanted this app to not only tell the story of the production, but also be a quest in its own right,” says Melcher. “Storytelling app design is like creating a topography to give your reader an immersive, tactile adventure through the landscape of the story.”

“Monty Python: The Holy Book of Days” is available from the iTunes app store for $4.99.

Our exclusive behind-the-scenes visit to the set of Diesel’s newest fragrance campaign

Advertorial content:

We recently visited a New York City set where we met the models, creative team and crew behind the campaign for the launch of Diesel’s newest fragrance line, Fuel For Life Denim Collection.

Conceived by the acclaimed director Melina Matsoukas, the fast-paced, sexy videos feature models Marloes Horst and Marlon Texeira, who also appear in the print campaign shot by Terry Richardson. The campaign was created by Bruno Collin, Diesel’s Artistic Director, and Steeve Hagege, Diesel Fragrance’s General Manager, and Paris-based ad agency Fred & Farid

You’ll see many versions of the campaign, but we’ve got an exclusive 60 second cut of it here:

The companion scents (one for men and one for women) are fresh and fun, and play off of denim’s youthful, free-spirited history. We asked Annick Menardo of Firmenich, who created the scents, to tell us a bit more about her inspiration.

Cool Hunting: Diesel is such an active, youthful and en energetic brand. How do you translate that into a signature fragrance style?

Annick Menardo: When we create a perfume for Diesel we try to keep and transmit the values of youth and energy which are really important for the brand. In order to transmit this energy, we use citrus notes like grapefruit, lemon and mandarin orange. To give a trendy and youthful touch we work with new and innovative ingredients. We have access to new raw materials which we didn’t have in the past. All these ingredients allow us to express and to create innovative fragrances in a different way—this is important for young consumers who are looking for some new experiences.

CH: How is the Fuel for life Denim Collection similar to the other Diesel fragrances? How is it different?

AM: The Fuel for Life Denim Collection is fresher and more luminous on top, though it keeps the modern and sensual character of the Fuel For Life Classic. The new Denim Collection naturally fits in the Diesel perfumes range. It respects the values of modernity, youth and sexiness that are so important to (and characteristic of) the brand.

CH: How are the mens and womens versions similar and different?

AM: They keep the sensual and enveloping signature of Fuel For Life and add a fresher and more sparkling top note. The women’s fragrance features blackcurrant notes, and the men’s lemon notes. The common note between the two fragrances is raspberry. It brings the fresh and sparkling side in the women’s and the sensual and captivating aspects in the men’s versions.

CH: What does creating a fragrance for Diesel allow you to do that other brands don’t?
AM: The modern universe of Diesel, which is very rich and colorful, offers us a wider freedom than most other brands, and that is the greatest luxury for a perfumer; it allows us to work the fragrances in multiple ways and thus to bring something new and innovative.

The flask-shaped bottles are wrapped in Diesel denim. Stonewashed for guys, and a light denim for girls.

You can learn more at the Diesel Fuel For Life site, see more videos on YouTube or become a fan on Facebook. The fragrances launch in May 2011 in Italy, the rest of Europe in June 2011, and will be available exclusively in Diesel stores in the USA.