In this project, Mouton uses HHP's new single thlabane/maftown as a brand vehicle for Miller Genuine Draft's most recent activation campaign, The Miller Dollar Urban Golf Challenge. The challenge featured celebrities and Miller enthusiasts carving up the streets and buildings of Joburg's inner city, rather than the grassy fairways of the golf course.
"I explored the world of urban sports to marry Miller's urban cool, rewriting-the-rules image with HHP. Urban golfers have a similar ideology to other urban sportspeople. [Le] parkour, skateboarding, trick biking all share a common goal, to use their environment for their enjoyment," explains Mouton.
"Add to that their enjoyment of video games, and I had the basis of my treatment. I would combine these four sports into a four-ball, create a gaming environment for the characters to exist in, and then find the best locations in the Newtown area for the four-ball to tee off from."
Mouton collaborated with producer Katherine Scharrer, copywriter Kerry Friend and art director Donovan Bryan of Brand Activation 141 to create a music video that is one of the firsts in South Africa's branded entertainment market.
Exchanging colour for a less saturated grade to reinforce the urban theme, the video features specialist animation and graphics by Ministry of Illusion. The viewer is transported into a computer game, playing virtual urban golf, through an artful combination of these post-production elements and footage shot on 16mm film. The moments of bright colour arise in the form of Miller branding, which adds to the effectiveness of the music video as a vehicle for the brand.
Mouton has travelled an interesting path to her current status as director. After falling into editing while studying drama at Wits, she worked her way through the ranks of SA's prospering post-production circuit, collecting experience on projects such as Sarafina and several documentaries and commercials.
"Through editing I learned how to create the end product, how to strengthen concepts and how to use all the tools available in post-production such as editing style, grading, on-line effects and music. My journey towards directing, was far less considered, but in retrospect, seems like a natural progression," says Mouton.
She has since developed a portfolio of directing work including campaigns for Defy, Blue Ribbon and Samsung, as well as a music video for bilingual South African rocker, Karen Zoid.
"The HHP video was a unique project, combining a variety of multi-talented individuals, all of whom were a complete pleasure to work with. It is not everyday that a project as cool as the HHP music video comes along," laughs Mouton.
