With the rampant growth of Padel as one of fastest growing sports in Southeast Asia, Volvo Cars Malaysia has decided to champion the sport, with the inaugural Volvo Padel Open 2024 commencing in Kuala Lumpur on the 15th of June, this new tournament will have athletes from different Padel Clubs across the Klang Valley.
Together with Ascaro Padel and Social Club, Director Think Tank Malaysia has collaborated on two launch films to hype up the competition.
Masterminded by two of DTT’s Directors-in- Residence, Dae Hyun Song, and Derek Nguyen brought their own international flair to these films which feature the new Volvo C40 Recharge, Volvo’s new pure electric crossover vehicle.
Hailing from South Korea – by way of Cambodia and then later the United States – Dae Hyun began his film- making career in Los Angeles. Returning to Korea, he quickly established himself as a bright young talent. Having previously worked on projects for Volvo Cars Korea, Dae Hyun is well versed with the Volvo ethos.
“With the literal keyword “open”, we at Directors Think Tank saw an opportunity to connect the nation’s biggest sporting event in Padel and a brand that envisions the future of inclusivity and possibility.
“When you open, they will come.” – we tweaked the timeless wisdom from Field of Dreams (1989) and inspired our creative team to craft an idea for the campaign film. Let’s open the court to everyone. Let’s have the tennis balls flying around all over the skylines of Kuala Lumpur. Let’s have the crowd hold their rackets and chase after them. The Open is for everyone. The Open is fun,” said Dae Hyun (pictured below left).
With a cast of dozens of athletes, aspiring players, everyday folks, models, and some popular influencers from the region, Dae Hyun fashioned a series of videos set throughout the city of Kuala Lumpur to announce the biggest celebration of Padel yet.
Dae Hyun added: “The party is on the court, and it is open for everyone. It is Volvo Padel Open 2024, the nation’s biggest open competition for Padel.”
While the launch film focuses on the accessibility of this new up-and-coming sport for everyone, a second film was created by Derek Nguyen. Hailing from LA with a background in music videos, and strong aesthetic for movement and choreography, Nguyen created a separate film about the movement of a Padel player.
Shot entirely in studio using DTT’s own Bolt high speed Motion Control arm, with post composting by Tank3 Asia, DTT’s post-production arm, the film shows a partnership that is pure electric, and how the movements of an athlete can electrify the senses.
Nguyen said: “A film illustrating the visceral energy and graceful form of both the Volvo C40 and top- level padel. What we as a team noticed, – looking through both the Volvo content and padel content around the world -was that both spheres lacked a certain level of hype and raw power. We see the elegant, straightforward beauty of the Volvo, and the luxury lifestyle of padel. So, we decided to almost take a fashion-film approach and put both car and player in a black void. This way, we can hyperfocus on both subjects without any distraction. Through high-speed camera movement while the player leaps and dives in slow motion – with padel strokes that were athletic, powerful, and explosive as possible.”
To capture the energy of pure electric, the film is punctuated with literal energy, through dynamic lighting and lightning VFX all around both player and car – an electrifying synergy between film, car, and player.
Patricia Yaw Bee Lai, Marketing Operations & PR Director, Volvo Car Malaysia, said: “We are proud to collaborate with Directors Think Tank, a brand that not only shares but embodies Volvo Car Malaysia’s core values of creativity and innovation. Their exceptional storytelling has vividly brought the Volvo Padel Open to life.
“We sincerely appreciate having them as a valued partner and eagerly anticipate our next project together.”
