Hennessy announces a collaboration with legendary director Ridley Scott who returns to advertising after 15 years to direct upcoming 'Hennessy X.O - Worlds of Greatness' campaign

PARIS, Sept. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ridley Scott returns to advertising to direct his first commercial in over 15 years for the world's best-selling cognac, Hennessy. Scott partners with Hennessy for a series of groundbreaking commercials for the Hennessy X.O cognac, which will premiere globally in 2019.

Complementing the idea that 'Each drop of Hennessy X.O is an Odyssey', the director of Alien, Bladerunner and Gladiator creates an epic visual journey that explores seven taste-scapes in a surreal, sensory narrative.

The campaign film is produced through Scott's production company RSA Films, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Says Ridley Scott, "I'm very pleased to partner with Hennessy for my first commercial in 15 years. From the very beginning, the project has been about the creative process. I saw the initial script and it immediately triggered something in me. I started scribbling and those scribbles turned into a detailed storyboard and a productive visit in the Cognac region. I loved partnering with Hennessy as the creative process was an absolute priority throughout. The result is not simply advertising, it's entertainment. We are now in post- production with an ingenious CGI team and I am looking forward to the official launch in 2019."

"Luxury appeal is about emotion, it's about building a dream. Who better than a world-creator like Ridley Scott for Hennessy X.O, the iconic flagship of our range, the Original X.O? His mastery and imagination are unsurpassed, he will capture our audience's hearts and minds," says Thomas Moradpour, Global CMO for Hennessy.

The 'Worlds of Greatness' are creative interpretations of each tasting note, described by Hennessy's Comité de Dégustation as illustrations of Hennessy X.O's taste  and  feel:  Sweet Notes, Rising Heat, Spicy  Edge, Flowing Flame, Chocolate Lull, Wood Crunches. Culminating in Infinite Echo.

All seven notes evocatively take shape under the iconic filmmaker's direction, with his subversive sense of narrative and visual, unique light and his knack for radical, technical innovation.

A series of seven 3D ads, created in collaboration with Berlin-based visual trend lab Foam Studio, will act as a precursor to the full film and will debut globally in Fall 2018. The visionary studio Foam creates seven emblematic tunnels, ultimately leading to Ridley Scott's complete Odyssey, revealed in 2019. The sensorial visual work embodies each one of the seven distinct flavour notes of Hennessey X.O in a tactile, hyper- graphic and poetic visual, that hovers between reality and the mythical.

Both the film, and the 3D ads were created by advertising Agency DDB° Paris.

Full Credits

'Worlds of Greatness' print and video campaign produced by Hennessy.

FILM credits to be complemented
Director: Ridley Scott
Producer: Debbie Garbey
DOP: Dariusz Wolski
1st AD: Raymond Kirk
Production designer: Marc Holmes
Costume designer: Charlotte Law
Make-up: Polly Earnshaw
Editor: Jim Weedon
MPC Producer: Tomek Zietkiewicz
MPC head of CG: Carsten Keller
MPC creative director: Ryan Hays

PRODUCTION
RSA Films
Managing Director: Kai Hsiung
Executive Producer: Debbie Garvey

75 Paris
Managing Director: Emmanuel Guiraud
Executive Producer: Annabelle Fournier

Stillking Prague
Producer: Lida Ordnungova

PRINT
Foam Studio

DDB° Paris
Executive Creative Director: Alexander Kalchev
Creative Directors: Pierre Mathonat, Alexis Benbehe
Print and TV Producer: Quentin Moenne Loccoz
Art director for Print: Nicolas Malcorps

ABOUT RIDLEY SCOTT

Ridley Scott, one of the world's foremost directors and producers, is most known for his work on films such as Thelma & Louise, Alien, Black Hawk Down and Blade Runner. His film epic Gladiator won the Oscar, Golden Globe®, and BAFTA Awards for Best Picture, as well as the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Russell Crowe. Throughout his illustrious career, Scott also been lauded by the Emmy Awards, Cannes Film Festival and the PGA Awards. In 1968, Scott formed RSA as a commercial production house for some of the world's most recognized corporate brands. In 1995, Scott formed Scott Free Productions to serve as a production company for his  film and television projects such as Hannibal, Man on Fire, American Gangster and Concussion, the critically-acclaimed CBS drama, The Good Wife, and the hit telefilms Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, and Killing Jesus. The most recent feature-films produced by Scott Free include Blade Runner 2049, starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, and Murder on the Orient Express, starring Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer. As a director, Scott's most recent projects include Alien: Covenant, the sequel to Prometheus, starring Michael Fassbender and Katherine Waterston, and All the Money in the World, about the kidnapping of  John Paul  Getty III, starring Christopher Plummer, Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg, which debuted in December 2017. Scott's fascination with advertising goes back to his education at London's Royal College of Ar t. Throughout his career, he continuously revolutionized the advertising landscape .

ABOUT HENNESSY

The leader in Cognac, the Maison Hennessy has shined around the world with its exceptional know-how for more than 250 years. Built on founder Richard Hennessy's spirit of conquest, the brand is present in more than 130 countries.
Based in the heart of the Charente region, Hennessy is also a steadfast pillar of the regional economy. The House's success and longevity are rooted in the excellence of its cognacs, each of which is born of a unique process of transmission from generation to generation.
The first wine and spirits house to be certified ISO 14001, Hennessy unites its capacity for innovation and the support of all of its partners to protect this exceptional area.
As a crown jewel of the LVMH Group, Hennessy is a major contributor to French international trade, with 99% of production sold in export, and a worldwide ambassador for the French art de vivre.

The seven 'Worlds of Greatness' of Hennessy X.O

Sweet Notes: The palate is warmly embraced by flavors of candied fruit - the faint sweetness of oranges fused with the subtle tartness of apricots.

Rising Heat: The intriguing sensation of an intense, rising heat slowly reveals the complex taste of eaux- de-vie that have patiently aged in oak barrels.

Spicy Edge: A strong spicy note tantalizes the palate with a distinct peppery flavour.

Flowing Flame: A wave of warmth grows, crests and then breaks; the mouth is awash with the sensation of an immense roundness. A robust presence, full and voluptuous, is felt.

Chocolate Lull: There is the gradual discovery of something familiar. It is the well-rounded flavour of a rich, dark chocolate. Slightly sweet and silky smooth, it gently caresses the palate.

Wood Crunches: A striking sensation is suddenly felt – the vigorous ebb and flow of oak notes interlaced with vanilla. With their bold and complex taste, they make their powerful presence felt and then vanish.

Infinite Echo: The evanescent oak notes leave a long, omnipresent finish in their wake, echoing the subtleties of each flavour and sensation that has preceded it, as well as the complexity of X.O's blending and long aging process.

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CONTACT: Will Davis, [email protected], 212-463-7245

SOURCE Hennessy