Who: Community and Toronto jewelry brand Victory of the People.

What: A moody 60-second spot entitled “Melanie’s Victory.” It is Community’s first campaign for the premium jewelry brand, which launched in February 2018. The Toronto agency also developed the company’s brand identity. The ad is the first in a series featuring people from a variety of professional disciplines.

When & Where: The spot debuted in mid-March and is running online.

How: The unscripted spot stars Canadian actor Melanie Scrofano, whose extensive list of credits includes the Syfy series Wynonna Earp, Bad Blood and Designated Survivor. It shows brief glimpses of several pieces from Victory of the People’s product line, all bathed in the company’s signature colour palette of deep reds and blues.

Wait, did you say unscripted?: Yep, the spot is built around an in-studio conversation between Scrofano and Joseph Nanni, Community’s vice-president, creative director, brand and content, around the topic of fearfulness. “We didn’t do takes,” says Nanni.

What about that visual look: The spot was directed by Nanni, who spent about seven years as a director (among his credits: spots for Canadian Tire Jumpstart featuring Wayne Gretzky and Jonathan Toews) and has directed dozens of spots over the course of his career. “As we started having this conversation, we realized there was a way of visualizing what she was talking about,” says Nanni. “We just thought it was a good visual metaphor.” Much of what is on-screen was created in-camera, with some post-production flourishes. “The isolation in frame was a good metaphor for fear,” says Nanni.

Where’s the URL?: The spot is somewhat cryptic, with only a title card to introduce Victory of the People. While the jewelry is featured extensively, it is not overtly displayed and there are no prices or URL tacked onto the end of the spot. “There are a lot of best practices in this day and age, and some of them just lead to commonplace executions,” says Nanni. “I think we have to get back to telling stories and taking the time we need to do so.”