The Sweet Shop’s Mark Albiston teams up with Tokio Marine and Havas Worldwide Singapore to create a moving spot reminding us to be ready

Have you ever felt as if your life was slipping past you? As if the moments, both big and small, had turned into a time lapse rushing by so fast it was little more than a blur? The Sweet Shop’s Mark Albiston knows that feeling and in collaboration with Havas Worldwide Singapore and Tokio Marine has created a beautiful portrait of life that celebrates those rare moments that stop and demand our attention. The moments where life reminds us of its infinite possibilities and our need to be ready for them. 

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Entitled ‘Yesterday/Today’, the piece features a series of stunningly photographed images that tell an all too familiar story – people from all over the world going about their daily routines in a haze. Disconnected, distracted, and dulled by routine, Albiston pushes his trademark visual sensibilities to new heights as he moves the viewer from a world of tedium to one where characters find new, refreshing takes on life.

Featuring a diverse cast that mixes trained actors with non-professionals, Albiston cultivates a series of authentic performances that are as intimate as they are universal; a musician finding the courage to take to the stage, a bride slipping into her wedding dress, a baby taking its first steps and through careful direction, we view these moments with new life and possibility.

“When I try to think about what happened yesterday, I can hear the ship’s foghorn but I can’t see it. It’s all a blur. But there are times when your life comes to a screaming halt”, says Albiston. “I still remember just sitting and staring at my firstborn. It was a moment so incredible it felt like the world stopped and I had become enlightened somehow. This script captured that feeling perfectly.”

Claire Davidson, Managing Director & Executive Producer of The Sweet Shop Asia/MENA added, “Yesterday/Today is the perfect instance of how a commercial can be visually exciting while remaining delightfully understated. It’s the kind of emotionally charged storytelling The Sweet Shop has become known for. The entire collaboration was a great experience from start to finish, with the team working seamlessly together. Marty Williams perfectly captured Mark’s vision and Pete Richie used his masterful grading skills to help create this powerful film.”

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