Carly Cussen combines her knack for directing performance, music videos, subtle comedy and choreography in this playful film for Luton Airport Express. Set in a purple world of transportation, and inspired by grime group So Solid Crew’s song ’21 Seconds’, her transitions transport you straight to Luton’s front door with enticing visuals that leave us eager to jump aboard.

As soon as they told her they were making a tongue in cheek remake of 21 seconds… to sell train tickets…. she was sold!!! Cussen’s clever word play and smashing lyrical narrative showcases the ease of choosing to travel with the pseudo So Solid Crew to Luton, inexpensively and hilariously rhymed. Just set foot in St. Pancreas and arrive at Luton in just 32 minutes but the journey feels like it takes ‘21 seconds’.

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Carly had this to say about the shoot: ‘When Leith Art Director Debbie Morgan first rapped the script to me on a video call- I just fell in love with the concept. The creatives’ idea to recreate an iconic song for a train advert really grabbed me. I was given the support and freedom to explore the perfect balance of ‘hip hop video’ and ‘TV commercial’, resulting in this attention-grabbing piece. It’s unusual, but I got the opportunity to work on re-recording the song and to hang out in studio with an incredible cast and team. This allowed us to craft the exact phonic tone we wanted for the piece. The cast were incredible and naturally comedic, so the shoot day was hilarious - you could see and feel the attention to detail the agency put into the work. We shot on a Luton Express train (turning the set brand purple by replacing the all the original carriage lighting). It’s a performance-led piece so congrats to the cast for absolutely nailing each line. And thank you to DOP Miguel Carmenez for bringing the vision to life! Big up to Producers Jennifer, Amber, and last but certainly not least, Neil, the Copywriter of the stellar creative duo). Can’t wait to see more from the Leith Agency!’

CREDITS

Director – Carly Cussen

Directors Agent – THE VISIONARIES

Art Director – Debbie Morgan

Copy Writer – Neil Mackinnon

Executive Creative Directors – Troy Farnworth & Phil Evans

Account Lead – Ed Brooke

Account Managers – Beth Lauder & Lucy Allison

1st AD – Ben Burton

2nd AD – Alex Tawny

Cinematographer – Miguel Cármenes

Lead Producer – Jennifer Howells