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New York Times “Questlove” 2023

New York Times “Questlove” (2023) is a New York Times commercial directed by Joshua Kissi for Droga5, produced by division7. It won 2 awards, including Clio 2023 Silver — Film Craft (Copywriting) / Copywriting and Ciclope 2023 Bronze Production Direction (61 To 120 Seconds).

Questlove, a subscriber to The New York Times, shares his diverse interests and how the publication fuels his curiosity and creativity.

Video: Joshua Kissi on Vimeo

Shot by shot

  1. A black and white, grainy, shaky shot of a street corner with a building, a street sign, and a person walking, with a car passing by.© New York Times0:00
  2. A black and white photo of a male dancer in a white tank top and shorts, performing a breakdance move on a street, with a crowd of people in the background.© New York Times0:10
  3. Questlove, a Black man with a beard and glasses, looks directly at the camera while sitting in a dimly lit room with string lights.© New York Times0:15
  4. Text appears on a white background, revealing article titles and two small images, one of a village and another of a person holding a large white balloon.© New York Times0:22
  5. White text overlays a blurry shot of pink cherry blossoms, with a hint of blue sky visible through the branches.© New York Times0:27
  6. White text on a dark, blurry background lists various phrases, with a faint, out-of-focus reflection of a person visible behind it.© New York Times0:33
  7. A close-up of a person's mouth speaking, with text above it that reads "Questlove is The Poetry of Stillness. A Thundering Drumbeat. Discovering The Virtues of a Wandering Mind. Is There Anybody Out There? Conflict and Climate Change. A New Black Dream. Finding Purpose by Giving Back. Bending Genres. The Hidden Melodies of Trains. How You Guys Talk."© New York Times0:40
  8. Questlove, a Black man with an afro and beard, wearing a peach hoodie and beaded necklaces, looks up as text appears on a blue sky background in an urban setting.© New York Times0:47
  9. A blurry shot of Questlove sitting at a dinner table with various dishes, overlaid with white text listing New York Times article titles.© New York Times0:52
  10. Black text on a white background scrolls up, revealing more phrases and sentences, with some words in bold.© New York Times0:56
  11. White text on a dark background lists various article titles, with a blurred, warm-toned background visible behind the text.© New York Times1:02
  12. White text on a dark background lists various phrases and titles, with some words bolded for emphasis.© New York Times1:04

Stills © New York Times. Made by Droga5, division7 and Joshua Kissi.

Every shot, full-quality frames and clips, and search across every commercial. Free account.

The idea

Questlove's eclectic interests are amplified by The New York Times.

Tagline: “Independent journalism for an independent life.”

celebrity endorsementmontage of interestsvoiceover narrationtext overlaypersonal reflectionvisual metaphors

The cut

Length
81 s
Shots
51
Average shot
1.6 s

What creatives use New York Times “Questlove” for

  1. 01Reference frames for your treatment

    Pitching something with the feel of New York Times “Questlove”? A screenshot from a video player won't hold up in a deck.

    Download any frame of this spot at full quality, with its credits, or search every spot for the same look.

    A black and white, grainy, shaky shot of a street corner with a building, a street sign, and a person walking, with a car passing by.© New York TimesA black and white photo of a male dancer in a white tank top and shorts, performing a breakdance move on a street, with a crowd of people in the background.© New York TimesQuestlove, a Black man with a beard and glasses, looks directly at the camera while sitting in a dimly lit room with string lights.© New York TimesWhite text overlays a blurry shot of pink cherry blossoms, with a hint of blue sky visible through the branches.© New York Times
    Frames from New York Times “Questlove”

  2. 02Shot list example: how it was cut

    You need the structure of a great spot, shot by shot, for your storyboard.

    Every shot of New York Times “Questlove” in order, with its length, framing and what happens in it.

    A black and white, grainy, shaky shot of a street corner with a building, a street sign, and a person walking, with a car passing by.© New York TimesA black and white photo of a male dancer in a white tank top and shorts, performing a breakdance move on a street, with a crowd of people in the background.© New York TimesQuestlove, a Black man with a beard and glasses, looks directly at the camera while sitting in a dimly lit room with string lights.© New York TimesWhite text overlays a blurry shot of pink cherry blossoms, with a hint of blue sky visible through the branches.© New York TimesWhite text on a dark, blurry background lists various phrases, with a faint, out-of-focus reflection of a person visible behind it.© New York TimesA close-up of a person's mouth speaking, with text above it that reads "Questlove is The Poetry of Stillness. A Thundering Drumbeat. Discovering The Virtues of a Wandering Mind. Is There Anybody Out There? Conflict and Climate Change. A New Black Dream. Finding Purpose by Giving Back. Bending Genres. The Hidden Melodies of Trains. How You Guys Talk."© New York Times
    Length: 81 s · Shots: 51 · Average shot: 1.6 s

  3. 03Ad ideas: every spot built on a celebrity endorsement

    Before you present an idea, you need to know who has done it, and how.

    New York Times “Questlove” is built on a celebrity endorsement. Search the library by idea to see every spot that uses it.

    Novartis “Relax Your Tight End”© NovartisUber Eats “A Century of Cravings”© Uber EatsUber Eats + Special US “Football is for Food”© Uber Eats + Special USCadbury Celebrations “My SRK Ad”© Cadbury Celebrations
    Novartis · Uber Eats · Uber Eats + Special US · Cadbury Celebrations

More commercials by Joshua Kissi

  • Nike "Play - GumboFit" (2022) commercial still© NikeNike “Play - GumboFit” 2022Dir. Joshua Kissi · Nike

More from Droga5

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Questions

Who directed the New York Times “Questlove” commercial?

Joshua Kissi directed it, produced by division7, for the agency Droga5.

Which agency made New York Times “Questlove”?

Droga5 created it for New York Times (2023).

What awards did New York Times “Questlove” win?

2 awards, including Clio 2023 Silver — Film Craft (Copywriting) / Copywriting and Ciclope 2023 Bronze Production Direction (61 To 120 Seconds).

What is the tagline of New York Times “Questlove”?

“Independent journalism for an independent life.”

Sources for the credits and awards

awards.ciclopefestival.comclios.com