Blue Lagoon"Beauty Comes From Within"by Borkur

A magic and mesmerising spot shows us the beauty of science in spectacular detail for the Icelandic skincare brand

In case you didn't know, the Blue Lagoon is the world-famous volcanic spa situated in deepest Iceland and is the country's most popular attraction. It's geothermal pools lets you soak in waters warmed and enriched by the earth's core. Their eponymous skincare collection extends the benefits of the naturally-heated spa to the home, with a range of products the merging of science and beauty. Borkur's stunning film directed in partnership with Daniel Atlason and created by Dodlur, runs to a similar theme, showing the close-up, geological side of the spa's skincare collection.

The body of the spot is science in action: magma bubbles and oozes, lava explodes and cracks into dust, while water steams, bubbles and fizzes, all shot in spectacular close-up, giving us almost magical, otherworldly imagery accompanied by a haunting soundtrack. 

The climax of the film follows our female bather from the spa to home, via Blue Lagoon's laboratory where we glimpse at work done for the range's production.

Borkur enhances his varied repertoire with a film that demonstrates his abilities as an increasingly versatile director.

See more of his work over on the Nice Shirt website.

Top Shot

Borkur's Vinbudin spot is a Shots Contender!

Drinks all round if you ask us. 

Vinbudin "Bad Excuses" by Borkur

Fancy a drink? Just make sure you bring your ID...

Iceland, the land of the midnight sun, is also the land of government-backed alcohol stores, acting as the only place to legally purchase booze of any sort. While this may sound a bit of an inconvenience to those of us in free-flowing, free-drinking countries, Vinbudin, the authority that runs the stores encourages Icelanders to buy booze at their shops, as their latest campaign directed by Borkor shows. The only inconvenience they want you to avoid when purchasing is forgetting your ID, backed by some entertaining (if slightly dubious) statistics.

In three very humorous spots, we see people with 'dog-ate-my-homework-type' explanations as to why they don't have any form of ID with them - in one case, quite literally. Borkur teases out some wickedly captivating excuses that leave you waiting for the punchline, delivered in that expert deadpan style we have come to expect from Borkur's work, most recently in his acclaimed spot for Cif. The reactions of the exasperated shop assistant having to deal with these air-headed customers is worth the watch alone.

Pick of the bunch is 'Washing Machine', that takes its cue from that infamous Levi's 501 laundromat spot from the 80s, though this time with an Icelandic spin (cycle). A hunky, funkily-haired young man strips off to wash his clothes, much to the delight of the watching female audience in the steamy laundromat/diner/bar. Much to our delight however is the moment when we see that his passport has accompanied his jeans into the wash. Our unfortunate man tries his luck at the checkout, but the store assistant is having none of it, nor his rather ropey excuse explaining what exactly happened to his ID is.

Catch the spot here as well as the two sister films that are guaranteed to raise a laugh and remind you to always keep an eye at all times on all your forms of ID.

Catch more of Borkur's work at the Nice Shirt website here. 

ON Energy"Connected to Nature" by Borkur

A beautiful, intricate collage of the small things taken granted, courtesy of Borkur

Borkur's latest for the Icelandic natural energy company ON Energy shows us a detailed and precise side to Borkur's burgeoning talents on his continually developing showreel. In precise macro photographic detail, we see close-ups of record players and lamps, waffle makers and iPads, all connected by ON Energy's use of natural energy to power homes throughout Iceland.

The spot ends on a gorgeous wide of an Icelandic fjord with our home cozily lit in the foreground - again symbolising the connection to nature. It's an exquisite first film of 2014 from Borkur in what promises to be a fantastic year for the young director.

Bugle High Five: Hot damn!

As exciting as it is late (thanks, moving office and lack of internet), we're delighted to bring you news of Borkur's brilliant Cif spot making it onto the Beak Street Bugle's High Five for May, showcasing the month's most impressive work in advertising. 

They say: 

This is an amusing little film. Our cunning hero’s attempts to outsmart the police and his house insurers are inventive and will definitely provoke a few chuckles in the ad break. The concept has some thought behind it and Icelandic director Börkur has coaxed a fair bit of subtle comedy out of the script, which is absolutely mental when you consider that this ad is in the same category as “Hi, I’m Barry Scott!”

Fantasico! Thank you, Beak Street Bugle! They managed to put the umlaut in Borkur's name. Watch it here:

And have a awesome high five as well:

Big on Borkur

We're so pleased to have Borkur with us - take a peek at what David Reviews had to say about his arrival.