Martin Scorsese calls the shots in front of the camera in Armani & Kith's campaign film

Martin Scorsese lends his Oscar-winning filmmaking talent and some modelling chops to a new campaign promoting a collaboration between Giorgio Armani and Kith. The two brands launched their fall/winter 2024 menswear collection, ‘The Archetype,’ featuring four distinct capsules based on archetypes: The Artist, Entertainer, Traveler, and Entrepreneur. Scorsese represents The Artist, while Lakeith Stanfield portrays The Entertainer, Pierce Brosnan embodies The Traveler, and Kith’s Ronny Fieg is The Entrepreneur. The collection, focused on men’s suits, released on September 13 and introduced three new footwear designs.

The campaign video revolves around a meta narrative where Scorsese plays himself working behind the scenes on the set of the Giorgio Armani and Kith campaign. Throughout the video, he is on the phone explaining the project to someone while overseeing production, all while the camera tracks his movements.

The storyline unfolds as Scorsese reviews different archetypes for the campaign, which is centred around four personality types: The Artist, The Entertainer, The Traveler, and The Entrepreneur. As Scorsese walks through the set, which resembles the streets of New York, he meticulously examines costumes, checks props, and ensures that the crew hits their marks. His dialogue blends seamlessly with the action as he describes the creative direction for each archetype.

In a pivotal moment, Scorsese reflects on The Artist archetype, glancing at himself in a mirror, and realises that he is the perfect choice to embody it. Wearing an all-black suit, including a turtleneck and a blazer with a shawl lapel, Scorsese becomes the face of The Artist Capsule. The video’s plot is playful and self-referential, capturing the essence of Scorsese's iconic directing style while showcasing the collection's sophisticated designs.

The legendary director’s walk in the campaign film along with the chaos of a film set is enhanced and further dramatised by the background score that is somewhat reminiscent of the score used in Alejandro Iñárritu’s Oscar-winning 2014 film Birdman. As Scorsese describes the blocking and scenes to crew, it seems that he is being filmed in a similar manner adding a meta layer to the scenario. 

The campaign concludes with Scorsese admiring a double-breasted suit from The Artist Capsule, which he wears throughout the video, further blending his on-screen persona with the fashion he’s promoting. He has an epiphany as he looks at himself with an awe-inspired set of expressions. 

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As the camera pans and the film comes to its end, Scorsese’s daughter Francesca is shown sitting in the director’s chair as they share a warm moment while the director prepares for the shooting to go underway. 

The noteworthy element of this ad film, more than its exquisite execution, is that it features Scorsese in front of the camera. And while we are attuned to seeing him donning the director’s hat spinning magic behind the scenes, it is refreshing as well as delightful to see the master showcase his acting acumen to charm us.