The objective of Karl Shakur’s film for The Weeknd × Nespresso was to reinterpret a simple, universal moment — the first sip — as a cinematic, sensory experience. Rather than producing conventional branded content, the goal was to create a short film that communicates feeling, not function.
At its core, the idea asked a single creative question: “What does the first sip feel like?”
Karl set out to answer this through pure visual metaphor — explosive concert lights, flying confetti, high-energy movement, and the emotional rush associated with The Weeknd’s live shows. This allowed the piece to operate less like an ad and more like a cinematic expression of taste, mood, and energy.
The specific goals were to:
Transform a coffee moment into an emotional experience. The intention was to bypass traditional product storytelling and instead evoke the physical and emotional jolt of that first sip through sensory-driven visuals.
Fuse Nespresso’s brand identity with The Weeknd’s world. By aligning the energy of a Nespresso sip with the electricity of a stadium performance, the film aimed to express the collaboration in a way that felt culturally grounded and premium.
Showcase Karl’s signature approach to short-form cinema. A key objective was to push the boundaries of what brand collaborations can look like on social — elevating them to editorial, art-driven storytelling
Create a piece built for retention, mood, and replayability. The video was engineered to capture attention instantly, deliver an emotional punch, and feel like a moment viewers would watch more than once.
Karl approached this project as a filmmaker, not a traditional creator. The concept of “this is what the first sip feels like” called for a sensory, cinematic interpretation rather than a product demo. The strategy was to turn a simple moment of tasting Nespresso into an emotional experience that visually mirrors the energy of The Weeknd’s world.
Plan of Action
Karl built the narrative around contrast: a quiet, intimate morning moment followed by a sudden burst of light, movement, and atmosphere once he takes the first sip. This shift symbolizes the physical and emotional jolt of flavor, expressed through visuals reminiscent of a live Weeknd concert — dynamic lighting, confetti-like textures, and high-energy motion.
The plan was to communicate feelings instead of information, letting the viewer experience the collaboration rather than observe it.
Execution + Key Features
The final film blends Karl’s signature cinematic style with platform-native pacing. Key execution elements include:
• Visual metaphor, using concert-style energy to represent taste
• Cinematic pacing, moving from calm → explosive → euphoric
• Premium color grading aligned with Nespresso’s aesthetic
• Narrative without dialogue, relying entirely on emotion and imagery
• Minimal product integration, with the sip acting as the narrative trigger
• Short-form rhythm optimized for retention and replayability
Challenges + Solutions
The biggest challenge was merging three creative identities — Nespresso, The Weeknd, and Karl — without diluting any of them. Karl solved this by grounding everything in emotional cohesion rather than literal branding.
Another challenge was ensuring the concept made sense instantly. By tying the “first sip” to a universal feeling — an adrenaline rush — the metaphor became clear within seconds.
What Makes This Work Unique
This project stands out because it treats branded content as art. It doesn’t explain the product — it interprets it. The piece lives as a cinematic micro-film that uses mood, energy, and symbolism to elevate the collaboration far beyond traditional creator partnerships.
The primary objective of this project was to create a short-form film that transformed a simple coffee moment into an emotional, sensory experience — and the results strongly reflected that intention. Rather than optimizing for traditional influencer metrics, the goal was to produce a piece that viewers would feel, remember, and rewatch.
The film generated strong viewership on Instagram, driven by its cinematic pacing and unexpected creative twist. Audience sentiment quickly became one of the clearest indicators of success: comments praised the piece as “art,” “insanely cinematic,” “next-level for branded content,” and “a collaboration that finally makes sense.” Viewers immediately connected with the energy shift that happens after the first sip, validating the core metaphor at the heart of the concept.
Most importantly, the film achieved the creative and strategic objectives set from the beginning:
• It elevated a brand partnership into a cinematic storytelling moment.
• It fused the worlds of Nespresso and The Weeknd in a way that felt emotionally cohesive.
• It showcased Karl’s ability to push the boundaries of short-form branded filmmaking.
• It demonstrated that social video can function as art, not just advertising.
The project succeeded because it delivered a feeling and that feeling resonated.
