For the upcoming release of Halle Berry’s new fragrance, “Reveal,� Jonas Akerlund directed an intimate interview capturing Halle’s insights of being a woman. Frequent collaborator Richard Cooperman of Solid provided the edit.

To view the spot, please go to http://www.solidla.com/projects/hello-halle

In “Reveal,� Halle Berry is asked a series of personal questions about love and life, from the interviewer who can be heard off camera. Shot in an intimate setting at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, it was evident to Cooperman that this would be an honest Halle Berry piece.

“I approached the piece with a non-linear editing style, based on the chemistry of the actors and the style of shooting,â€? says Cooperman. “I referenced the love scene from Steven Soderbergh’s, Out of Sight, between George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. In this scene, thoughts are not only conveyed by words, but by gestures, and the character’s emotions become more truthful. This was the case with Halle as well. The challenge was to convey an air of confidence and elegance, while also capturing Halle’s humility. She is a successful actress, but also a mother.â€?

Berry responds to questions not only with answers, but with expressions. A bat of an eyelash, a quick head turn, or a smile can be more expressive than a typical answer. Cooperman decided to craft the spot around the idea of confession, each answer more liberating, building up to a crescendo, and then a calming resolution.

Berry shares, “It involved less acting than my other [commercials] because I got to be myself. I got to answer questions honestly, with my own sense of mystery, with my own wonderment about the world. I got to expose a part of my real self.�

Director: Jonas Akerlund
Editor: Richard Cooperman
Agency Creative Director: Hans Dorsinville
Agency Producer: Leigh Donaldson
Producer: Brian Welsh
Assistant Editor: Zach Vandik