The light that was there: making our brand film

A group stands waist-deep in the sea. Above the horizon there is only a trace of evening light left, and the clouds have almost turned black. The brightest points in the frame are the jars in their hands.

This shot is from our brand film. In October 2024 it was recognised twice for its direction at the IDIDTHAT Craft Awards: with "Best in Craft" and with a "Craft Mention". Friends of ours made it. This is how it came about.

A light for the evening

What it is about fits into one sentence. The Sonnenglas Sun Jar catches sun by day and gives warm light by night. We make it by hand in our Fair Trade factory in Johannesburg.

The film explains none of that. No technology, no numbers, no look inside the workshop. It shows people, often at the moment it gets dark. Two faces close together on a pillow. A boy with a dog by the water. An old couple on a beach. A woman with a baby in the light from a window. And in between, again and again, a jar that glows.

From catching light to making it

Sonnenglas had to do with light before there was a single lantern. Stefan Neubig, who founded Sonnenglas, worked as a photographer and cinematographer. Back then he caught light. Today he makes it.

Maybe that is one reason this film is so close to us. It was shot the way Stefan used to work himself: with the light that is there.

The team

Jessie Zinn directed. Josh Levi was the director of photography. Bioscope Films produced, Will Kalmer edited. You will find every name at the end of this story.

Jessie and Josh are friends of ours. That makes it all the better that their film for us has been recognised.

On the road through South Africa and eSwatini

For the pictures, the team travelled through South Africa and eSwatini. You can see it in the film. Surf on a rocky coast. A cave whose opening frames the sunset over the sea. A shore against the light, water rushing between rocks, open country with single trees on the horizon. And interiors: a bedroom, a nursery, a tent.

The places change; the time of day hardly does. Much of the film plays in the minutes when the sun is low or has just set.

Only the light that was there

The film was shot in available light. That means no film lights — only the light that was already there. The sky after sunset. The low sun over the water. The window in the nursery.

For a film about a light, that is more than a question of style. As soon as it gets dark, the brightest light in the frame is the Sonnenglas itself. You see it with the group in the sea. You see it with the young woman who lifts a glowing jar into the evening sky.

It is clearest just before the end. A young woman, behind her the last of the sunset over the sea. In her hands she holds a small light on a cord. It makes her fingers glow red and falls warmly on her face. Here, the product is the lighting.

One film, many lengths

The footage became a film of 1 minute 23 seconds. It has a voice-over, in English and in German. The picture is the same in both versions; only the voice changes. One line from the English version: "Life is a collection of light."

Then there are five cutdowns without a narrator, with music only: Camping, Beach, Hiking, Engagement and Baby. Each runs between 15 and 24 seconds. You will also find them on our product pages.

In Japanese, too

There is also a Japanese version of the film, with its own voice-over. Here on the website we show the English and the German one.

The award

At the IDIDTHAT Craft Awards, in the October 2024 round, the film won "Best in Craft" for direction. It was awarded by Sibs Zihle, Creative Director at Ogilvy South Africa, who wrote that Jessie captures the essence of Sonnenglas through "evocative storytelling and stunning visuals".

On top of that came a "Craft Mention", also for direction, from Monde Gumede, Director at SHIBOBO!. Monde Gumede wrote that Jessie has "this unreal ability to take everyday moments and turn them into entire worlds".

Everyday moments that turn into entire worlds: we could not have described better what we hope a light can do. Congratulations to Jessie, Josh and the whole team.

Credits

• Production: Bioscope Films
• Director: Jessie Zinn
• Executive producer: Daniel Kaplan
• Producer: Maurice Dingli
• Director of photography: Josh Levi
• 1st AC: Mari Schultz
• Production manager: Kelly Grobler
• Editor: Will Kalmer