IDEA and Reebok have transformed a humble shoebox into a fully functioning miniature cinema, complete with curtains, sound system and a screening of their Super8 film They Go In The Dark.
“It is not quite true that we only made a sneaker so that we could make a film and then build a cinema in a shoebox to play it in,” says filmmaker, writer and IDEA founder David Owen. “But it’s almost true—we did it for the puppet owl.”
Owen is discussing They Go In The Dark, an insanely inventive short film written and directed by IDEA with Reebok to accompany the launch of their collaborative glow-in-the-dark sneaker, the Reebok x IDEA Club C 85—a new spin on the iconic Reebok court shoe. “Our original idea for the shoe collaboration was to take a design classic and not change a thing. Then we thought that might be just a little too clever. So we went for a totally normcore trainer that just happens to go hardcore at night. The film was originally conceived around that theme: kids at a boring indie festival in Guildford that happens to coincide with a total eclipse, and suddenly the lead guy’s sneakers start glowing. Then the music shifts from Shed Seven to Darude’s Sandstorm, and the whole beer tent falls into a synchronised techno dance routine.”
They Go In The Dark at SHOEBOX CINEMA. Written and directed by IDEA, in collaboration with Reebok. Produced by Academy Films.
Produced by Academy Films, They Go In The Dark—following a timid amateur as he gears up for a sprint against four other athletes—is fresh, fun and beautifully crafted. But the real kicker is the screening room itself: a fully functioning cinema built inside a shoebox.
It’s rare to see this much imagination brought to a retail activation, let alone packed into a shoebox, which is kitted out with everything from a grand marquee and tiny theatre recliners to red velvet curtains and a fire exit sign, all directing your attention, of course, to a glowing movie screen. “It’s also powered from its own battery—no mains,” Owen adds. “And can play the 90sec film on a loop for 12 hours!”
The film itself features an original score by Soulwax, which also feeds through the cinema’s tiny sound system. “The SHOEBOX CINEMA has its own tiny sound. We decided against headphones. Now if you put your head in really close you can hear the full audio, watch the film fullscreen and get a glimpse of the curtains and fire exit sign.”
Visitors to Dover Street Market from the 8th will have the opportunity to experience the original SHOEBOX CINEMA in-store, where the film will be playing from 11AM.
Owen also hints at ambitions to bring his micro-cinema project to an even smaller makeshift screen—but that’s a movie for another time. For now, enjoy a glimpse into IDEA x Reebok’s SHOEBOX CINEMA on our Instagram. You can watch the short film and purchase a pair of sneakers themselves here.
