Rise

Client : Richard Mille

Role : Direction, Production, Post-production

A lone climber scales a daunting red rock face at dawn. It is Charles Dubouloz, the celebrated French alpinist and Richard Mille brand partner who has come to the Red Sea region of Saudi Arabia to achieve one of climbing’s oldest traditions – a first ascent. This is the first successfully documented climb to the summit of a mountain peak while following a particular route, and such feats are celebrated for marking the advances in human exploration.

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Putting a film together is a lot like climbing a mountain. It takes strength, skill and raw determination, while often feeling like you’re fighting gravity. Once a project has started, you’re also extremely exposed. There’s nowhere to hide and you’re out there, in full view, with a big price to pay if you ever slip up…

At MilleDollars, we see it as a balancing act. You need to know when to play it safe and when to venture further out of your comfort zone. Our priority is to respond to the client’s brief, but then we also want to push ourselves as filmmakers every time we take on a job.

With Rise we saw an opportunity to document French alpinist Charles Dubouloz achieving an historic achievement, while also creating an intimate portrait of this unique athlete. Our film is a homage to Charles’ commitment to sport, as well as a reminder of what we can all achieve, if only we set our sights high enough.