Glamour, Gen Z, and a Tight Timeline: Inside Tatjana Wenig's Vision for the KFC 'Bucket for One' Spot

The 'Bucket for One' video featuring rapper Calli has already racked up thousands of views and comments on YouTube.

Last month, KFC Germany introduced the 'treat yourself' culture to gen z-ers with a new campaign bringing the 'Bucket for One' to Germany.

For this, creative agency Butter and production company Soup Film collaborated with rapper Calli and director Tatjana Wenig, who contributed an exclusive song and music video.

Online, the response has been very positive, with the song being called a "banger" on YouTube and many fans expressing their love for the artist.

LBB's Aysun Bora had a chat with Tatjana, who has significantly impacted German pop culture through her involvement in Shirin David's 'Lächel Doch Mal' and Nina Chuba's 'Rage Girl'.

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From German Classic to Pop Culture

Butter came up with the idea to reference the initial 'Dinner for One' film, which is well-known in Germany for being a must-watch film at New Year's. Then, Tatjana admits, she got involved because: "The agency's basic concept already had so much attention to detail, and I kept clicking and loved it.... I really, really wanted to do it because I thought it could be my favourite project of the year."

Those familiar with Tatjana's work are aware of her commitment to decadent set designs, elaborate costumes, and niche pop cultural references. She knew from the get-go that she wanted to film in Berlin’s Cinegade Studios instead of a real KFC store, to ensure she had more visual control and could fully stylise the music video setup. "I don't think you always automatically have to show a complete, one-to-one KFC to recognise it,” says Tatjana. “Somehow, putting the whole thing into a music video setup from the beginning was really exciting for me."

Tatjana and the agency were aligned on the striking red and pink colour palette – a combination she found "super iconic" that was inspired by glamorous icons like Marilyn Monroe to create the desirable and visually lush world. Even rapper Calli wore a bold pink suit to match the aesthetic, which was decided by stylist Elli Drake. "Elli and I developed this look together, which I think is totally iconic and awesome. With that big collar and all those brooches, which were specially made, we were lucky that it was such a perfect match. It fit really well and made Calli feel really good."

Gen Z Messaging

The point of the video was to get the 'treat yourself' message across to gen z. Tatjana deliberately subverted a common pop culture trope to make that point. "In the video, Calli orders the bucket shows that we want to get away from this toxic diet culture,” she says. “Women have to be thin and pretty, but somehow they aren't allowed to eat what they want. Showing this moment right at the beginning of the music video felt instinctively clear to me, to make it feel relatable."

Another thing that makes the project inherently gen-z-coded is the quick edits and the speedy storytelling within the project. "I needed quick cuts, quick transitions. It all has to look cool, work well, and somehow be fast."

Female Force in the Driver’s Seat

Calli the rapper was also integral to the project. Tatjana wanted her to feel comfortable and empowered in the role. Using her own directorial crew, known as the Female Force, she was conscious about building a majority-female set to make Calli feel safe, as her top priority. “Calli immediately felt totally taken in by all these Female Force ideas,” says Tatjana. “She was like: 'Oh my God, I love this! Only women in leadership positions, that's amazing.'"

Other members of the Female Force include choreographer Lindi Mlaba, stylist Elli Drake, editor Marie Izard, director of photography Diara Sow, gaffer Sandra Glaser, and production designer Christina Mammes.

And Calli, of course, was super involved creatively. Tatjana even adds: "In another life, she really should become a director," given how positively the team collaborated together.

Big Hoops to Jump Through

For this specific shoot, the crew didn’t have a lot of time to prepare. "It took eight or nine working days from us winning the job to us filming. Just two weeks before we started, the teams agreed to it. " As if the time pressure wasn't enough, the filming also took place during the hottest day of the year. "The goodie bags contained hand fans and spray water,” says Tatjana. “That was the best combination for survival."

Calli also only had one day to learn the choreography. "If we hadn't had Lindi [the choreographer], things would probably have dragged on a bit longer,” says Tatjana.

But thanks to the crew’s professionalism and efficiency, the shoot was pulled off smoothly and without cause for chaos. "I'm so blessed that I can work with these people and that we all have so much fun and that we all feel that way,” says Tatjana. “We totally infected Calli and the agency with our ethos, which is really nice to see."