This tale starts almost seventy years ago, when Travis Powell’s grandfather opened a hotel in the small California town of Lone Pine. When Travis, who manages the hotel today, and his wife Jen returned from serving in Afghanistan, they began searching for a modern, technologically advanced home to build

They discovered Acre, a Silicon Valley startup that creates zero-energy smarthomes, in a TechCrunch article, and reserved their dream home the next week. Acre is founded by husband-and-wife design team Andrew & Jennifer Dickson, and builder Don Newman, and pairs passivhaus design principles with modern materials to make beautiful, sustainable homes more accessible. Acre’s advanced flat-pack delivery system was perfect for the Powells’ remote property. Situated between Death Valley and Mount Whitney, the lowest and highest points in the US, it shows you can build a dream house almost anywhere.

The Powells’ seven-year-old daughter, Ella, is the star of the film. The area is rich in movie history, from the Lone Ranger to Iron Man. As a nod to the hundreds of Westerns filmed there, the piece is based on a quote from John Wayne:

“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”

The spot was concepted and filmed by the Freise Brothers, who graduated from architecture school with Jennifer. The friends had been admirers of each other’s work for years, especially the Brothers’ Tesla spot, and seized the chance to collaborate. Both films equate the spirit, bravery and insight of early pioneers with those embarking on a clean energy future today.