Fusing rap and tax returns is not for mainstream media, but it works very well online, Intuit demonstrated on April 15, when “It’s Just a Breeze G,” the $25,000 Grand Prize winning video in The TurboTax Tax Rap contest, played on YouTube.
“It’s pretty interesting for a financial company to feel comfortable doing this,” said Seth Greenberg, Intuit’s group manager of online advertising and Internet media. “The goal was to engage a broad array of tax payers.”
The idea wasn’t to create an ad from the winning video that can be played on TV, but a video that played on YouTube, which has an audience that rivals TV.
“We executed a home page takeover on YouTube on April 15 that drew over 10 million views and 250,000 downloaded the video,” Greenberg said.
YouTube also hosted the contest, which ran from February 8 to March 30 and drew 370 submissions. YouTube visitors selected the top 13 videos and Vanilla Ice, the popular rapper, chose the winner.
It’s a video by Zeke O’Donnell and Christian Pulfer, associate editors with Fluid, the New York-based music and editorial company that has done work for HP, Bank of America and Red Stripe Beer. O’Donnell shot the video, and Fluid composer Judson Crane wrote the rap music. Pulfer starred in the video as the rapper who uses TurboTax to get a big refund: “Cuz if you need a dollar, holler, cuz I got a lot back,” he sings, gleefully.
The crew used a Sony VX1000 camera to shoot the video throughout New York City, “from Soho to Redhook to Park Slope to the roof of fluid on Broadway,” Pulfer said. The video uses a combination of indoor and outdoor shots to follow the main character as he relates his experience and demonstrates how to use TurboTax. A number of “compositing tricks” were used, according to Pulfer, including reverse footage that shows money flying into Pulfer’s hands and the insertion of the TurboTax logo with After Effects.
The winning video played on Youtube on April 15, but the excitement continues with a rap off now taking place between Fluid and a team of rival video creators who believe they should have won. “It has an afterlife, with the rap off and the stories that are coming out,” Greenberg said. “They’re blogging about it. It’s the perfect example of using this channel in a way that resonates.”
Jon M. Chu Named Recipient of The ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award
American Cinema Editors (ACE) will honor Jon M. Chu with the ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, recognizing an artist who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film. ACE will also bestow career achievement honors to film editors Maysie Hoy, ACE and Paul Hirsch, ACE for their outstanding career contributions to film editing. All honors will be presented at the 75th annual ACE Eddie Awards on January 18, 2025 at UCLAโs Royce Hall where winners will also be announced in 13 competitive categories recognizing the best film editing achievements of the year in film and television.
โJon M. Chu is a visionary filmmaker who has captivated audiences worldwide with his dynamic storytelling and innovative visual style,โ stated newly elected ACE president Sabrina Plisco, ACE. โFrom the vibrant energy of In The Heights to the sweeping romance of the groundbreaking Crazy Rich Asians, his films are a testament to the power of cinema to transport, entertain and inspire. The highly anticipated Wicked only adds to his exciting cinematic legacy. Jon embodies the spirit of innovation and passion that ACE champions, and we are thrilled to celebrate him at the ACE Eddie Awards.โ
Chu joins a group of Golden Eddie award recipients including John Waters, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Kathleen Kennedy, Christopher Nolan, Lauren Shuler Donner, Guillermo del Toro, Vince Gilligan, J.J. Abrams, Nancy Meyers, Martin Scorsese, Norman Jewison, Robert Zemeckis, George Lucas, and the Sundance Institute.
โOur Career Achievement Award recipients this year are extraordinary,โ Plisco went on to say. โMaysie Hoyโs career exemplifies the dedication, artistry, and collaborative spirit that defines our craft.... Read More