Director Sam Coleman directed this spot via production house Patriot Films for investment firm Allan Gray out of agency Accenture Song South Africa. Titled “Everything comes around,” the piece turns back the clock to craft a human story of how dedication, patience and true artistry will always be rewarded amidst ever-changing trends and fashions. This moving piece of storytelling sees Coleman transform the city of Cape Town into 1950s New York.
The commercial tells the story of Artt Brown, a young American jazzman–portrayed by Aubrey Mogale–who stays committed to his art despite its waning popularity and the rise of rock ‘n roll, disco, Hip hop and electronic music. His dedication is rewarded years later when his music unexpectedly comes back into style and he is asked to headline a big event where he plays his signature riff to a massive crowd of adoring fans. The story underscores the prudence of investing for the long haul, which Allen Gray does for its clients.
“Everything comes around” is a piece with no dialogue, where the interplay between the environment and the protagonist creates the narrative. So being able to recreate 1950s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s New York in Cape Town was key to the decades-spanning story.
Coleman said, “I walked the streets of Cape Town day and night with my location manager, armed with a handful of vintage N.Y.C stills, holding them up to street corners, alleyways and buildings to find the small bits and pieces that could feasibly be New York. It was a refreshing way to build this universe. I then blended my location photographs with the vintage stills in post to see how they could work together and what level of VFX would be required. It turned out to be a very satisfying and rewarding process – seeing my own city as a studio backlot.”
Accenture Song executive creative director Graeme Jenner said, ‘The creatives, production team, crew, editor, sound engineer, musicians, everyone really cared about this work. And as the director orchestrating this whole show, Sam certainly cared about his craft. Every aspect was thought through. Every tiny decision was questioned and deliberated. In an industry, maybe even a world, where care seems to be getting shorter in supply, that’s rare, and should be held onto and appreciated.”
Coleman added, “Graeme dropped a lovely line in the briefing which was ‘what does music look like?’ It struck me that if done right, one could play this commercial with no music at all and still get it. This inspired me to put a lot of focus on the wardrobe of the respective musical genres and their accompanying uniforms. I thought if we could see what era we’re in with no sound at all, we’d be in a good place. The terms be-bop, Motown, disco, rock & roll, Hip hop all conjure something distinct, not just in styling but also in attitude, body language and lifestyle.”
In the end of course there was music, and the arc of the story was set to a jazz-infused score by South African musician Muzi and Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin.
“Sam’s background as an agency creative, working at a few different international agencies is a perspective that really helps, not only with how the delicate agency/client/production house balance is handled but also from the POV that he understands ideas and what’s needed to make a beautiful piece of film but keep the concept as the guiding light. All decisions were based on what served the story, and landed it with the most emotional punch,” said Jenner.
CreditsClient Allan Gray Agency Accenture Song South Africa Graeme Jenner, executive creative director; Harry Mackenzie, creative director; Nethaam Abrahams, Mncedi Kunene, group heads. Riska Emeran, head of integrated producers. Production Company Patriot Films Sam Coleman, director; Zayd Halim, exec producer; Boris Vossgatter, producer; Lauren Dugmore, line producer; James Savage, production manager; Monica Anne, production coordinator; Tammith Hattingh, talent coordinator; Rory O’Grady, DP; Tony Tex, 1st AD; Mike Berg, production designer; Deste Kira, set decorator; Elton Campbell, costume designer. Postproduction Priest Post Production Matthew Swanepoel, editor; Michelle Duvenage, Cal Kingwill, producers. VFX The Refinery Rory Mark, Eddie Addinall, VFX supervisors; Simone Fanti, VFX producer; Kyle Stroebel, colorist. Music Say Thank You Simon Ringrose, Muzi, composers. Track: “Sondela Forever” written & produced by Chris Martin. Audio The Work Room Stephen Webster, audio & mix; Jenna Lange, producer; Rob Brinkworth, initial mix.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More