Director Tom Tagholm of Park Pictures reunites with telecommunications brand TalkTalk on a holiday spot titled “This Is Christmas” out of CHI & Partners, London. This candid, unscripted TV commercial reveals what Christmas really looks like in one British family home, when the filmmakers are out of sight.
Created by advertising agency CHI & Partners, the :60 offers an intimate, honest insight into the laughter, chaos and touching moments of the festive season as experienced by a family in the UK.
This marks the return of the family, including their dog Elvis, as featured in TalkTalk’s 2016 “This Stuff Matters” campaign which was shot using the same fly-on-the-wall camera technique, also directed by Tagholm for CHI & Partners.
Credits
Client TalkTalk Agency CHI&Partners, London Micky Tudor, Yan Elliott, executive creative directors; Danny Hunt, creative director/creative; Jim Bolton, creative director; Emily Hendrey, Adam Henderson,producers; Hannah Greene, production assistant Production Park Pictures Tag Tagholm, director; Robin Horn, DP; Jackie Kelman Bisbee, exec producer; Fran Thompson, Stephen Brierley, producers. Editorial Stitch Tim Hardy, editor. Postproduction Big Buoy Ben Spalding, producer; Chris Major, Antonio Jiminez, Douglas Haynes, Matt Clarke, Flame VFX. Color Grade Smoke & Mirrors Mark Meadows, colorist. Audio Post Wave Parv Thind, Aaron Reynolds, Ed Downham, audio. Music Leland Music
Director Marc André Debruyne--who’s handled by production house Open Swim for U.S. representation--brings Coca-Cola’s legacy of celebrating holiday traditions to life in this campaign spotlighting Filipino Balikbayan boxes. The spot--out of Toronto agencies Taxi and VML--features Tita Rosita, owner of the oldest Filipino-Canadian grocery store in Toronto, whose much-adored shop was wrapped like a massive Coca-Cola-themed Balikbayan box as she prepared hundreds of boxes for customers to send their loved ones, with Coca-Cola paying for the boxes and the cost of shipping them to the Philippines. The spot is a testament to the brand’s prevailing facilitation of cultural and generational connectivity, especially during the holiday season.
The collaborative project--produced by Toronto production company MOWAD--was particularly special for Debruyne, who’s Filipino, because of the large presence of Filipino crew members on set. “It’s a totally surreal feeling when a work project crosses over into your personal life. It’s not too often that happens,” shares Debruyne. “The number of Balikbayan boxes I’ve sent home since I was a child, being surrounded by so many Filipinos on set – both crew and cast, and even being served pancit by Tita Rosita for lunch (and getting yelled at after because I didn’t have seconds) brought back so many wonderful memories of my mom. It was such a fun vibe on set. This wasn’t even a job, it was truly something special.”
