By Robert Goldrich
LOS ANGELES --Apple’s “Misunderstood” won the primetime commercial Emmy Award during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony last night at the Nokia Theatre in the L.A. Live complex. Directed by Lance Acord of Park Pictures for TBWAMedia Arts Lab, Los Angeles, “Misunderstood” is a brilliant misdirect underscoring that things aren’t always what they appear to be. The spot introduces us to a seemingly distracted teenager who is preoccupied with his hand-held device. He keeps at arm’s length from his family as they are celebrating being together and sharing a snowy Xmas.
We later see, though, that the teen has been using his iPhone to chronicle the family during the holidays, making a film that captures the love and warmth they share. When he screens the piece, his mom, dad and relatives are deeply touched. The iPhone and its user were not keeping a safe distance from family affection and togetherness–rather the lad and Apple were right in the middle of what was happening and committed to keeping that experience and genuine affection alive.
This is Apple’s second Emmy win, the first coming in 1998 for “The Crazy Ones” directed by then TBWAChiatDay agency staffer Jennifer Golub.
This time around, “Misunderstood” topped a strong field of nominated commercials consisting of: Budweiser’s “Puppy Love” directed by Jake Scott of RSA for NY agency Anomaly; Budweiser’s “Hero’s Welcome” helmed by the Malloys of HSI for Anomaly; GE’s “Childlike Imagination” directed by Dante Ariola of MJZ for BBDO New York; and Nike’s “Possibilities” directed by MJZ’s Nicolai Fuglsig for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
TBWAMedia Arts Lab’s creative ensemble on “Misunderstood” included chief creative officer Duncan Milner, executive creative director Eric Grunbaum, creative directors Chris Ribeiro, David Zorn, JD Jurentkuff and Drew Stalker, and producers Amanda Weiss, Eric Voegle and Diana Parada.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More