“There is no greater natural resource than the human imagination.”
That’s the tagline to four Video On Demand (VOD) short films that will ultimately drive traffic to ge.com/imaginationtheater. The shorts–two animated (The Crossing and Samurai), two shot live action (Cubicle and Birth)–kick off “GE’s Imagination Theater,” a creative venue conceived by BBDO creative chieftains David Lubars, Bill Bruce and Don Schneider. The films debuted on Time Warner Digital Cable VOD and are later posted on the aforementioned GE Web site. (See news story in this issue for project details.)
The aforementioned tagline is most apropos in that BBDO New York’s creative artisans across the board each had to come up with at least one idea for a film, according to Schneider, executive creative director of BBDO New York.
“Creative people are all frustrated filmmakers at heart,” observed Schneider. “We love what we do but it’s invigorating to get the chance to go beyond it, to take the gloves off and be purely creative about making film. The only parameter was that somehow each film had to depict ‘Imagination At Work’ [G.E.’s now well established campaign mantra created by BBDO]. It couldn’t just be some kaleidoscope of imagination on film. The work aspect had to be a part of it.
“We had some people coming up with five, six, seven ideas each,” continued Schneider. “We had to sift through many great ideas to come up with the first four films…And now people are lining up, waiting for the next batch.”
Judy Hu, GE’s global executive director for advertising and branding, related, “What David, Bill and Don did was great from a client’s viewpoint. They opened up the assignment to all of their creatives. Of course, every client wants to see a range of wonderful work, and that’s what we got. At the same time, the process was an inspiration for their creative staff. The only parameters were tight budgets, and that the work have a sense of humor, an optimistic, positive attitude in line with GE’s commitment to imagination. For us, it was a positive departure from other new media trends–like having consumers produce their own ads, or let’s hire an expensive Hollywood producer/creative team. It was terrific to let your agency do what it does best.”
From a branding perspective, Schneider noted that the project has proved to be most gratifying. “When we started the GE ‘Imagination At Work’ campaign in broadcast three-and-a-half years ago, GE was known for its core competencies in making jet engines, freight trains and household appliances, but it had never been positioned as an imagination company. Imagination is something we wanted GE to own. And that imagination branding for GE has taken hold, first through the traditional form of commercialmaking, then with the ‘One Second Theater’ [on TiVo] and now moving into the VOD platform with inventive content.”
Schneider added that the agency didn’t hesitate to seek out resources in the spotmaking community (including such shops as HSI, Green Dot Films and The Directors Bureau) for the shorts. “There’s an incredible amount of talent in the commercial business,” he said, “and like our creative guys, they’re hungry to show what they can do beyond what they normally are involved in. ”
Hwang Dong-hyuk On Season 2 of “Squid Game,” Wrapping Production on Season 3; What’s Next?
Viewers may gasp, cringe or cry out watching characters die on Netflix's "Squid Game," but those simulated deaths have a different effect on its creator, writer and director. Instead, Hwang Dong-hyuk feels happiness seeing them go.
The show has a huge cast and Hwang says it was "really difficult" to manage everyone on set.
As characters would die, Hwang recalls saying to the actors on their last day, "'Oh no! How sad! I won't see you tomorrow,' but I was always smiling inside."
"Squid Game" season two premieres Thursday. It once again stars Lee Jung-jae and centers around a secret competition in South Korea that targets people in debt and the winner gets a big cash prize. What they don't know is that losing the game is deadly.
Hwang originally conceived of the show 15 years ago as a two-hour film but it failed to gain traction with financiers or even interested actors. He put it aside and worked on other films instead. He then had the idea to make it a TV series instead and took the project to Netflix. There, it could reach a wide audience.
"I never in my wildest dream thought it was going to be this huge," said Hwang, who spoke about the show and what comes next. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Q: What have you learned from "Squid Game"?
HWANG: I learned that I shouldn't give up. If you love something and if you want to create something, it might not work now, but the time might come later. Or that idea could be the source of inspiration for something else.
Q: You've already finished filming season three of "Squid Game." Have you thought about what your next project will be?
HWANG: I'm afraid to talk... Read More