A grainy home video showing a teenage girl whining about a red car for a birthday present (she wanted blue!) was part of a multi-layered Domino’s Pizza campaign created by JWT/New York and Humble, a New York production company. “My Birthday Disaster” was one of a series of 16 viral videos that played at YouTube and other video sharing sites to promote Domino’s $9.99 Anything Goes deal and give away cars and other high end prizes to the winners of the campaign contest.
The video, shot with a hand held camera to give it “the viral home based feel,” according to Eric Berkowitz, Humble’s executive producer, was the technique used to reach the YouTube audience. “The idea is to produce them in a way so it looks like it fits into the medium,” said Jill Rothman, JWT’s director of production. “It looks real, not over produced and slick.”
Although the video was carefully cast, with special lighting and sound requirements, according to Berkowitz, it comes across as a rough family video, purportedly shot by the “brother” holding the camera. A combination of medium shots and close ups are used to portray the main character who, surrounded by members of her family, yammers on about not wanting the car.
Humble’s cameraman used a Panasonic DVX-100b and Panasonic HVX200 for the job.
The video was shot at a house in West Caldwell, NJ, on a cold December day. The video campaign began running on Dec. 15 and the campaign continued through Feb. 4. Viewers of the video were directed to Domino’s www.anythinggoesdeal.com where they could register to play and solve the daily puzzles in order to search the prize on ebay. The winner of the contest associated with this video was able to buy the girl’s red car for $9.99, which supports the Domino’s offer.
“The viral video was a way to engage with the young 18-29 pizza eating target where they are instead of interrupting them with normal broadcast commercials,” Rothman said.
It should be noted that the videos in the campaign weren’t brand specific. The Domino’s connection is only revealed when viewers go to the website. So the campaign demonstrates how YouTube can be used in a brand-free way to promote a brand. “When you do viral videos, certain ones will hit,” Rothman said. “We’re trying to take what we know about film and bring it to this type of guerilla video production.”
Director Hans Emanuel Joins Caviar For Commercials and Music Videos
Production company Caviar has signed director Hans Emanuel for U.S. commercial and music video representation. The film and advertising director fuses his keen--and Berlinale Film Festival Award-winning--eye for cinematic storytelling with a commercial background across multiple genres including beauty, automotive, dance, and visual effects-heavy projects, to produce creative for clients like Kia, Nivea, Nissan, L’Oreal, BMW and more.
Caviar executive producer Salim El Arja noted, “Hans has a unique ability to blend stunning visuals with heart and humor, rooted in his confidence as a craftsman. This allows him to focus on drawing exceptional performances from actors--including celebrities--and crafting films that are not only visually striking but also deeply engaging and often hilariously comedic. His sensibilities align perfectly with Caviar’s vision, and we’re excited to collaborate with him on work that pushes creative boundaries.”
Emanuel added, “Caviar is a renowned name, certainly since I began my career. They have a solid reputation for quality work, and I’ve always respected them as a company. Life is about where destiny makes you flow with the people you need; thanks to a series of projects, I was introduced to Florence Jacob with Caviar Paris first, and the rest is history. I feel they can support my career growth with their comedic expertise and filmmaking prowess.”
Prior to joining Caviar, Emanuel had been repped by production house Stadium. He was born and raised in Santa Monica, Calif., to a Mexican-German mother, benefiting from a culturally diversified upbringing that carried through his education interests. Knowing he wanted to be a filmmaker from the start, he began his career in the luxury and beauty field,... Read More