On the eve of Super Bowl XXXV, the 2001 Sundance Film Festival in Park City was drawing to a close with an awards ceremony honoring the best in independent film. But beyond timing, the two events have something else in common—corporate sponsorship.
While the Super Bowl had its E*Trade Half-Time show and a megabuck price tag on spot air time, Sundance had a newly christened Sundance Digital Center sponsored by Sony. That corporations fund these two very different showcases in American entertainment is nothing new. But this year, the festival demonstrated an evolving relationship between big business and indie filmmaking—the way in which companies are experimenting with more subtle ways to reach consumers through branded entertainment.
A prime example is director Chris Smith’s Home Movie, which was part of Sundance’s documentary competition. Los Angeles agency TBWA/Chiat/ Day originally conceived what turned out to be an hour-long film as a multi-spot ad campaign and companion short for its client Homestore.com. But according to executive producer Susanne Preissler, whose Los Angeles-based Independent Media reps Smith in the commercial arena, things changed during the post process.
"Chris got into the editing room, and I started getting phone calls," she recalled. "He kept saying, ‘I think [the film is] going to be longer than we thought.’ I told him to cut it the way he wanted to. Sometimes when you do that you run the risk of someone [the agency and/or client] saying, ‘This isn’t what I asked for.’ But everyone was like, ‘Go for it.’ "
Developed by TBWA/Chiat/ Day creative director/art director John Shirley and creative director/copywriter Rich Siegel, Home Movie introduces several unique individuals and their extremely unique homes—from a Jetson-esque abode wired with countless homemade gadgets, to an abandoned underground missile silo that was transformed into living quarters. The film explores how a person’s dwelling reflects his or her personality, lifestyle and needs. Home Movie isn’t an infomercial, nor was it intended to be. "I didn’t want it to be a 60-minute ad," explained Smith. "So the only credit [to Homestore] is at the end."
Even so, a subliminal message does exist as the film’s content relates to Homestore’s products and services. Moreover, should Home Movie land a TV licensing deal, that could mark the beginning of a new economic model for marketers. Instead of Homestore having to buy airtime for ads, the company would instead recoup some of its production expenses, while still getting its message out to viewers.
Another example is the Ford Motor Company’s Focus in Film program. In association with AtomFilms and Detroit agency J. Walter Thompson, Ford produced three short films by indie filmmakers, one of which—Jason Reitman’s Gulp—made it into Sundance. Meanwhile, The Kiss, by Joe and Anthony Russo, and director Morgan Lawley’s Little Man on Campus, debuted at the AtomFilms headquarters on Main Street in Park City. Each of the films features a 2001 Ford Focus. "This relationship demonstrates how AtomFilms can help traditional advertisers break through to consumers, while supporting independent filmmakers at the same time," noted Seth Levenson, AtomFilms’ VP of sales.
Lane Soelberg, practice leader of San Francisco-headquartered Red Sky, believes there’s more to come. Formerly the director of e-commerce and content strategy at TBWA/Chiat/ Day, Soelberg was involved in the Homestore project prior to taking on his current position. Now he works out of the Los Angeles office of Red Sky—a company which, he noted, revolves around the trademarked concept "applied entertainment." One reason Soelberg attended Sundance was to meet up with potential clients that have expressed interest in the trend.
"Marketers are the studios of tomorrow," he said. "Today brands are backing entertainment in a way that we haven’t seen since early days of television. The soap opera was developed to attract a particular audience. Because of cable and the Internet, the more outlets you have, the smaller the consumer’s attention span gets. If you rely on the model of shoving a spot in front of someone, it’s like trying to shove something in front of a fly; they’re all over the place. Our theory is to create the fly paper and let flies come to it."
"Even if Home Movie was a happy accident, it’s a pretty brilliant idea," agreed Austin-based GSD&M producer Dan Brown, who was in Park City to establish relationships with up-and-coming filmmakers. GSD&M is exploring ways to pair corporate clients with creative content. Last year, the agency formed Idea Studios, a movie division headed by VP/ head of broadcast production Jan Wieringa, and long-term plans call for an expansion into publishing, music and other media (SHOOT, 8/25/ 00, p. 29). "Home Movie also proves the importance of bringing talented people to the spotmaking business," Brown continued, "because it might not have worked in the hands of another director. That’s why we’re here, to find the next Chris Smith. The more resources we have, the better."SHOOT’s coverage of the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, including the case against corporate sponsorship, will continue in next week’s issue.
