A rundown of SPW's top 25 videos of the year
By A SHOOT Staff Report
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. --The most viewed videos of 2020 posted to the SHOOT Publicity Wire (SPW) span a stirring, inspirational portrait of a frontline nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic, a film celebrating the reunion of the rock band My Chemical Romance, a teaser trailer promoting an augmented reality experience that raises awareness of the harsh environmental realities of commercial fishing, an animated main title sequence for the FX limited series Mrs. America, and a comedic take on what Zoom can capture unbeknownst to us.
The most viewed SPW video of 2020 was Oxigen Water’s “Allyson,” one of five portraits of essential workers, directed by Caruso Company’s Doug Walker for agency Erich & Kallman. This short introduces us to frontline nurse Allyson Roarty who describes her experiences in the face of COVID-19 and recalls the catalyst that led to her deciding to become a nurse.
The second most watched entry of 2020 was My Chemical Romance’s “A Summoning…” In celebration of the rock band’s reunion, this 13-minute film directed by Kristian Mercado and produced by Unicorns & Unicorns pays homage to My Chemical Romance by taking us through a visual retrospective of the group’s storied history.
Taking third and fourth place in our click countdown were episodes of The End of Quantum Reality video VLOG, promoting and shedding light on the documentary The End of Quantum Reality. Finishing third in the year’s SPW countdown was the installment featuring an interview with Katheryne KTEE Thomas, director of The End of Quantum Reality. Right behind it in the year’s viewership tally was the episode centered on the documentary’s subject, Dr. Wolfgang Smith. Both interviews were conducted by the VLOG’s host, Rick DeLano.
Finishing fifth in our SPW rundown was a teaser trailer for an augmented reality project which takes us below the surface, literally. Digital design and experience studio Resn teamed with environmental non-profit Sea Shepherd to create Below the Surface AR, a moving experience for mobile devices that seeks to raise awareness about the harsh realities of commercial fishing.
Sixth place in total clicks for 2020 was earned by Realtor.com’s “Real You–Dance Interrupted,” an ad in which a dancing dad does his thing only to realize that he’s been watched by others in a Zoom meeting. The spot is part of a campaign–created via Huge, Inc., and directed by Brandon Bray of Contagious–which shows how people are being their real selves at home. Bray incidentally is the dancing dad.
Settling into the seventh SPW video views slot was the main title sequence for the FX network series Mrs. America. The whimsically animated depiction of the women’s rights movement–and its opposition–during the 1970s came from the yU+co studio.
Eighth place in the SPW countdown went to “What You May Find,” an epic main title piece from design-driven production company Sarofsky to promote design and technology event producer FITC’s flagship annual creative event in Toronto. Since the 2020 edition of the event was postponed, this piece provided some substitute food for thought as rich animation offers a stark vision of what we may find in the not all that distant future, ending with a ray of hope.
Garnering ninth place was a campaign–set to an upbeat original anthem from Stephen Arnold Music–which pays tribute to the community of Las Vegas and the role of KTNV’s Good Morning Las Vegas in helping people get their day off to a rousing start.
And rounding out the top ten in our SPW video countdown was “We Work Here,” a brand anthem for Applied Materials animated by creative studio Midnight Sherpa for agency Silverstein & Associates. The three-minute film celebrates 60 years of innovation in science and technology at Applied Materials, which develops and engineers critical memory chip components.
Here’s a rundown of the 25 most watched videos posted on the SHOOT Publicity Wire for 2020 (click title to view video):
Title | Author
1. OXIGEN: “Allyson” | Artisans PR
2. My Chemical Romance’s “A Summoning…” | StoryByLore
3. “The End of Quantum Reality” Vlog | Guest Katheryne KTEE Thomas | Inohm Entertainment
4. “The End of Quantum Reality” Vlog | Guest Wolfgang Smith | Inohm Entertainment
5. “Below The Surface AR” – Resn and Sea Shepherd Teaser | StoryByLore
6. Realtor.com “Real you – Dance Interrupted” | Raging Artists
7. yU+co’s Whimsically-Animated Main Title for “Mrs. America” Evokes the Zeitgeist of the ‘70s Women’s Rights Movement | Artisans PR
8. Sarofsky + FITC “What You May Find” | Darnell Works Agency
9. KTNV: Good Morning Las Vegas | Artisans PR
10. Applied Materials “We Work Here” | Priya PR
11. Rocket Mortgage’s “More Than a Bear” | Raz Public Relations
12. Ghost Recon Breakpoint | Squad Up Live Action Trailer with Lil Wayne | Artisans PR
13. Clients’ Guide to MassMutual Coverpath | Pluck Studio
14. NHL Returns To Play with Motion Graphics | Brada PR
15. Bud Light’s “Walking Calling” | Artisans PR
16. Realtor.com “Commute” | Raging Artists
17. University of Arizona Health Sciences: “Tomorrow Is Here” | Artisans PR
18. MAMMA MIA! Voices Apart, 2020, Together at Heart | Young Company
19. Matterport brings 3D capture to the iPhone | StoryByLore
20. Prop Culture on Disney+ Trailer | Jay Hopkins
21. Online Sound Design Course with Oscar Winner Eugene Gearty, MPSE | MEWShop
22. Oreo Chinese New Year | Nigel Co.
23. 2C Channels Voice of a Killer in Launch Promo for New NBC Thriller “The Bone Collector” | Brada PR
24. Mini Babybel “Land of Goodness” Campaign | Darnell Works Agency
25. Promissory Note | JNG Films
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More