A large-scale TV and web campaign for Toys "R" Us created by agency The Escape Pod, and produced byWondros with director Ray Dillman, turns an everyday field trip to the forest into the best trip ever for busloads of underprivileged kids. What started as a promise to "Meet the Trees" became a dream come true for over 200 unsuspecting kids when they were instead driven to a Toys "R" Us store in Middletown, NY. Having the store all to themselves, they played to their hearts content and then got to shop for a gift, any toy in the store, to make their holiday wishes come true. Pulling off this covert stunt was an elaborate undertaking. The scheme was put into action through some good-natured trickery on behalf of everyone involved – including the parents.
Toys "R" Us relates the holiday campaign to making wishes come true, especially for those who are less fortunate. Dillman captures the emotion from the kids, to launch a diversified campaign that spans multiple platforms, integrating broadcast, print and digital media. The expansive campaign includes a 90-second online commercial, a number of 60 and 30-second TV commercials, and several 15-second spots that capture the genuine surprise of these children.
#WishinAccomplished punctuates each of these spots to push the social media effort.
"Not knowing whether the kids would go crazy, be confused or apathetic was the big mystery." Dillman also made the point, "From the very beginning, I wanted to make sure that we were intimate with the camera, down on the children's level, not from the point of view where you are looking at the tops of their heads with a shouldered camera."
On the bus, there were hidden GoPros at every single seat, a Red Epic recording in 4K and a pair of hidden surveillance cameras. In the store, once the secret was revealed, the kids were followed by five full-camera units including a Steadicam, each with a boom operator for sound. A pair of robotic cameras with remote operators and planted GoPros were also implemented.
Organizing and monitoring so much information, coming from so many places, in real time, was quite a challenge. Dillman remarks that it was a "Herculean task" for his long time video assist technician, R. Scott Lawrence, feeding all the information to him, the agency and clients. His crew and team members also included an on-set editor, who was instrumental in overcoming issues such as keeping the shots organized and knowing what they had at the end of each day of shooting.
Stefan Czapsky was brought on board as DP. He was not only an expert on fielding the production, but also lent his expertise on the overall look and feel of the spot. Czapsky is known for his work on films such as Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns and Ed Wood. Dillman said, "Stefan was my field general. He was the perfect man for the job; a wonderful, talented collaborator and a genuinely sweet guy."
Finally, Dillman added, "The very best part of the whole production was seeing the joy on the kid's faces when they posed with the toys they had chosen."
Beth Melsky handled casting key talent on the Toys "R" Us side of the story and Strickman-Ripps Casting + Research was enlisted with the arduous casting of children of all ethnicities between the ages of 6 and 13. It was a three-week massive and complex effort to keep the project top secret while pulling together work permits and accounts to insure that not only each individual child take home a toy, but also got paid. The company reached out to organizations supporting underprivileged children such as the Boys & Girls Club of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Neighborhood Housing Services. There's been an overwhelming response from the kids, the parents, and members of the organizations, expressing their gratitude for an incredible and fulfilling day that most kids can only dream of.
Review: Director-Writer Megan Park’s “My Old Ass”
They say tripping on psychedelic mushrooms triggers hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia and nervousness. In the case of Elliott, an 18-year-old restless Canadian, they prompt a visitor.
"Dude, I'm you," says the guest, as she nonchalantly burns a 'smores on a campfire next to a very high and stunned Elliott. "Well, I'm a 39-year-old you. What's up?"
What's up, indeed: Director-writer Megan Park has crafted a wistful coming-of-age tale using this comedic device for "My Old Ass" and the results are uneven even though she nails the landing.
After the older Elliott proves who she is — they share a particular scar, childhood memories and a smaller left boob — the time-travel advice begins: Be nice to your brothers and mom, and stay away from a guy named Chad.
"Can we hug?" asks the older Elliott. They do. "This is so weird," says the younger Elliott, who then makes things even weirder when she asks for a kiss — to know what it's like kissing yourself. The older Elliott soon puts her number into the younger's phone under the name "My Old Ass." Then they keep in touch, long after the effects of the 'shrooms have gone.
Part of the movie's problem that can't be ignored is that the two Elliotts look nothing alike. Maisy Stella plays the coltish young version and a wry Aubrey Plaza the older. Both turn in fine performances but the visuals are slowly grating.
The arrival of the older Elliott coincides with her younger self counting down the days until she can flee from her small town of 300 in the Muskoka Lakes region to college in Toronto, where "my life is about to start." She's sick of life on a cranberry farm.
Park's scenes and dialogue are unrushed and honest as Elliott takes her older self's advice and tries to repair... Read More