This spot tells the story of the eternal quest for one person to “one up” another, starting in the prehistoric cavemen era and working its way to today. The desire to outdo the other guy in contemporary times has yielded Oatmeal Crisp cereal. Bent Image Lab in Portland, Ore., deployed 2D, stop-motion and computer animation for this humorous TV ad from Toronto agency Cossette.
Bent director Solomon Burbridge wanted this ultimate celebration of masculinity to play out as a grand sweeping montage similar to classic march-through-time newsreels but with a modern and design savvy audience in mind. “I wanted this commercial to feel epic and impressive but also have time to be a little bit goofy and nuanced,” said Burbridge.
Credits
Client Oatmeal Crisp Agency Cossette Toronto Carlos Moreno, Peter Ignazi, chief creative officers; Dan Cummings, Sean Barlow, copywriters; Lucyed Hernandez, Paul Riss, art directors; Heather Moshoian, producer. Production Bent Image Lab, Portland, Ore. Sol Burbridge, director; Paul Diener, producer; Stephen Grossman, production coordinator; Brent Heise, editor; Cameron Carson, compositor; Stef Kofman, lead CG TD; Kaden Cook, modeler; Josh Cox, look develop CG artist; Greg Fosmire, art director; Damien Lopez, Danny Popovici, storyboard artists; Dave Manuel, illustrator; Brett Superstar, Joshua Pearce, set fabricators; Maryanna Haggatt, character designer; Jennifer Kincade, concept artist; Sam Niemann, animation director; Cassandra Worthington, animator; Christine Beard, Danny Ricco, assistant animators; Marty Easterday, set animator & fabricator; Jim Birkett, DP; Rodrigo Melgarejo, assistant camera; Matthew Lask, production assistant. (Toolbox: Dragonframe, Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe PSD, 3D Studio Max, Photoshop, ZBrush, Vray, After Effects)
White Ribbon has launched its “My Friend, Max Hate” campaign in Canada featuring this public service film that follows the journey of a young, isolated boy who becomes influenced by a misogynistic online puppet, “Max Hate.” The PSA reveals how online figures in the manosphere--a network of online communities promoting hateful, misogynistic rhetoric which fuels attitudes among young men and boys that contribute to gender-based violence.
“It’s alarming to see the growing impact of the manosphere and how they are conditioning vulnerable populations such as teens, particularly young men,” said Humberto Carolo, White Ribbon CEO. “These misogynistic online groups have existed for years, but their influence has grown under controversial figures, driving an increase in gender-based violence. With the My Friend, Max Hate campaign, our goal is to expose the damaging influence of misogynistic figures and raise awareness, particularly among young men who are often drawn into these toxic online communities.”
Launching two weeks before Safer Internet Day (February 11), the campaign--from Toronto agency Bensimon Byrne--underscores the importance of online safety and protecting youth through clear content boundaries.
White Ribbon is creating an online resource hub that educates individuals on how to recognize harmful online groups and provides support for young men and boys seeking to escape. Additionally, the campaign will launch a TikTok account, @max_hate_, featuring the PSA ‘My Friend, Max Hate’ puppet to expose how these figures gain influence and spread hate in a space that reaches those most influenced, young men.
The PSA was directed by Angie Bird via Toronto-based Westside Studio.
