This :90 for Microsoft follows the inspirational story of passionate young gamers, including nine-and-a-half-year-old Owen, rising to the top of their game with a little help from their friends, family and the Xbox Adaptive Controller. The story illustrates Microsoft’s commitment to building accessible technology that levels the playing field and creates opportunity for all, ending with the line: “When everybody plays, we all win.”
A :60 version of the spot is slated to run during the Super Bowl telecast on CBS.
Bryan Buckley of Hungry Man directed for agency m:united//McCann NY.
Credits
Client Microsoft Agency m:united//McCann New York Sean Bryan, chief creative officer, Shayne Millington, David Banta, EVPs, executive creative directors; Martha West, Will Montgomery, associate creative directors; Julie Koong, sr. art director; David Cappolino, sr. copywriter; Alicia Foor, creative technologist; Carolyn Johnson, SVP, head of integrated production; Rebecca Magner, producer. Eric David Johnson, SVP, executive music producer; Dan Gross, music producer. Production Hungry Man Bryan Buckley, director; Alex Gorosh, 2nd unit director; Mino Jarjoura, Caleb Dewart, Kevin Byrne, Dan Duffy, exec producers; Matt Lefebvre, producer; Peter Bunstein, associate producer; Pierre Cailliarec, assistant director; Scott Henriksen, DP. Editorial Rock Paper Scissors, NY Damion Clayton, editor; Alexandra Debricon, assistant editor; Eve Kornblum, managing director; Lisa Barnable, producer. Post/VFX Rock Paper Scissors, NY Barbara Kontarovich, Flame producer; Edward Reina, Flame artist; Sydney Botie, Flame assistant. Color Company 3 Sofie Borup, sr. colorist. Music/Sound JSM Music, New York Joel Simon, chief creative officer/CEO/co-composer; Jason Krebs, co-composer; Jeff Fiorello, executive producer. Sound Design Sonic Union, New York Michael Marinelli, sound designer Audio Post Sonic Union, New York Michael Marinelli, mix engineer; Justin Cortale, producer
Dancer turned director Ezra Hurwitz collaborates with Ailey II artistic director Francesca Harper, featuring movement as museum pieces against the Whitney Museum of American Art’s striking architecture for this short film titled Echoes of Ailey. Commissioned to celebrate “Edges of Ailey” at the Whitney Museum, the film accompanies the first large-scale exhibition on the life and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey. “Edges of Ailey” is currently on view at the Whitney until February 9.
Animating iconic images from Alvin Ailey’s 20th-century repertory, the film expands on the exhibition by constructing a visual narrative around his storytelling and influences. Set to Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place,” dancers from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and The Ailey School capture the emotional core of the company’s history--physically situating Ailey’s masterworks amongst the Whitney’s collection.
“As a child, my grandmother took me to Ailey’s Revelations once a year,” said Hurwitz. “No matter how often I saw it, the work captivated me. There isn’t one specific thing I hope viewers take away from the film--or one way to interpret its images. It’s meant to be an abstract work, like Ailey’s creations.”
Turning to his archive, Hurwitz and Harper illuminate key sequences symbolic of Ailey’s profound legacy, closing on an uninterrupted sequence from "I’ve Been Buked," the opening movement of Ailey’s legendary "Revelations." Carrying a watershed moment back to its own medium, Echoes of Ailey captures the multigenerational impact of Ailey’s work, continued by his organization. The short film first premiered on Nowness.