Director Craig Gillespie of MJZ reached out to frequent collaborator Peter Nashel (I,Tonya), creative director/composer and founder of duotone audio group to find an authentic musical voice for what was literally a dream project: score the music for six long-form mock “trailers” starring Jessica Alba and Zac Efron. Each of the spots in the campaign mimics a familiar movie trailer style, and they wanted the music to do the same. The objective was to make these sound and feel like authentic trailers. Complete with over 10 cues and a 50-piece overseas orchestral record, this project was quite the challenge to pull off mid-pandemic.
This mock trailer, “A Romance to Remember” was the second one up. Inspired by indie rom coms, it begins with a fun little surf hook before it transitions into a charming indie movie score and eventually to a fully produced Mediterranean Manouche song complete with fabulous vocals (in Italian) by Gege Telesforo and Chiara Izzi.
Credits
Client Dubai Tourism Agency Mother London Production MJZ Craig Gillespie, director; Nicolas Karakatsanis, DP; Martha Davis, producer. Overseas Production Company Stoked Editorial Exile Shane Reid, Nick Gilberg, Will Butler and Brendan Jenkis (Ten Three). Post/VFX Electric Theatre Collective Jon Purton, post producer; Emma Hughes, production coordinator; Ryan Knowles, VFX supervisor; Sarah Crux, Ally Burnett, Ruben Llusia, Hani AlYousif, VFX leads; Alberto Pizzocchero, Daniel Brewster, Adam Woolrich, Ludvig Hallenius, Christian Block, Doruk Saglam, Kia Coates Stirling Archibald , Thiago Vilas Boas, Heather Costa, Will Medcalf, Tane Welham, Chris Fraser, Kieran Jordan, Oscar Tornincasa, Julie Cruette, Luke Butler, Dave Birkill, Gareth Williams, Adam Darrah, VFX artists. Music duotone audio group, bicoastal Peter Nashel, creative director/founder/composer; Ross Hopman, executive music producer; Giovonni Lobato, sr. music producer. Audio Post 750mph, London Sam Ashwell, lead engineer; Jeff Smith, Tom Joyce, Mike Bovil, Jake Ashwell, sound engineers
At the heart of this campaign for Pay.UK Current Account Switch Service (CASS) is a playful yet relatable narrative, brought to life in the hero TV commercial, “Blind Date.” Directed by Rosie May Bird Smith of Biscuit Filmworks for agency House 337, the spot follows a woman nervously meeting her blind date, only to discover the person waiting for her is someone you definitely wouldn’t want to meet on a blind date. The voiceover reassures: ”Blind dates. They’re a bit like switching bank accounts. You don’t want any surprises. That’s why we guarantee there won’t be any when you switch with the Current Account Switch Service.”
“Everyone knows the pain of a bad date, the gut-churning realization you’ve texted your boss instead of your mate, and being stuck next to someone eating the world’s stinkiest lunch,” said Ross Newton, creative director, House 337, who added, “Life is a minefield of unwanted surprises, so coming up with the campaign idea was the easy part. The real challenge was deciding which situations to include and which to ditch. Sadly, these scenarios are all too relatable for us all, myself included.”
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