In this spot for Verizon FIOS directed by Henry-Alex Rubin of Smuggler for McCann NY, Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things) is camping with friends in a backyard on Halloween night–with all the conveniences of the Internet as they are streaming shows. A neighbor approaches and asks them about their streaming devices. Matarazzo explains the benefits of running all of their tech on FIOS.
This prompts the neighbor to spin a scary, hearkening back to the pre-fiber optics dark age when bandwidth was limited, crawling at zombie speed. Videos and gaming would just stop–dead. This unconventional ghost story scares Matarazzo and his buddies who have only known Internet as its 100 percent fiber optic best via FIOS.
Credits
Client Verizon FIOS Agency McCann NY Thomas Murphy, Sean Bryan, co-chief creative officers; Dan Donovan, Mat Bisher, EVPs/executive creative directors; Sherrod Melvin, SVP, group creative director; Jason Marsen, Alexei Beltrone, creative directors; Nic Wehmeyer, Josh Kessler, associate creative directors; Mark Forsman, art director; Vinny Garbellano, copywriter; Eva Pipa, Lauren Bauder, integrated producers; Michele Ferone, SVP, director Verizon broadcast production; Nathy Aviram, head of production; Dan Cohn, group strategy director; Anthony Perez, strategy director. Production Smuggler Henry-Alex Rubin, director; Drew Santarsiero, exec producer; Leah Allina, producer. Editorial NO6 Jason MacDonald, Ryan Bukowski, editors; Malia Rose, producer; Laura Molinaro, sr. producer; Corina Dennison, exec producer. Audio Post Sonic Union Paul Weiss, mixer. Music JSM Music Joel Simon, chief creative officer/composer; Brian Englishman, Nathan Kil, composers; Jeff Fiorello, exec producer; Norm Felker, producer. Talent DDCD & Partners Susan Cole, Hannah Kwon, Haley Barber, Elba Espinal
FCB Health New York, an IPG Health company, and SAFE Project have joined forces to create “The Snowball,” a short film that spotlights winter as a common catalyst for dangerous increases in alcohol consumption. In collaboration with creative studio LOBO, “The Snowball” combines a compelling visual metaphor with cutting-edge animation and a haunting soundtrack from Billie Holiday.
As millions embrace “Dry January,” the onset of colder, shorter winter days still leads to an uptick in alcohol misuse, which can lead to liver cirrhosis and other medical maladies and dangerous consequences for one’s life. Speaking to casual drinkers, “The Snowball” visually illustrates how anyone is at risk of becoming addicted to alcohol during this time of year when external climate variables can lead to excess consumption, even if the drinker does not immediately realize it.
Making good on the metaphor, the film follows one man as a quick liquor run gradually devolves into a full-blown addiction as a snowball gradually grows beside him, engulfing his whole life and eventually causing his demise. Set to the tune of Billie Holiday’s “Everything I Have Is Yours,” the film’s pathos is drawn from the sonic integrity of Holiday’s original recording maintained in the sound design as well as the singer’s tragic battle with substance abuse.
This entirely animated film was created using a hands-on, collaborative process rooted in traditional animation techniques, with every aspect of the artwork creation, design, and craftsmanship crafted entirely by human hands. AI-driven tools and processes were brought in during the animation rendering stage, helping the film achieve a distinct visual style that would have been difficult to achieve through... Read More
