Andreas Nilsson via Biscuit Filmworks directed this :60, “Emily’s Oz,” for Comcast/XFINITY out of Goodby Silverstein & Partners, New York, which debuts during the 2015 Academy Awards on Sunday (2/22). This spot illustrates what a person who is blind sees in their head when they watch their favorite movie.
“Emily’s Oz” brings to life The Wizard of Oz according to Emily, a seven-year-old girl who was born blind. We see her vision of what such iconic characters as the Tin Man looks like, the Cowardly Lion, and Dorothy herself.
The spot promotes Comcast/XFINITY’s accessibility services for its viewers, including a talking guide created in the Comcast Accessibility Lab. In addition to voice guidance and one-touch access to closed captioning, Comcast created an online help and support resource for XFINITY customers looking for information about accessibility-related topics.
“We want to create opportunities for people who love film and television but who might not have the opportunity to experience it to its fullest,” said Tom Wlodkowski, who was hired as Comcast’s vice president of audience in 2012 to focus on the usability of the company’s products and services for people with disabilities. “By bringing the talking guide to as many people as possible, we can help to bridge that gap and make entertainment just as compelling, captivating and fun for people with a visual disability as it is for anyone else.”
“It’s not often you get to do something that feels meaningful on a level far beyond advertising,” said Paul Caiozzo, executive creative director of Goodby Silverstein & Partners, New York. “It definitely shows how entertainment truly is for everyone.”
The spot features a voice-over by two-time Academy Award winner Robert Redford.
Credits
Client Comcast/XFINITY Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners, New York Jeff Goodby, Rich Silverstein, co-chairmen; Paul Caiozzo, executive creative director; Nathan Frank, creative director; Michael Hagos, Peter Jostrand, art directors; Josh Chua, Sam Dolphin, copywriters; Conner Huber, group brand strategy director; Jane Jun, brand strategist; Tod Puckett, director of broadcast production; James Horner, executive broadcast producer; Tess Kenner, broadcast producer; Charlotte Dugoni, assistant broadcast producer. Production Biscuit Filmworks Andreas Nilsson, director; Matty Libatique, DP; KK Barrett, production designer; Shawn Lacy, managing director; Colleen O’Donnell, exec producer; Emily Skinner, line producer. Editorial Rock Paper Scissors Paul Watts, editor; Christian Oreste, Rhys Hecox, assistant editors; Eve Kornblum, exec producer; Jenny Greenfield, Jen Milano, producers. VFX a52 Stefan Gaillot, lead Flame artist/2D VFX artist; Kirk Shintani, CG supervisor; Matt Sousa, Andy Bate, Enid Dalkoff, Steve Wolf, Tiffany Germann, 2D VFX artists; Jose Limon, Joe Paniagua, Jon Balcome, Christian Sanchez, Adam Carter, Paulo Mauro, Vivian Su, 3D artists; Scott Boyajan, producer; Patrick Nugent, Jennifer Sofio Hall, exec producers. (Toolbox: Flame) Post Company 3 New York Tim Masick, Rob Sciarratta, colorists; Angela Lupo, exec producer; Rochelle Brown, color producer. Audio Post Heard City Keith Reynaud, Jeremy Siegel, sound engineers; Gloria Pitagorsky, managing director; Sasha Awn, sr. producer. Sound Design Jafbox Sound Joseph Fraioli, sound designer. End Treatment Graphics Elevel Post Jessica Gibson, animator; PJ Koll, exec producer; Samantha Liss, producer.
Following World AIDS Day, which was celebrated on December 1, co-production companies Central Films and Freelance For track one man’s existential, and potentially career-altering, decision to “come out” as living with HIV in Spain in this public service spot titled “The HInVisible Celebrity.”
Out of agency Señora Rushmore for ViiV Healthcare Spain, in collaboration with GESIDA, SEISIDA, and Apoyo Positivo, the PSA--directed by Rodrigo García Sáiz via Central Films Spain--addresses the stigma against publicly living with HIV in Spanish society. In the more than 40 years since the first case of HIV appeared in Spain, no public figure in Spain has claimed to have HIV. Viiv Healthcare Spain asks, if there are 150,000 people with HIV in Spain (or approximately 1 in 300), why don’t we know anyone with HIV?
The central character, who dons a mask of television-pixelated anonymity, gives himself an introspective pep-talk ahead of announcing his status to the Spanish public. Along the way, he wonders what will become of his career, and reputation in general, even as he recognizes that his declaration could change Spain’s cultural landscape for the better and for all of those in Spain who live with HIV every day. As no public figure in Spain has ever announced living with HIV--due to fear of public rejection--this character realizes that such a role model could change that.
The character has already begun building social media awareness with his Instagram profile, @famosoinvihsible, which began cataloging his life as a public figure earlier this fall. Still, though, the figure either leaves himself out of the picture, faces away from the camera, or dons the pixelated mask associated with anonymous admission. “The HInVisible... Read More
