The impact of an IT department is easy to overlook. HP’s new film, Chain Reaction, shows that by working with HP, IT is able to help others do what they do best, which could end up transforming a business for the better.
Created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), the film follows the chain reaction of events that occur when a new IT manager, Wendy Weber, joins a company and helps the unlikely cast of characters pull off the deal of the decade–a story that plays out like a Steven Soderbergh-style heist film. Of course, when HP set out to make the film they had no idea how much art would imitate life.
Just as the shoot was gearing up, COVID-19 was gearing up to spread across the globe. After a successful production, everyone returned home safe to find that the world had changed. All editing, recording and color correcting needed to be done via the technology featured in the film.
While the project–titled Chain Reaction–had to be completed while working from home, the story itself whisks viewers from their couches, kitchen counters and makeshift home offices into a globe-trotting adventure reminiscent of simpler times, when work and travel were one in the same. When the hero, Wendy, finds herself drowning in technology disasters the first day on the job, she decides to find a new tech partner. That’s where HP Services comes in. Once HP helps her manage security, beef up the first line of defense and get the right devices to the right people, like Sarah Sanders in sales, things start to happen fast.
“Our aim was to create a truly entertaining piece of content where five minutes would fly by and when it’s done the viewer is left asking themselves was that just a film about IT,” said Matt Edwards, creative director, GS&P.
CreditsClient HP Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners Rich Silverstein, co-chairman & co-founder; Matt Edwards, Wes Phelan, creative directors; Kate Cullen, Chris Ford, copywriters; Malika Reid, Stefan Copiz, art directors; Leila Gage, director of broadcast production; Stephanie DeNatale, executive producer; Rachel Saxon, broadcast producer; Bonnie Wan, head of brand strategy; Cassidy Wilber, strategy director. Production Biscuit Filmworks Christopher Riggert, director; Shawn Lacy, partner/managing director; Jeff McDougall, exec producer; Claire Thompson, producer; Rachel Glaub, Sean Moody, head of production; Rodrigo Prieto, DP; Clement Price Thomas, production designer. Production Services Company Labhouse Flora Fernandez Marengo, managing director; Soledad Bottaro, exec producer; Nicolas Abelovich, producer; Ezequiel Galvinis, production manager; Andy Chenault, 1st local AD; Charly Carnota, art director; April Bellati, Ariel Gurruchaga, costume designers. Editorial EXILE Grant Surmi, editor; Dusten Zimmerman, Zaldy Lopez, assistant editor; CL Kumpata, exec producer; Jennifer Locke, head of production; Kristina Thoegersen, producer. Telecine Company 3 Tom Poole, colorist; Alexandra Lubrano, color producer. VFX KEVIN Tim Davies, executive creative director/partner; Sue Troyan, sr. exec producer, partner; Mike Dalzell, head of CG; Jami Schakel, sr. VFX producer; Robert Murdock, Steve Gibbons, Susanne Scharping, 2D; Carl Harders, Matt Longwell, Greg Gutkin, Bryan Repka, CG; Miguel Delcan, design. Music/Sound/Mix Squeak E. Clean Studios Justin Hori, creative director & composer; Drew Fischer, composer, sound design & final mix; Matthew Compton, Rob Barbato, Julie Nichols, Lydia Davies, composers; Amanda Patterson, exec producer.
Guinness, AMV BBDO, Director Johnny Kelly Bring The Perfect Pour Home With “Dancing Can”
Guinness is inviting more people to experience the joy and communion of a perfect pint at home with its new campaign, “Dancing Can,” a modern nod to the beloved 1994 “Dancing Man” ad. This latest campaign highlights how the Guinness Nitrosurge device puts the power of a perfect pour directly into consumers’ hands. Launched in Great Britain last year, the pocket-sized device uses ultrasonic technology to create the iconic surge with perfectly formed nitrogen bubbles delivering satisfyingly smooth Guinness every time, everywhere.
Developed in partnership with AMV BBDO, “Dancing Can” uses a stop-motion twist to capture the ritual of pouring a perfect pint of Guinness, featuring a ‘dancing’ Nitrosurge can and device. The device is activated by clipping it onto the top of a Guinness Nitrosurge can, before pushing the button and pouring. The resulting pour is unmistakably Guinness, with its iconic dark liquid and creamy domed head.
This 30-second hero film, directed by Johnny Kelly and produced by BAFTA-winning Nexus Studios, is a blend of live-action and stop-motion techniques. Set to the lively “Guaglione” track by Perez Prado, just as in the 1994 ad, the spot celebrates the quality and cheer of enjoying the perfect pour at home while highlighting the charm and innovation of the product.
In a joint statement, Anzhela Hayrabedyan and Luca Grosso, the AMV BBDO creative team behind the work, shared, “Whether it’s a person or a can, 30 years later, the excitement and joy of watching the liquid settle into the perfect pint of Guinness still rings true. The unique charm and craft of stop-frame animation was the answer to bring this emotion to life.”
Director Kelly said, “The original ‘Dancing Man’ video is one of... Read More