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.
Credits
Client 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.
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The film’s protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a child’s life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace – Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the “Bullying-Free Schools” program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
“Research indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
