Justyna Obasi of production house Love Song directed this commercial titled “Wisdom & Obi,” part of Expedia’s new “Never Give Up On Going” campaign.
Following a father and young son, the spot match-cuts the child’s hands running over a common beige carpet as he imagines the feeling of sand on the sunny beaches of Jamaica, his father’s childhood home. Inspired to show his son the place where he grew up, the boy’s father utilizes Expedia to make this goal a reality. The spot ends with the family in Jamaica creating new memories, experiencing what, before that moment, had only been a dream.
The film strikes a personal note for Obasi, an alum of SHOOT’s 2020 New Directors Showcase, who shared, “It took me back almost 30 years ago when my mother decided to finally show me Nigeria. This is me; this is a familiar feeling.” Leading with empathy, the camera follows the characters as they grow, move through the story, and reveal more about themselves. Obasi speaks to the need for “Wisdom & Obi” to unfold organically, adding. “If we are not authentic enough, then we risk a cliché. These characters are not clichés.”
Credits
Client Expedia Group Hector Muelas, SVP global creative; Michele Rousseau, SVP global brands; Kevin Tenglin, Luke Harris, executive creative directors; Michael McCommon, creative director; Bruno Barbieri, Diogo de Souza Valim, associate creative directors; Perrin Rausch, head of integrated production; Lindsey Wood, executive producer; Kara Fromhart, sr. producer; Lauren Bautista, associate producer. Production Love Song Justyna Obasi, director; Kelly Bayett, managing partner/exec producer; Daniel Wolfe, partner/exec producer; Deannie O’Neil, exec producer; Nicole Powell, producer. Editorial Exile Edit Sound Barking Owl Kelly Bayett, creative director/co-founder; Gus Koven, sound designer; AJ Murillo, mixer; Beau Manning, assistant mixer; KC Dossett, producer. Music "Ballerina" by Yehezkel Raz Color/Finish Trafik Mark Gethin, colorist; Nate Seymour, assistant colorist; Greer Bastiche, color producer; Megan Lang Bice, color exec producer; Benji Davidson, VFX supervisor/sr. Flame artist; Jacob Goldberg, Markis Lazarre, Flame artists; Charlotte Preuss, finish producer; Karena Ajamian, finish exec producer.
When dozens of Klick Health team members said they wouldn’t be able to hug loved ones over the festive season, the agency turned to AI and other magic to orchestrate a series of sentimental, surprise reunions captured in its “Holiday Hugs” video. The heartwarming four-minute video, benefitting the D.C.-based Foundation for Social Connection (F4SC), parallels recent findings from a Maru/Blue Public Opinion survey commissioned by Klick.
The poll found 74 percent of Americans and Canadians won’t be able to hug at least one person they wish they could over the holidays. And like those in the video, survey participants cited geographical distance and loved ones having passed away as the leading factors preventing their hugs.
“I just wish I could really squeeze her right now,” says teary-eyed New York Klickster Kari Bocassi watching her AI-generated hug with her sister Marlene, moments before she bursts onto the set for a long in-person embrace. The siblings have spent the past 14 years caring for their mother since her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but haven’t been together for the holidays since Marlene moved to Virginia. Similarly, Toronto’s Fred Duarte gets the bear hug of his life when his brother Rico, who lives in Brazil, walks into Klick’s production studio for their first holiday reunion in seven years.
Directed by James Cooper via Cooper Films, “Holiday Hugs” also taps into the fact that hugs don’t just make people feel better emotionally, they also have numerous health benefits. According to the National Institutes of Health, hugs can lower blood pressure and boost the immune system.
“There’s nothing quite like the warmth and reassurance of a heartfelt hug,” said Klick’s chief creative officer Rich Levy. “With ‘Holiday... Read More
