The oceans are awash in plastic, threatening their future and ours. The global apparel brand adidas has developed one solution that may help fix the problem: it’s Primeblue, and its remarkable story is being told in a new spot produced for the company by the L.A.-based production company Miniac Films.
Directed by Benjamin Kutsko, the dramatic, visually evocative spot mixes live action and CGI as it shows what goes into making this innovative repurposed material, which will find its way into adidas shoes and clothing.
The ad opens with TV screens showing news coverage of beaches littered with trash and discarded plastic as a woman’s voiceover informs the audience that “by 2050, our oceans will be filled with more plastic than fish.” We then see aerial shots of trash-strewn beaches intercut with scenes of a teeming city as the V/O explains that it’s time for “a new solution.”
For adidas, that entails tasking street teams with cleaning up plastic from the beaches of coastal cities, then transforming it via an exclusive method into a 100-percent recycled material that will be used in the making of Primeblue products, manufactured “on a scale that’s never been done before,” the V/O adds.
The spot goes on to depict, in highly stylized sequences, the steps that go into this process, which can be summed up as “collect, crush/wash/dry, shred, melt, thread and produce.” Scenes representing these actions are intercut with fast-paced cuts of runners traversing a city’s streets as they push their own personal envelopes of performance.
This marks the fourth major collaboration between Miniac and adidas; the production company has worked on projects for its Climachill, Climaheat and Futurecraft apparel lines in the past.
The spot will appear in selected markets globally, timed to the introduction of Primeblue products in those regions.
CreditsClient adidas Production Miniac Films Benjamin Kutsko, director; Stephen Roesler, exec producer Christopher Broyles, producer; Matthew Chavez, DP. VFX BEMO Color a52 Paul Yacono, colorist. Sound Zach Goheen Music Health
Top Spot of the Week: EHRAC, Animation Studio NOMINT Depict Life “In Limbo” As Families Search For Loved Ones
This animated film titled In Limbo depicts the journey of a heroic woman protagonist representing the countless families in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe (where Chechnya is situated) searching for their forcibly disappeared loved ones. Utilizing theatrical elements, the film highlights the unnatural disruption caused by enforced disappearances and delves into the profound trauma these families endure. It emphasizes their long battles with the domestic authorities as they seek answers. The film also underscores the vital role of community support in helping these families cope and continue their fight for answers, serving as a compelling call to action for justice and human rights.
Through intimate storytelling, In Limbo raises awareness of the ongoing uncertainty that leaves families in a perpetual state of limbo, unable to find closure.
Directed by Afterman--the animation duo consisting of Tsvetelina Zdraveva and Jerred North--and created and produced by London-based animation studio NOMINT, In Limbo was commissioned by the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC).
In a joint statement, Zdraveva and North shared, “Our film takes place on a theater stage, highlighting how such tragedies are far removed from ordinary life,” they continued. “The stage is circular, resembling an artificial, perpetually spinning obstacle course, with a target—the red tail lights—just within sight yet never within reach, symbolizing the family’s never-ending quest for justice.”
“We used a limited primary color palette to contrast the two worlds all families are pulled between. Minimalist compositions of starkly silhouetted characters and environments create the ominous atmosphere of a deeply painful and... Read More