Creative incubator The Lab at Anonymous Content has released Wake Up, a short film presented by HP and directed by Olivia Wilde (who joined Anonymous Content last summer for her first commercial and branded content representation).
Wake Up stars Margaret Qualley as a woman recovering from amnesia, forced to rediscover her humanity in an increasingly digital world.
HP described the short as “a provocative invitation to start a conversation about how the technology we depend on for our information, entertainment, and social connection has come disturbingly close to supplanting the very interactions that make us human.”
The film debuted last week at ChefDance, an event during the nearby Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
“It was such a thrill to collaborate with Margaret Qualley, legendary cinematographer Matty Libatique [nominated for Oscars as DP of Black Swan and A Star Is Born], and the rest of our extraordinary crew to tell this story about what it means to be human,” said Wilde, who made her feature directorial debut last year with the critically acclaimed Booksmart.
Credits
Client HP Production Anonymous Content Olivia Wilde, director; Matthew Libatique, DP; Akin McKenzie, production designer; David Webb, first AD; Eric Stern, managing director; Kerry Haynie, head of production; Laurie Boccaccio, line producer; Zac Ryder, Adam Groves, executive creative directors; Chase Hilton, Garrett Combes, lead creatives; Esther Peris, producer. Performers Margaret Qualley Editorial Work Editorial Neil Smith, editor; Marlo Baird, exec producer; Christie Price, producer. Color Color Collective Alex Bickell, colorist; Claudia Guevara, exec producer. VFX Moving Picture Company (MPC) Alvin Cruz, on-set supervision; Lexi Stern, exec producer; Sara Gbadamosi, producer; Benji Davidson, VFX supervisor/lead Flame artist; Sam Shiflett, Andy Roberts, Rob Ufer, Hector Cabrera, Peter Ulukpo, Sean Anderson, Ragesh Ramchandran, Manu Gopalakrishnan, compositors; Anthony Riccardi, Kris Fortin, designers/animators. Music Track “Otherside” by Perfume Genius. Music Supervision Walker Music Sara Matarazzo, Stephanie Pigott, exec producers; Danielle Soury, producer. Sound Design Jafbox Sound
The Ad Council, partnering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and AdoptUSKids, launched a public service campaign, created pro bono by Edelman, which aims to inspire prospective parents to consider adopting a teen from foster care.
This centerpiece PSA titled “The Rewards”--directed by The Hudson Dusters (Michael Kuhn and Niles Roth) via Greenpoint Pictures--spotlights real adoptive families who have personally experienced the mutual benefits of adoption. This longer form PSA (and cutdown versions) begins with a touching display of openness and vulnerability as adoptive parents reflect on their adoption journeys and their initial questions and hesitations about adopting a teen. Then, in a deeply emotional turn, the adoptive parents witness their children recounting the profound rewards of adoption in their lives. The teens speak of the love they share with their parents and how the decision to become a family is reciprocal. The campaign directs viewers to the AdoptUSKids website to learn more about adopting a teen from foster care.
