Marie Schuller of RSA Films directed this spot for ZX Ventures’ PerfectDraft, flipping the confines of U.K. lockdown on its head for some “distant socializing.”
PerfectDraft is an in-home appliance that dispenses chilled beer from six-liter kegs. The 30-second ad, from ZX Ventures' in-house agency DraftLine, shows friends coming together online, reflecting the times of lockdown while demonstrating the social nature of sharing a drink with friends.
Each of the stars of the film were at home in lockdown, some with flatmates, some with relatives, and some with their pets. The directing and filming took place remotely using real video conferencing technology. While the cuts only last 20 or 30 seconds, the logistics were complicated requiring them to use their own camera, iPads, and computers, and a PerfectDraft machine shipped to each actor.
Mark Roberts, global CEO of PerfectDraft at ZX Ventures, said: “It’s an interesting time to be marketing anything. The atmosphere and the metrics change by the day. More than ever we need to be nimble. When DraftLine approached us with this idea of putting PerfectDraft in a video-conferencing social setting, we knew we had to run at it, and quickly. It seemed to perfectly capture the zeitgeist, as this is exactly what the entire PerfectDraft team were doing with our friends!”
CreditsClient PerfectDraft Magdalena De Stefano, business lead; Tim Deeks, marketing director. Agency DraftLine Ed Morris, creative director; Mathieu Borza, creative; Jimena Seoane, head of production. Production RSA Films Marie Schuller, director; Nancy Ryan, producer; Franklin Dow, DP. Postproduction Marie Schuller, editor. Graphics Slikk Media Simon Dewey Color Grade Envy Advertising Jax Harney, colorist; Ross Culligan, producer. Cast Benny Casey, Elliot Halidu, Greg Hughes, Alison Garner, Roberto Vivancos, Anna Payne, Lucy Stickney, Gagan Rehill, Tyson Douglas, James Gomersall, Kaya Brown Hallam, Coral Ernest Rhone.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More