The feature filmmaking team of Seth Rogen and Even Goldberg directed this short for Walmart which will air during the Sunday night (2/26) Oscar telecast. Titled “Bananas Town,” this :60 is part of a series of short films, the other two being helmed respectively by movie directors Antoine Fuqua and Marc Forster.
The premise of each short film is around “how every receipt tells a story,” with the directors being challenged to illustrate their vision for one receipt containing bananas, paper towels, batteries, scooter, wrapping paper and a video baby monitor. The three creative films are part of Walmart’s larger multi-year partnership with the Academy Awards that is aimed at highlighting Walmart’s commitment to the art of storytelling. Walmart is also be making a $250,000 donation to The Academy Grants Program for FilmCraft.
Rogen and Goldberg’s piece starts in a classroom where a student launches into a “Bananas” tune, triggering an odyssey that takes us to such venues as a barber shop with scooters, a jazz club where the crooner sings about batteries, and a concert hall where ballerinas perform a tribute to paper towels.
Agency is Saatchi & Saatchi NY.
Credits
Client Walmart Agency Saatchi & Saatchi NY Javier Campopiano, chief creative officer; Mike Pierantozzi, Wayne Best, executive creative directors; Blake Enting, head of design; Michael Craven, creative director/copywriter; Scott Bassen, creative director/art director; John Doris, head of production; Emily Green, executive producer; Danica Rosen, Zamile Vilakazi, producers; Aliaksandra Shvedava, digital producer. Production Caviar Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, directors; Michael Sagol, Jasper Tomlinson, exec producers; Brian Etting, producer. Postproduction Caviar Isaac Hagy, editor; Bia Jurema, assistant editor; Correntin De Saedeleer, exec producer, post; Terry Huynh, post producer; Brandon Chavez, colorist. VFX Visual Creatures John Cranston, Ryan McNeely, VFX creative directors/partners; Arnold Aldridge, VFX artist; Tricia Chatterton-Goldrick, VFX exec producer. Audio Margarita Mix James Moore, mixer. Music Squeak E. Clean Justin Hori, composer; Amy Crilly, exec producer.
After losing part of his right leg due to cancer, Terry Fox campaigned to raise national awareness and funding for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada 42-km daily run, on his prosthetic leg. Fox, who died in 1981, is a national hero. His image will be on Canada’s new $5 bill.
In this two-minute video titled “Finish It,” the Marathon of Hope is recreated. It’s all done in one take, and it features an actor/marathon runner who uses a prosthesis on the same leg as Fox. CGI was deployed to make him look more like Fox. To further ensure the actor represented Fox accurately, not only did the actor and team watch and study many videos of Terry, but Terry’s brothers, Fred and Darrel, coached the actor on Terry’s running style and mannerisms. They also created a copy of Terry’s prosthesis for the actor to use for the shoot.
The message is clear. As the Marathon of Hope now marks its 45th anniversary, we now have the opportunity to “Finish It” for Fox, raising money and awareness to get a cure for cancer over the finish line, completing the work that Fox started. The public service film starts with Fox on the marathon run, eventually joined by a crowd of other dedicated runners from all walks of life who take over the race.
Mark Zibert directed via production company Scouts Honour for Toronto agency Diamond. The video features a never-before-heard version of the song “Courage” from Canadian band The Tragically Hip.
“We wanted to create a campaign that captures the magnitude of Terry Fox’s legacy while driving meaningful action,” said Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer at Diamond. “By revisiting the Marathon of Hope with such care and reverence, we aimed to reignite Terry’s mission and... Read More
