For North American bank Meridian and Toronto-based ad agency Elemental, Dan French directed this spot depicting a dystopian world populated by nameless folk. It’s a society in which there’s no personalized identity. Rather people are referred to by their account numbers, making the commercial–titled “World of Numbers”–a metaphor for the impersonal treatment some larger banks give their customers. By contrast, there’s a human-based, community-centric spirit provided by regional bank Meridian.

Produced by Impossible Studios, Toronto, in collaboration with Elemental, French (who’s repped by Stink Films in the U.S. and U.K.) sought to build a highly crafted and stylized world with depth. Through intricate set builds and choreographed cinematography, he constructed a narrative to transmit the somber energy behind a nameless society. Casting was a fun but rigorous task. French and his team set out to find a diverse group of people to accurately represent today’s public, while also collectively portraying a lack of identity and sense of confusion. We’re confronted with a series of familiar scenarios that are thrown off by the “world of numbers.”

Credits

Client Meridian Matthew Seagrim, chief digital & marketing officer; Susan LeBlanc, VP marketing; Donovan Bond, director, creative; Genevieve Ross, project manager; Ghazal Taheri, director, brand; Rebecca Tsonis, sr. strategist, brand; Scott Dane, sr. manager, brand. Agency Elemental Scott Fess, creative director; Dustin Brown, partner, chief strategy officer; Lindsay Chase, sr. strategist. Production Company Impossible Studios Dan French, director; Marco D’Angelo, exec producer; Adrian Cheung, producer; Ben Cotgrove, DP. Production Service Company 247 x Radioaktivefilm Kate Galytska, exec producer; Tadas Vaitmonas, producer; Ieva Billionaite, Aukse Veitaite, production managers; Nerijus Narmontas, production designer; Mindaugas Smolkas, set decorator. Editorial School Editing Monica Remba, editor; Yumi Suyama, exec producer; Erica Giustiniani, editor assistant. Color Harbor Picture Company Alex Gregory, colorist; Charlie Morris, head of color. VFX Pinky Swear James Andrews, VFX artist; Airees Angellakis, producer. Audio Jungle Studios Luke Isom, audio engineer; Phoebe Baltazar, producer. VO Record Grayson Music

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