Oscar-winning director (La La Land) Damien Chazelle takes the plunge with this short film centered on a Hollywood stunt man whose parachute fails to open during a leap from a skyscraper. The man’s life then flashes before our eyes as he recalls a life of thrills, adventure and suspense performing all manner of stunts, some death-defying, in movies dating back to the silent era.
Titled “The Stunt Double,” the film–lensed vertically–is the latest installment of Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign. In this case the cinematographer is Linus Sandgren who too earned an Oscar for La La Land.
Chazelle directed via Superprime Films, the production house which handles him in the branded arena, for agency Media Arts Lab.
Credits
Client Apple Agency Media Arts Lab Brent Anderson, chief creative officer; Brian O’Rourke, executive director, film & content production; Chuck Monn, group creative director; Paul Wysocan, creative director; Adam Alshin, creative director, art director; Margaret Nickerson, executive producer; Ian Kelly, sr. producer. Production Superprime Films Damien Chazelle, director; Rebecca Skinner, Michelle Ross, exec producers; Carr Donald, line producer; Nick Shandra, production supervisor; Linus Sandgren, DP; Shane Valentino, production designer; April Napier, costume designer; Sean Graham, stunt coordinator. Music Lorne Balfe, composer. Editorial Exile Shane Reid, editor; CL Kumpata, exec producer.
Director Marc André Debruyne--who’s handled by production house Open Swim for U.S. representation--brings Coca-Cola’s legacy of celebrating holiday traditions to life in this campaign spotlighting Filipino Balikbayan boxes. The spot--out of Toronto agencies Taxi and VML--features Tita Rosita, owner of the oldest Filipino-Canadian grocery store in Toronto, whose much-adored shop was wrapped like a massive Coca-Cola-themed Balikbayan box as she prepared hundreds of boxes for customers to send their loved ones, with Coca-Cola paying for the boxes and the cost of shipping them to the Philippines. The spot is a testament to the brand’s prevailing facilitation of cultural and generational connectivity, especially during the holiday season.
The collaborative project--produced by Toronto production company MOWAD--was particularly special for Debruyne, who’s Filipino, because of the large presence of Filipino crew members on set. “It’s a totally surreal feeling when a work project crosses over into your personal life. It’s not too often that happens,” shares Debruyne. “The number of Balikbayan boxes I’ve sent home since I was a child, being surrounded by so many Filipinos on set – both crew and cast, and even being served pancit by Tita Rosita for lunch (and getting yelled at after because I didn’t have seconds) brought back so many wonderful memories of my mom. It was such a fun vibe on set. This wasn’t even a job, it was truly something special.”
