Dee Rees directed and wrote via production house Anonymous Content this sci-fi :60, “The Box,” for Walmart out of Saatchi & Saatchi NY. The project re-teamed the filmmaker with her fellow Oscar nominees and Mudbound collaborators, cinematographer Rachel Morrison, ASC, and actress Mary J. Blige. Rees partnered with MPC to bring to life a playful, touching and out-of-this world film — even developing a scary monster straight from the imagination of a child.
The :60 premiered during Sunday’s (3/4) Academy Awards telecast.
Walmart asked filmmakers Rees, Melissa McCarthy and Nancy Meyers to each direct a :60 inspired by Walmart’s blue shipping box.
For Rees, the box contains a girl’s imagination which has her back and forth between a sci-fi world and her reality at home.
“This was an incredible opportunity for Dee to write and direct a branded film,” said Eric Stern, Anonymous Content managing director and partner. “Walmart was a terrific creative partner who wholeheartedly embraced and supported her vision from start to finish.”
Credits
Client Walmart Agency Saatchi & Saatchi NY Javier Campopiano, chief creative officer; Wayne Best, Alex Lea, executive creative directors; Jenny Read, director of integrated production; Dean Shoukas, Diane Barton, executive producers;. Production Anonymous Content Dee Rees, writer, director; Eric Stern, managing director; Lori Stonebraker, exec producer; Kerry Haynie, head of production; Jessica Cooper, producer; Ena Nic, production supervisor; Rachel Morrison, DP; Colleen Atwood, costume designer; Hanna Beachler, production designer. Editorial Exile NY Shane Reid, editor; Vietan Nguyen, producer (NY); Brittany Carson, producer (L.A.). VFX MPC Camila De Biaggi, managing director; Matthew Loranger, exec producer; Sandra Eklund, producer; Jessica Rowley, production assistant; Alvin Cruz, creative director; Vadim Turchin, VFX supervisor; 3D lead; Eric Robertson, VFX supervisor; Rob Walker, Iain Murray, 2D lead; Mike Little, Tiago Dias, 3D lead; Tobey Lindback, Renato Carone, Adam Yost, Alejandro Taylor, Giulia Bartra, Guillaume Weiss, Vivek Tekale, S. Samson Samuel, Ragesh R, 2D team; Alejandro Echeverry, Jimmy San, Mike Lombardo, Madeline Jackson, Graeme Revell, Jacob Fradkin, Zhao Wang, Francisco Fraga, Jemmy Molero, Roberto Maki, Wesley Schneider, Sue Jang, Jamie German, Michael Marsek, David Bryan, Neil Miller, Justin Braun, Flavia Minnone, Matthew Gifford, Morten Solgaard, Simon Legrand, Tushar Kewlani, Parineeta Jasiwal, Jyoti Prakash Panda, Pritesh Krishnappa Kotian, Kalaiarasu P, SelvaKumar k, Bakiyaraj P, Vamsi Krishna, Sachin Sureshrao Dhapudkar, 3D team; Olivier Silven, Tyler Gibb, Roger Hom, Edvin Cindrak, design. Color MPC Houman Abdallah, colorist; Tanner Hladek, color assistant; Meghan Lang, exec producer; Rebecca Boorsma, Elyse Robinson, producers.
When dozens of Klick Health team members said they wouldn’t be able to hug loved ones over the festive season, the agency turned to AI and other magic to orchestrate a series of sentimental, surprise reunions captured in its “Holiday Hugs” video. The heartwarming four-minute video, benefitting the D.C.-based Foundation for Social Connection (F4SC), parallels recent findings from a Maru/Blue Public Opinion survey commissioned by Klick.
The poll found 74 percent of Americans and Canadians won’t be able to hug at least one person they wish they could over the holidays. And like those in the video, survey participants cited geographical distance and loved ones having passed away as the leading factors preventing their hugs.
“I just wish I could really squeeze her right now,” says teary-eyed New York Klickster Kari Bocassi watching her AI-generated hug with her sister Marlene, moments before she bursts onto the set for a long in-person embrace. The siblings have spent the past 14 years caring for their mother since her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but haven’t been together for the holidays since Marlene moved to Virginia. Similarly, Toronto’s Fred Duarte gets the bear hug of his life when his brother Rico, who lives in Brazil, walks into Klick’s production studio for their first holiday reunion in seven years.
Directed by James Cooper via Cooper Films, “Holiday Hugs” also taps into the fact that hugs don’t just make people feel better emotionally, they also have numerous health benefits. According to the National Institutes of Health, hugs can lower blood pressure and boost the immune system.
“There’s nothing quite like the warmth and reassurance of a heartfelt hug,” said Klick’s chief creative officer Rich Levy. “With ‘Holiday... Read More
