IDENTITY.director Laurent Chanez completed a short film to kick off Benetton’s new Unhate advertising campaign. The emotionally charged piece for the Italian retailer debuted in Paris November 16, 2011 at an event unveiling the brand’s Unhate initiative created to oppose and undermine hate culture in society. The short film, along with :15 and :30 cut-downs will be airing globally in-cinema, on television and online.
Executing a concept developed by Benetton’s internal agency Fabrica in collaboration with 72andSunny, Chanez shot the “Unhate” film that explores the fine balance between love and hate, juxtaposing compelling images of people from all walks of life embracing, fighting, rioting and kissing. Set to a soulful instrumental strings track composed by Kouz, the film was prepped, shot and finished in the nearly impossible schedule of 12 days. The film was shot in Prague, and director Chanez credits the talents of an amazing team that included line producer Claire Barnier, assistant director Fred Monnet and DP Arnaud Potier for working tirelessly to create the final clip.
“The timeline on this project was crazy, but we got it all done and it was well worth it in the end. We didn’t have a ton of equipment or lighting, and our set ups were all very fast. We were able to move around quickly with an agency creative team who gave us the flexibility to keep moving forward on what was a very ambitious three days of shooting, with a cast of over 40 principles plus extras,” said Chanez. “The casting was crazy, I think I got to see half of Prague kissing.”
“It was not an easy feat to get done, but we did it. It would not have worked if everyone involved wasn’t in sync. The agency was great and rolled with all of the punches. Laurent and the creative team saw eye-to-eye right from the beginning. You hear those cliches all of the time that less time to prep usually creates the best work , and in this case, I would have to agree,” said Joe Masi, executive producer and owner, IDENTITY.
The “Unhate” short film was unveiled by Benetton on November 16, 2011 at a launch event in Paris. To tease the film, the agency released a highly-publicized controversial outdoor print campaign showing doctored photos of influential political figures including Barack Obama, Hu Jintao and Benjamin Netanyahu in intimate embraces posted in Tel-Aviv, Rome, Milan, New York City and Paris. Benetton has also set up a digital kiss wall, encouraging consumers to contribute photos of themselves, and has pledged to collect bullets in hot war zones to be made into a dove sculpture that will be donated to a North African nation.
CREDITS
Agency: 72andSunny
Client: Benetton
Creative Direction, 72andSunny: Carlo Cavallone
Agency: Fabrica
Creative Direction, Fabrica: Eric Ravelo
Creative Director/Designer: Paulo Martins
Design Director/Partner: Robert Nakata
Brand Director: Judson Whigham
Brand Manager: Frederic Point
Print Producer: Maria Perez
Designer Wendy Richardson
Retouching: Loupe Digital Imaging
Retoucher: Gareth Jones
Retoucher: Guillaume Koening
Film Producer: Ellen Pot
Director/Film Production: Sam Baerwald
Prod. Co.: IDENTITY.
Director: Laurent Chanez
Exec Producer: Joe Masi
Line Producer: Claire Barnier
DOP: Arnaud Potier
Post Production: Mikros Image
Editor: Mario Battistel
Exec. Producer: Fabrice Damolini
Post Production: Elise Dutartre
Post Producer: Sandrine de Monte
Color Correction: Sebastian Mingam
Music and Audio Mix: Kouz Productions
Executive Producer: Gregorie Couzinier
Executive Producer: Thomas Couzinier
Composer/Arranger: Frederic Kooshmanian
Sound Engineer: Bruno Porret
Musician: Anne Gravoin
Musician: David Braccini
Musician: Emmanuel Blanc
Musician: Ericmaria Couturier
About IDENTITY./b>
In a world where sameness is on the rise, IDENTITY.wins by imprinting every project with visual sophistication and refreshing individuality. Leveraging a highly-sought after directorial roster, Owner/EP Joe Masi has made his mark on award-winning work for Nintendo, Honda, Budweiser, 7UP, Tommy Hilfiger, Infiniti, and Gucci. IDENTITY.fosters and supports an environment where creativity can flourish. Headlining the visual-style genre, IDENTITY.s directors cover the complete range of storytelling and effects. IDENTITY.s directorial roster includes: Anthony Atanasio, Javier Blanco, Laurent Chanez, Scott Corbett, Pierluca de Carlo, Sophie Caretta, Mathilde De L’ecotais, Fortune Cookie, Leo Kocking, Robert Leacock and Andrew Walton. www.IDENTITY.d.com
