Filmmaker Kasra Farahani, known for his creative work as a concept artist on movies like Marvel’s Black Panther, Allegiant, Insurgent, and Alice in Wonderland, directed this spot for the Square Enix game Final Fantasy XV out of agency Omelet. Titled “Stand Together,” the commercial features Florence + The Machine’s cover of the song “Stand By Me” and encourages the spirit of adventure as four young “David” insurgents tackle an intimidating “Goliath”-like foe.
Farahani directed the commercial through production house Chromista.
Credits
Client Square Enix Agency Omelet Grant Holland, chief creative officer; Josh Smutko, Clemente Bornacelli, creative directors; Tiffany Lam, art director; Ernesto Campabadal, copywriter; Dan Ruth, chief production officer; Caitlin McBride, producer. Production Chromista Kasra Farahani, director; Ross Emery, DP; Sandy Haddad, Ted Robbins, exec producers; Kev Cahill, on-set VFX supervisor. Music “Stand By Me,” Florence + The Machine. Editorial Work Editorial Stewart Reeves, Arielle Zakowski, Keith Hamm, editors; Mario Baird, exec producer; Erik Vogt-Nilsen, assistant editor. Telecine Company 3 Siggy Ferstl, sr. colorist; Matt Moran, exec producer. VFX Luma Pictures, Santa Monica, Calif. Jay Lichtman, managing director; Steven Swanson, sr. VFX producer; Kevin Souls, VFX supervisor; Michael Perdew, production supervisor; Raphael A. Pimentel, animation supervisor; Alexandre Cancardo, 2D supervisor; Catherine Hughes, digital production manager; Andrew Kalicki, Timothy Bond, digital coordinators; Daniel Kepler, technical coordinator; Claire Pereira de Souza, Flame artist; Alex Khan, Eddie Porter, Gian Ignacio Lombardi, Joey Sila, Joe Censoplano, lighters/compositors; Cameron Sorgi, jr. lighter/compositor; Federico La Tona, jr. compositor; Mathieu Aerni, lead character artist; Anthony Grant, lead model/texture artist; Schiller Jean-Louis Jr., Stchen Zhang, Tadao Masuyama, model/texture artist; Marcos D. Romero, character rigging TD; Monika Gelbmann, technical animator; Ari Flesch, Annie Jan, Erica Robinson, John Trudgian, Jeroth Diggenden, Meg Grube, Justin Brunett, Nicolette Kiss. Ross Novak, Tiffany Wang, animators; John Cassella, sr. effects TD; Karl Rogovini, effects TD; Tom Allen, effects artist; Christian Salvador, Meagan Green, Michael North, roto/paint artists; Lenny Gordon, lead tracking/matchmove artist; Ambrose McDuffy, Dominic Francis. tracking/matchmove artists. (Toolbox: Maya, Zbrush, Mari, Nuke, Flame, ftrack, SynthEyes, PFTrack) Music/Sound Barking Owl Kelly Bayett, creative director; Houston Fry, music editor; Michael Anastasi, sound designer; KC Dossett, producer. Audio Post Lime Jeff Malen, audio mixer; Lisa Mermelstein, audio assistant; Susie Boyajan, exec producer.
The 2024 Christmas ad from John Lewis department stores has arrived. This year’s much anticipated TV commercial, continuing the Xmas tradition of John Lewis, is the two-minute “The Gifting Hour" created by Saatchi & Saatchi UK and directed by Francois Rousselet via production house Riff Raff.
In the ad, the heroine, Sally, has left it a little late to find the right gift for her sister this year and races into a John Lewis store at closing time. Falling through a rack of dresses, she enters a fantastical world. We first see her stumbling out of the wardrobe in the attic of her childhood home and from here we are taken on a whimsical journey through her memories as she searches for the ultimate present, against the clock.
Returning to the store and back to reality she has found the perfect gift, ready and wrapped. Sally then heads outside and has a special moment with her sister who will be the gift’s recipient. As they walk away we see her sister reflected in the John Lewis window as the child from her memories.
