In this brand film from Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., HP tells the story of a quieter, more introverted woman who struggles to be seen and heard in her meetings because of failing technology. Without technology that supports collaboration, she struggles to communicate her thoughts and ideas in a hybrid office environment.
Directed by Nick Ball of MJZ, “No Thought Left Behind” tells the story of her idea–represented by a scrunched-up paper ball. The paper ball is seemingly lost but manages to defy the odds to find its way back to her enabling her to confidently deliver her idea via the enhanced features of HP Presence Meeting Space Solutions.
HP Presence allows people to truly feel connected and work together whether in the office or working remotely. With enhanced audio, video, and software embedded in HP PCs, peripherals, displays, and new meeting space solutions, HP Presence makes hybrid work teams feel like they’re in the same room together. That way no one goes unnoticed or unheard–and no thought gets left behind.
Using features like AI noise cancellation on PCs, auto-room calibration, and 4K cameras that automatically capture facial expressions, devices with HP Presence offer meeting participants an end-to-end solution for sharing ideas.
An excellent example of producing in a new hybrid world, the film was shot with a tight team on the ground in Budapest, including director Ball, while the majority of the team joined virtually. Ball and the team made full use of the city to really bring to life the lost paper ball’s journey back to the film’s heroine.
Credits
Client HP Agency Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, ore. Eric Baldwin, executive creative director; Christen Brestrup, Bertie Scrase, creative directors; Chris Cavalieri, art director; Mike Lopez, copywriter; Matt Hunnicutt, director of production; Mauricio Granado, sr. producer lead; Charleston Chambers, associate producer; Christina Kim, Mimi Munoz, creative operations; David Chathas, James Aloysisus, Beth Schuenemann, Katie Custis, Phillip Kim, Abby Dergazarian, designers; Henry Lambert, Lauren Ivory, Bianna Nikdel, strategic planning; Jeff Ackley, Adam Sirkin, Ryan Jacobson, Daniel Finn, Oliver Rokoff, motion design. Production MJZ Nick Ball, director; David Zander, president/exec producer; Emma Wilcockson, exec producer; Karen Chan, line producer; Masanobu Takayanaki, DP; Judit Csuti Varga, production design/art direction. Editorial Final Cut LA Jeff Buchanan, editor; Evan Bluestein, Emalee Arroyo, Sabra Stratton, assistant editors; Taylor S. Rousseau, post producer; Suzy Ramirez, post exec producer. VFX KEVIN Tim Davies, executive creative director; Steve Gibbons, 2D lead artist; Ben Smith, Gareth Parr, Rob Winfield, Steve Cokonis, Susanne Scharping, 2D artists; Jami Schakel, sr. VFX producer; Louise Bloomfield, VFX coordinator; Sue Troyan, sr. exec producer; Pete Smith, shoot supervisor. Color Company 3 NY Sofie Friis Borup, colorist; Alexandra Lubrano, colorist. Voiceover Marissa Holmes Music Walker Music Sara Matarazzo, Stephanie Pigott, exec producers; Danielle Soury, producer.
Dancer turned director Ezra Hurwitz collaborates with Ailey II artistic director Francesca Harper, featuring movement as museum pieces against the Whitney Museum of American Art’s striking architecture for this short film titled Echoes of Ailey. Commissioned to celebrate “Edges of Ailey” at the Whitney Museum, the film accompanies the first large-scale exhibition on the life and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey. “Edges of Ailey” is currently on view at the Whitney until February 9.
Animating iconic images from Alvin Ailey’s 20th-century repertory, the film expands on the exhibition by constructing a visual narrative around his storytelling and influences. Set to Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place,” dancers from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and The Ailey School capture the emotional core of the company’s history--physically situating Ailey’s masterworks amongst the Whitney’s collection.
“As a child, my grandmother took me to Ailey’s Revelations once a year,” said Hurwitz. “No matter how often I saw it, the work captivated me. There isn’t one specific thing I hope viewers take away from the film--or one way to interpret its images. It’s meant to be an abstract work, like Ailey’s creations.”
Turning to his archive, Hurwitz and Harper illuminate key sequences symbolic of Ailey’s profound legacy, closing on an uninterrupted sequence from "I’ve Been Buked," the opening movement of Ailey’s legendary "Revelations." Carrying a watershed moment back to its own medium, Echoes of Ailey captures the multigenerational impact of Ailey’s work, continued by his organization. The short film first premiered on Nowness.
