“On My Way,” Microsoft’s new global branding campaign, has started with viral videos shot in four countries that document the way Microsoft helps young people develop their careers through the training programs it runs. The videos were created by McCann Worldgroup and produced by Chelsea, bicoastal.
In “Natalie,” a 90 second film, a young woman from the U.K. explains how the Microsoft Learning Center helped her start a fashion business “and make my dream become a reality.” Natalie is shown singing in a recording studio and then sewing dresses in her shop as she discusses the impact Microsoft has made on her life.
“Testing revealed that what was impactful was when we see real people’s stories and how Microsoft helped them,” said Matthew Winks, VP/executive producer at McCann. “We made the decision to go in the documentary direction, with films about people and their potential and how Microsoft helps them in crucial moments of their lives with free classes and access to technology.”
Films were shot in the U.K., Germany, France and Australia in August and September, with the subjects found by contacting the Microsoft programs in each country. “Microsoft got us in touch with them and we did street casting among the kids and chose the ones with the most compelling stories,” said Allison Amon, an executive producer at Chelsea.
A series of films were made in each country, with footage from each shoot combined to make five-minute documentaries, which were cut into individual profiles that run 30 and 90 seconds. “If it was visually compelling enough, we made it into a short piece,” said director Chris Wilcha of Chelsea. “In Berlin, a skateboarder navigating through the city created a nice metaphor for forward motion. We deployed it in the documentary and in quick :30 form. It had a nice abstract quality. We were always balancing both, knowing it could be short form or long form.”
Wilcha shot the films with a Panasonic VariCam, “live action documentary style, not hand held. It was reality style, more composed.”
Wilcha interviewed the subjects as he shot them, trying to get them to be “philosophical about their futures.” It wasn’t easy, since they didn’t always speak English. “We tried it with a translator sitting with me in another room with an ear piece in my ear. It wasn’t easy getting an intimate conversation going with a translator.”
But the result is an extensive campaign that is playing the films online and TV across Europe and in Australia. The films play at individual sites in each of the four countries and at a general site for Europe, http://www.onmywayeu.com. The campaign isn’t running in the U.S. yet, but Winks said, “We’ll shoot more work for other countries.”
The campaign doesn’t focus on Microsoft products. “They sell lots of products–this is bigger than that,” Winks said. “It’s part of their corporate citizenship campaign.”
“Sentimental Value” Tops The European Film Awards With 6 Wins, Including Best Picture and Director
Sentimental Value was the big winner at the 38th European Film Awards on Saturday evening (1/17) in Berlin. The feature took home six awards from the European Film Academy--best European film, best director for Joachim Trier, best screenwriter for Trier and Eskil Vogt, best actress for Renate Reinsve, best actor for Stellan Skarsgard, and best original score for composer Hania Rani. Also enjoying a highlight evening was director and co-writer Oliver Laxe’s Sirat which dominated the crafts categories with five awards--for best cinematographer (Mauro Herce), editor (Cristobal Fernandez), production designer (Laia Ateca), sound designer (Laia Casanovas), and casting director (Nadia Acimi, Luis Bertolo, Maria Rodrigo). Here’s a full rundown of the winners: European Film: SENTIMENTAL VALUE (titled AFFEKSJONSVERDI in Norwegian) (Norway, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden) – directed by Joachim Trier, produced by Maria Ekerhovd, Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Juliette Schrameck, Nathanaël Karmitz, Elisha Karmitz, Fionnuala Jamison, Sisse Graum Jørgensen, Lizette Jonjic, Janine Jackowski, Jonas Dornbach, Maren Ade, Atilla Salih Yücer & Lars Thomas Skare European Documentary: FIUME O MORTE! (Croatia, Slovenia, Italy), directed by Igor Bezinović European Animated Feature Film: This award is presented in co-operation with CARTOON, the European Association of Animation Film. ARCO (France), directed by Ugo Bienvenu European Director: Joachim Trier for SENTIMENTAL VALUE (AFFEKSJONSVERDI) European Actress: WINNER: Renate Reinsve in SENTIMENTAL VALUE (AFFEKSJONSVERDI) European Actor: Stellan Skarsgård in SENTIMENTAL VALUE... Read More