Craig Gillespie of MJZ directed this spot, which is part of DDB Chicago’s new State Farm campaign titled “Here to Help___Go Right.” In this particular spot, the blank is filled in by “Potholes” as a motorist is finally victimized by an infamous pothole that has been wreaking havoc in the town for decades on end. The commercial takes us back to several of those incidents from yesteryear. This trip through history concludes as we return to today’s motorist who luckily is a State Farm customer. He calls upon his insurance agent who comes to the rescue.
The creative in the five spots across the campaign sheds some humorous light on a variety of insurance moments, both expected and unexpected, to show how State Farm and its agents respond when misfortune strikes.
Credits
Client State Farm Agency DDB Chicago Ari Weiss, chief creative officer, North America; John Maxham, chief creative officer, Chicago; Diane Jackson, chief production officer; Mel Routhier, executive creative director; John Hayes, group creative director; Brian Culp, Christoper Bruney, creative directors/art directors; Katie Bero, Adam Cook, creative directors/copywriters; Amy Turner, Mary Cheney, executive producers; Meghan Gross, producer; Jesse Bayer, group strategy director; Amanda Schuneman, strategist. Production MJZ Craig Gillespie, director; Emma Wilcockson, exec producer; Martha Davis, producer. Editorial Whitehouse Matthew Wood, editor; Meaghan Rahamut, assistant editor; Dawn Guzowski, producer. Audio Post Nicholas Papaleo, Justin Mayer, audio engineers; Cameron Aper, audio producer. VFX/Finish Eight VFX Shira Boardman, executive producer; Ryan Dahlman, producer; Jean-Marc Demmer, creative director; Julien Forest, VFX/CG supervisor; Tanner Owen, sr. crowd TD; Leticia Saldana, modeler; Thomas Lopez, rigger; Jaguar Lee, designer; Talia Gleason, lead Flame compositor; Jerry Hall, Nuke compositor. Color Grading Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist; Katie Andrews, color producer. Music Comma Bonny Dolan, exec producer; Leigh Salzman, sr. producer; Peter Schmidt, Matt Kelly, composers.
FCB Health New York, an IPG Health company, and SAFE Project have joined forces to create “The Snowball,” a short film that spotlights winter as a common catalyst for dangerous increases in alcohol consumption. In collaboration with creative studio LOBO, “The Snowball” combines a compelling visual metaphor with cutting-edge animation and a haunting soundtrack from Billie Holiday.
As millions embrace “Dry January,” the onset of colder, shorter winter days still leads to an uptick in alcohol misuse, which can lead to liver cirrhosis and other medical maladies and dangerous consequences for one’s life. Speaking to casual drinkers, “The Snowball” visually illustrates how anyone is at risk of becoming addicted to alcohol during this time of year when external climate variables can lead to excess consumption, even if the drinker does not immediately realize it.
Making good on the metaphor, the film follows one man as a quick liquor run gradually devolves into a full-blown addiction as a snowball gradually grows beside him, engulfing his whole life and eventually causing his demise. Set to the tune of Billie Holiday’s “Everything I Have Is Yours,” the film’s pathos is drawn from the sonic integrity of Holiday’s original recording maintained in the sound design as well as the singer’s tragic battle with substance abuse.
This entirely animated film was created using a hands-on, collaborative process rooted in traditional animation techniques, with every aspect of the artwork creation, design, and craftsmanship crafted entirely by human hands. AI-driven tools and processes were brought in during the animation rendering stage, helping the film achieve a distinct visual style that would have been difficult to achieve through... Read More
