Part of Droga5 NY’s new brand platform, “More Is Made By The Many,” for Hennessy V.S.O.P. cognac, this 30-second film, “Take a Seat,” invites viewers to a shared mindset brought to life with one ever-expansive table, made up of many unique tables.
In a seamless, one-take camera move, we travel through this table to unlock a borderless world, showcasing the magic that comes when people from different walks of life gather around Hennessy V.S.O.P to share, converse and ultimately be made better by one another. The film was directed by the Sportscar trio (Ariel Fish, Lucy Sandler, C Prinz) via production company Florence.
Credits
Client Hennessy V.S.O.P. Agency Droga5 NY Tim Gordon, Felix Richter, co-chief creative officers; Alexander Nowak, global head of art; Marco Howell, group creative director; Haywood Watkins III, creative director; Mia Rafowitz, copywriter; Cara Cecchini, art director; Albie Eloy, associate design director; Olivia Piazza, designer; Ruben Mercadal, associate director of film production; Roger Moran, sr. producer, film; Hugh Copeland, associate producer, film; Mike Ladman, sr. music supervisor; Brad Nayman, Angela Asistio, music supervisors; Harry Roman-Torres, chief brand strategy officer; Drew Simel, strategy director; Justin Clagette, intercultural context director. Production Company Florence Sportscar, director; Logan Triplett, DP; Jarad Anderson, founder/exec producer; Matt Griffo, exec producer; Sophie Brooks, producer; Brielle Hubert, production designer. Casting Tiffany Casting Editorial Cut+Run Jonnie Scarlett, editor; Chrissy Doughty, assistant editor; Marcia Wigley, head of production. Postproduction The Mill New York Mandy Harris, exec producer; Tanya Ferguson, sr. producer; Chanelle Larios, producer; Antoine Douadi, Keith Sullivan, VFX supervisors/2D lead compositors; Dhruv Shankar, 2D compositor; Nasser Mandavi, Jiin You, Katelyn Veneman, 2D compositors/2D assists; Nick Metcalf, colorist; Arsen Arzumanyan, previz; Eva Kuehlmann, CG lead; Charles Lee, DMP; Andre Vidal Vi Nguyen, finish. (Toolbox: Nuke, Maya) Music Ear Candy “A Kid Named Turbo,” soundtrack. Sound Wave Studios Aaron Reynolds, Chris Afzal, Isaac Matus, sound designers/mixers; Vicky Ferraro, exec producer; Eleni Giannopoulos, producer.
PETA’s “My First Lab Animal” is a parody commercial that feels straight out of the 1990s. Directed by Fons Schiedon of Golden LA, this is the fourth time that the filmmaker has joined forces with PETA and its creative director, Christian Carl, to spread messages of compassion towards animals. Previous ventures from this team include the Super Bowl Spot “Don’t Stand For Injustice.”
Complete with a catchy, cheerful jingle, “My First Lab Animal” is “the toy that toys with life.” Blending dark comedy with sitcom-style acting and fully functional toys, this spoof from PETA is as hilarious as it is horrifying. In “My First Lab Animal,” the plasticine glee of 1990s toy commercials is the perfect Trojan Horse for conveying the ever-present horrors of animal testing and experimentation. The grim realities are playfully acted out by a child and her parents having fun with a new toy, drawing out the tension between optimistic earnestness and animal cruelty. Targeting Millennial nostalgia, this film from PETA leans into the generational transition as this demographic largely includes toy-shopping parents. “My First Lab Animal” premiered on Fox News, TV Land, MTV, and Adult Swim.
Schiedon said, “The key to the humor and tension with this film was that we were playing it earnestly. Leaning into the cheesy, sincere 90s toy commercial elements of it—including practical toys—let us bring some of the truly harsher realities of animal testing to life with this important film for PETA. This will hopefully serve as a wake-up call for consumers and the NIH [National Institutes of Health] alike.”
