BMW Films presents “The Escape” exclusively on BMWFilms.com. From Academy Award-nominated director Neill Blomkamp (“District 9,” “Elysium”), the action-packed short film features original BMW Films star and Oscar-nominated actor Clive Owen (“Closer,” “Children of Men”) who reprises his role as The Driver, Dakota Fanning (“War of the Worlds,” “I am Sam”), Jon Bernthal (“The Punisher,” “Daredevil”) and Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga (“The Departed,” “Up in the Air”). The all-new BMW 5 Series sedan serves as Owen’s vehicle of choice and co-star.
“The Escape” is an homage to the 15th anniversary of the critically acclaimed original series, “The Hire,” which included eight short films released in two seasons from 2001-2002. Each of the original BMW Films were directed by some of Hollywood’s best and brightest talent and featured then rising-star Owen as the mysterious Driver hired to complete various missions.
“When we commissioned ‘The Escape,’ our only direction was that the story remain of utmost importance – and that it should live up to the standards set by ‘The Hire,’” said Hildegard Wortmann, Senior Vice President, Brand BMW. “Neill, Clive and the entire cast did a tremendous job and we are confident that ‘The Escape’ not only meets that standard, but sets a new one.”
Along with Owen, BMW brought back Bruce Bildsten as creative director, Brian DiLorenzo as executive producer and David Carter, who in addition to serving as a creative consultant, co-wrote “The Escape” alongside Blomkamp. “The Escape” is also executive produced by the original BMW Films’ creator, Anonymous Content.
Credits
Client BMW Agency Geisel Productions Bruce Bildsten, David Carter, creative directors/writers; Bran DiLorenzo, executive producer; Adam Davis, sr. integrated producer; Patrick O’Brien, producer. Production Anonymous Content Neill Blomkamp, director; Eric Stern, managing director/exec producer; SueEllen Clair, exec producer; Kerry Haynie, head of production; Aristides McGarry, producer; Guy Norris, action supervisor/2nd unit director; Manoel Ferreira, DP; Gerald Sullivan, production designer; Sara D’Alessio, production manager; Jennifer Duffy, production coordinator. Editorial Rock Paper Scissors Angus Wall, supervising editor; Austyn Daines, Julian Clark, Devin Maurer, editors; Martin Hsieh, cutting assistant; Helena Lee, Jennifer Sofio Hall, exec producers; Dina Ciccotello, producer. Music Kristopher Pooley Finishing/VFX a52, Santa Monica, Calif. Patrick Murphy, lead Flame artist; Urs Furrer, Richard Hirst, Michael Plescia, Michael Vagilenty, Adam Flynn, Enid Dalkoff, Cam Combs, Flame artists, Flame artists; Heather Johann, producer; Kim Christensen, head of prodn; Patrick Nugent, EP. (Toolbox: Flame, After Effects) The Embassy VFX, Vancouver, B.C. David Casey, head of commercial prodn; Michael Blackbourn, VFX supervisor; Winston Helgason, EP; Danielle Kinsey, VFX producer; Annie-Claude Lapierre, VFX project mgr; Paul Copeland, asset lead; Karinga Wells, animation rigging; David Pekarek, CG generalist; Dmitri Bajanov, Gueschem Degni, Himanshu Joshi, Simon van de Legemaat, Yonathan Ponce de Leon, Kelsey Ayukawa, Marc-Andre Gray, Nikolai Michaleski, compositors. Main titles Elastic, Santa Monica, Calif. Angus Wall, creative dir; Charles Khoury, art director; Pete Sickbert-Bennet, designer; Dan Meehan, Charles Khoyury, Earl Burnley, animators/compositors; Heather Johann, producer; Kim Christensen, head of prodn; Jennifer Sofio Hall, managing dir.. Color Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist; Rhubie Jovanov, exec producer. Audio Mix Formosa Group Mix Mark Mangini, audio engineer. Sound Design David Whitehead.
How do you top one of the most viral brand videos ever made? Spoiler alert: you can’t. But when Dollar Shave Club tapped Zack Seckler to direct a new campaign to revive the absurdist humor of its iconic launch video, he knew he had a rare opportunity to create something special.
The brief was simple: introduce the concept of a physical “Club” that people would love to join while showcasing Dollar Shave Club’s products and embracing the weird. From script to direction and post, Seckler--an alum of SHOOT’s 2021 New Directors Showcase--was invited to help sculpt that vision.
The result is this “Welcome to the Club” spot which invites us to join a unique, seemingly exclusive but in reality an accessible and affordable fraternity of Dollar Shave Club members. But you need to know the password or more accurately, the two-word phrase--"shave money."
“The Club” campaign brings the brand back to its humorous roots, reflecting a new chapter after being acquired by Nexus Capital Management from Unilever in late 2023. The work takes Dollar Shave Club back to its disruptive beginnings and what made the brand a viral sensation from its inception in 2011.
