In their first major project since entering into a working collaborative relationship, production houses brother and RadicalMedia turned out this short film titled Daughter for Apple in celebration of the Chinese New Year. Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker (Hidden Figures) Theodore Melfi and starring Zhou Xun, one of China’s leading actresses, Daughter is part of Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” series highlighting the filmmaking capabilities of the iPhone 11 Pro. Lawrence Sher, ASC–who’s work on Joker recently earned him a Best Cinematography Oscar nomination–lensed Daughter, capturing sweeping panoramas, intimate closeups and single take ultra wide flashbacks, demonstrating the imagery prowess of the iPhone.
Created by TBWAMedia Arts Lab Shanghai, Daughter is an emotional story of a taxi driver’s (Xun) complicated relationship with the two most important women in her life, her young daughter and her estranged mother. The film examines the changing social norms in China and reflects on the generational differences between traditional families and modern youth. The intergenerational film is a touching drama of family reconnecting for the Chinese New Year.
CreditsClient Apple Agency TBWAMedia Arts Lab, Shanghai Production brother, RadicalMedia Theodore Melfi, director; Lawrence Sher, cinematographer; Rich Carter, exec producer; Patty Tsai, Zoey Zhang, producers. Editorial Giovanni Messner, editor Music Varqa Beuhrer, composer. Actors Xun Zhou, Duo Duo Xu, Ai Li Zhang
Top Spot of the Week: Samsung, BBH Singapore, Director Rhys Thomas Get Fit For A Surf Holiday
Samsung’s new global campaign from BBH Singapore, featuring Samsung Health and Galaxy AI, tells the story of a young professional couple who compete to get fit for a surf holiday.
Titled “A Samsung Health Story: Racing to Fiji,” this film taps into Gen Z’s wellness dilemma and the fact that they can often find health information overwhelming; in particular, BBH Singapore took inspiration from young people who reference their “quarter life crisis” on social media. This film tells the story of Stacey and Steve who decide to go surfing in Fiji, something they did five years ago but haven’t done since they started their jobs. However, there’s one problem: they need to get fitter first.
Featuring a range of Galaxy products powered by Galaxy AI, they rebuild their fitness to prepare for the trip, competing playfully to spur each other on. We see them comparing their Energy Scores (a new feature on the Samsung Health app), recording their runs and swims on their Samsung Galaxy Watches, trying and failing to get fit at work and on their commutes and striving to improve in the run up to the trip. When they get there, however, there’s a fun twist, and the film ends on a cliffhanger.
The ad is expected to be the first in a series, which will develop the characters and their “world” in future episodes. This longform (two-and-a-half-minute) version of the spot delves deeper into the storytelling, in a fresh approach for Samsung’s product campaigns, while the shorter edits focus on driving exposure to specific features.
BBH Singapore also leaned into the entertainment aspect of the spot; it was directed by comedic specialist Rhys Thomas at Stink Films, who has a major TV background. Best known for his work on Saturday Night... Read More