HOTSHOT FREEDOM FILM 07 May 2008
This week's Hotshot is a timely call to put down arms and end the conflict in Burma. Shilo team up with Ogilvy, MTV and the Burma Arts Board to create a powerful animated PSA in support of the peaceful struggle of the Burmese people.
Opening on an overhead shot of a runway to the strains of a mournful piano score, the camera cuts in close to show a warplane taxing out of its hanger, preparing to take to the skies. Snow falls from the dark night sky as the plane lifts off, the sound of the control room fading below the powerful engines as a dozen or more bombers lock on to their flight path. Rising up through the clouds we see the target site - Burma - as the pilots fall into formation in preparation of the strike. As the bomb doors open and the payload begins to drop through the sky we see that rather than heavy explosives, tens of thousands of flowers are released as a carpet across Burma. A counterpoint melody and a gentle sunset mark a change in tone, the end of one era, suggesting hope for the future.Originally scheduled for network distribution across MTV, the decision was made last minute to postpone general release of the spot out of respect for those who lost their lives in the cyclone that struck over the weekend.Carl Le Blonde, executive creative director of Ogilvy Amsterdam explains how the project came about: "I'd worked with John Jackson, MTV's director of social responsibility on a couple of projects before this - once on a climate change spot and again on a safe sex initiative. A while back he asked if I'd be interested in this Burma campaign he wanted to run and the more I researched the country and the situation there the more I thought 'I have to do this'."Responding to a completely open brief Le Blonde realised the key to the piece was to draw attention to the peaceful protest of the Burmese against the military leadership. Having hit on the idea of inverting the imagery of an aggressive military strike he trawled through reel after reel to find the right directors for the project, and in his hunt he came across Shilo. "I saw the short film they made, 'The War', and that sort of crystallized for me how I wanted the planes to feel and the sort tone we should aim for. I knew they'd be able to bring the authenticity and artfulness that the spot needed."Andre Stringer, Shilo's creative director, says the key lay in creating a distinctive aesthetic. "The storytelling and visual style needed to help reinforce the message," Stinger explains, "so we began by thinking about the sort of experience we wanted to create. We all agreed that a more painterly, gestural approach would suit the piece."Crafted over an epic 9-week production schedule with a huge team of animators, Stringer says the main challenge wasn't technical, but aural. "Finding the right piece of music was an amazing hurdle to overcome," reveals Stringer.. "When we got that part we knew half the work was done. There were technical challenges of course, but the pieces of music were really the milestones on this project."On the topic of the politics of the piece, Stringer points out that support for a cause is no different in his eyes than support for a product or service. "We're certainly not opposed to attaching the Shilo name to something we believe in - that's how we approach all the work we do and this piece was no different. I think as artists we have an amazing contribution to make outside of our commercial work. After all, if we can sell 30,00 cars, then why can't we help the lives of 30 million plus people?"For more info on the Burma Campaign or to send your own flower of support visit the Burma Arts Board website at www.noneofusarefree.org
Click here to view this week's Hotshot - Burma Viral.
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