Insight into Culture
Ann-Christine Diaz, Creativity Editor at Ad Age, Katja Behnke, Executive Creative Director at Digitas Pixelpark, Liz Una, a director of independent films, Maurizio Von Trapp, Head of Music at Academy Films, and Jimmy Smith, Founder of Amusement Park Entertainment, discuss culture with purpose.
Una’s pick is the #moviepostermovie campaign by Pereira O’Dell for Adobe, featuring British actress Florence Pugh as a spoiled influencer in a pre-digital world. “It’s a piece of entertainment in its own right. There’s no product placement in it and it’s a very risky film for them to make because there isn’t branding throughout. It feels like a very pure piece of film,” she says. “We want to see more work like this.”
Von Trapp chose Heroist by Stink Films for Apparat, a dystopian music video which moves rapidly through what could be either a narrative or a series of interconnected still images. Praising the cast, editing and costume design, he felt it paired perfectly with the track it was created for. “We’re looking at craft if it’s fit for purpose… Is there something fresh and new looking at this, there was this whole world that had been created with what I imagine to be a lot of budget restrictions,” he says.
The piece of entertainment that gets you to pay attention and drop what you’re doing – that's a good piece of entertainment
Generation Lockdown for March of Our Lives by McCann New York draws out the absurdity of the sadly real need for school shooter drills, by having a child run adults through the steps to be taken in the event of an active shooter event. “The piece of entertainment that gets you to pay attention and drop what you’re doing – that's a good piece of entertainment,” says Smith.
Behnke chose History Blocks by Africa For UNESCO which used Minecraft to rebuild monuments destroyed in conflict in their digital space and utilised educational tools within the game to teach younger generations about their lost heritage. “This part of history is safe, and it will grow and will be protected,” she notes. “20 or 30 years ago we couldn’t have done this and what I find impressive is the gamification of this.”
Final Form by Ninja Tune for Sampa the Great is chosen by Von Trapp who loves this simple video, which was shot by a Black director in the country Sampa grew up in, Zambia. He cites the palpable authenticity of this video as being down to diversity and honesty in its making.
Created in partnership with Adobe
