Since the world we live in is constantly changing, I guess it’s pretty easy to feel that anything from ‘yesterday’ is irrelevent. I recently read a critique of one of my clients’ latest ad campaigns, where the facets included a couple of really cool and interesting microsites. The critical comment said, “Microsites are so five minutes ago.” It made me think, my how some people love to hear themselves talk, even when their words make no sense. Earlier this month, Wieden+Kennedy Portland launched an arguably fascinating initiative for Levi’s called the GoForth campaign, which features the “America” spot I’ve embedded above. There’s a great story on the FWD:labs blog detailing the entire campaign, including highlighting the fact that campaign assets include print work by photographer Ryan McGinley. I learned about this campaign due to it being the commercial editorial debut of Elliot Graham of Rock Paper Scissors, who was nominated for the 2009 Oscar for Best Editing for his artistry on “Milk,” and also due to it featuring visual effects from Patrick Murphy and his colleagues at a52. I believe it’s also the commercial directorial debut of award-winning Anonymous Content writer, director, and cinematographer Cary Fukunaga, whose debut feature film “Sin Nombre” won both the U.S. Dramatic Directing and the U.S. Dramatic Excellence in Cinematography Awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
The fact that this new Levi’s project pools together so many young, extremely promising talents is encouraging to me, and so is the campaign itself. I continue to feel that many of the words written by Walt Whitman offer profoundly important perspectives for living in enlightened ways, and I love how the full palette of cinematic artistry is reflected in the “America” spot. If you surf around and see how others are receiving the campaign, you’ll find some comments that knock it around. In America, that is indeed the price of freedom, which Mr. Whitman understood well. Among my favorite words of his are:
“Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)”
Long live America, and I hope you also enjoy what I consider to be a truly wonderful, timely and uplifting tribute to its multitudes representing this amazing group of ultra-talented people.
Agency: W+K PORTLAND
Creative Directors: Danielle Flagg and Tyler Whisnand
Copywriters: W+K Five
Art Directors: W+K Five
Producer: Jeff Selis
Associate Producer: Juliana Montgomery
Account Team: Maggie Entwistle and Tamera Geddes
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff and Susan Hoffman
Agency Executive Producer: Ben Grylewicz
Business Affairs Manager: Teresa Lutz
Production Company: Anonymous Content
Director: Cary Fukunaga
Executive Producer: Danielle Peretz
Line Producer: Joe Mandarino
Director of Photography: Darren Lew
Editorial Companies: Rock Paper Scissors & Joint Editorial
Editor: Elliot Graham (RPS)
Assistant Editor: Jessica Baclesse
Post Producer: Neil Kopp
Post Executive Producer: Patty Brebner
Executive Producer: Carol Lynn Weaver (RPS)
Producer: Vicki Tripp (RPS)
VFX Company: a52
Colorist: Angus Wall
VFX Supervisor: Pat Murphy
Smoke Artist: Paul Yacono
Flame Support: Scott Johnson
Nuke Artist/Matte Painter: Shahana Khan
Executive Producer: Jennifer Sofio Hall
VFX Producer: Pete King
Sound: “America” poem by Walt Whitman courtesy the Walt Whitman Archive
Music Composer: Owen Pallett and Charles Ives
Artist/Band: Final Fantasy
Album Title: Many Lives 49 MP
Song: The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead (Many Ives Version)
Publishers/Record Company Name: Third Side Music Inc./Peer Music/Third Side Music Inc.
Mix Company: Eleven Sound
Mixer: Jeff Payne
Mixer Producer: Kristin Felt
Assistant Mixer: Ben Freer
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