Saatchi & Saatchi L.A. launched a new series of short films for Toyota playing with the concept of time.
The sci-fi themed efforts include a woman who appears to age based on the speed of her Prius and a man trapped in a curious loop while driving his Camry around a roundabout. Directed by Vania Heymann, each of the spots takes a different sci-fi influenced concept, toying with time in surreal ways while utilizing Toyota vehicles as the setting for the stories.
Saatchi & Saatchi L.A. creative director Daniel Barak explained that the branded content was designed specifically for the cinema, telling The Drum, “We wanted to transport the audience in ways that aren’t possible in a traditional TV spot, and also respect the moment that our audience is in. I personally don’t like seeing regular ads when I’m in cinema mode, just because someone had an extra media buy.”
“The films stand alone, but feel cohesive with the surreal ‘time travel’ theme. We wanted to draw our viewers in,” he added. “The goal was to get audiences emotionally invested in our characters and stories, which capture the spirit of ‘Let’s Go Places’ in unexpected and thought-provoking ways.”
The spots will also run online, albeit without any paid media push.
Barak cited Charlie Booker‘s Black Mirror series, Back to the Future, Groundhog Day, Benjamin Button and Argentinian director Damián Szifron‘s 2014 anthology film Wild Tales as influences.
“From the very beginning of the project, the creative process was a full collaboration between director Vania Heymann and myself. We came up with the concept for the series, and then wrote the stories,” he added.
Credits:
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles
Executive Producer: Rodrigo Vargas
Chief Creative Officer: Jason Schragger
Executive Creative Director: Fabio Costa
Creative Director: Daniel Barak
Art Director: Alice Blastorah
Copywriter: Shiran Teitelbaum
Executive Producer: Rodrigo Vargas
Production Company: Iconoclast
Director: Vania Heymann
EP & Managing Director: Charles-Marie Anthonioz
Executive Producer: Jean Mougin
Producer: Natan Schottenfels
Line Producer: Patti Getker
Director of Photography: Michael Ragen
Editor: Gal Muggia
Grade: Company 3
Post Production: Gravity Films
Sound Design: Soundhouse
Colourist: Sofie Borup
VFX Supervisor: Itay Schiff
Sound Designer: Assa Raviv