Sometimes it feels like the anthemic, big-production, "Look at who we are and what we do" spot is a thing of the past. Of course, it isn't. It certainly lives on in the short movies that brands occasionally make to yell to the world. In fact, this latest video in Intel's "Visibly Smart" campaign, produced by Amsterdam Worldwide, comes round to a more direct promotion than it initially seems. But it does so in the context of a mini documentary that is genuinely interesting to watch and perfectly crafted. It tells the story of a pair of young Chinese wedding photographers. Speaking in Chinese, they tell us how they created a business from their hobby, while the scene moves from photo shoot to photo shoot, creating a montage of the two at work. They are a creative, energetic, imaginative and attractive couple. They talk of the changes that have taken place in Chinese society in recent years, which is reinforced onscreen with plenty of shots of young married couples in unorthodox but pretty wedding photos. They move on to a more philosophical discussion of how creative work can free your mind. But wait—at around the fifth minute, they pause to point out that digital photo files are really big, and how it's lucky that processing speeds have increased so much that even the largest image is easy to manipulate. A word from our sponsor? Brands and creatives at agencies must struggle with this all the time: Leave out the "sell," and the brand could be accused of pretentiousness. Sell the product, and hear the groans of "Oh, they're just trying to sell us stuff." In this case, they got it right. The mention of the faster processors is relevant to the subject and, most important, makes this joyful short documentary feel honest, which in turn reflects well on the brand.
CREDITS
Client: Intel
Agency: Amsterdam Worldwide, Amsterdam
Spot: "Kitty & Lala"
Executive Creative Director: Richard Gorodecky
Senior Copywriters: Martin Beswick, Gillian Glendinning
Art Director: Daniel Peiron
Copywriter: Karen Cardy
Producers: Jordan Kelly, Annabel van Ditmar
Account Team: Hazel Livingstone, Desislava Staykova
General Production Company: Sun Her Village Media, Beijing
Executive Producers: Wen Ni, Shuping Qiu
Shoot Production Company: The Bag Ladies, Beijing
Executive Producer: Kelvin Mak
Line Producer: Jane Zheng
Director: Qiao Li
Composer: Julian Langdon
Director of Photography: Julien Deldyck
Post-Production: The Bag Ladies (Offline Editing)
Post-Production: Vision Unit, Beijing (Online & Flame)
Audio Post-Production: Keith Thomas/Alchemy Post, Melbourne