90-Second
P.S.A. from MTV, Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam, Shilo and
The Burma Arts Board Debuts Worldwide to Drive Aid and
Awareness for Burma Crisis
link to a 16:9 version
NEW YORK and DEL MAR, CA. - (May 15, 2008) - The filmmakers
from creative production company Shilo (www.shilo.tv)
recently collaborated with an extraordinary group of
individuals and organizations to create a powerful animated
:90 public service announcement (PSA). The piece,
entitled "Burma Viral" uses footage of
warplanes bombing Burma with flowers as a dramatic
call-to-action, inviting viewers to visit a new Burma Arts
Board website, noneofusarefree.org, where they can send
messages of support to the people of Burma in honor of
their continuing struggles against the notorious practices
of their oppressive military government, learn more about
the devastating effects caused by the recent cyclone, and
find ways to contribute to relief efforts.
Uniting the talents of Shilo with those of Carl Le Blond,
Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather
Amsterdam, John Jackson, Director of Social Responsibility,
MTV Networks, Suki Dusanj, Founder of The Burma Arts Board,
activist Sam Roddick and others, the provocative film
debuted today on participating MTV networks worldwide, via
countless video-sharing websites around the globe, and in
New York's Times Square, where it will be screened
throughout the day on MTV's 25-by-40 foot HD Jumbotron near
44th Street. "As Cyclone Nargis tore across Burma, the
world witnessed one of the worst natural disasters in
history," said Suki Dusanj. "Since then, the world
has watched the military Junta block aid from reaching
those who need it so desperately. It is our hope that
this Burma Viral will circulate around the world and into
Burma, and bring about the changes necessary to make the
aid and rescue efforts effective – and to allow the Burmese
people the freedom to enjoy the civil liberties they
deserve."
"This spot somehow talks directly to the emotions we feel
about the current humanitarian crisis in Burma," said John
Jackson. "We know that people desperately need help
and we also know it is not reaching them. The
narrative conjures up a task force that brings a powerful
message of support to the people of Burma, and an urgent
appeal to donate to the international relief effort."
Continuing, Jackson explained, "As the hours and days pass,
the need grows greater and so too will the aid that is
required. A humanitarian disaster is slowly turning
into a catastrophe. If at times like this we can use
the particular skills we have to help, then the creative
power of Shilo and Ogilvy have been brought together at
full force to get funds to those that need it. MTV
are proud to be part of this collaboration."
"Since long before this disaster occurred, the people of
Burma have been oppressed: They have not been free to
express themselves," began Shilo co-founder, creative
director and director André Stringer. "Speaking on
behalf of a group of individuals who make art everyday for
our livelihoods, we place a tremendous value on personal
expression. So when Carl contacted us, shared his
script and asked if we wanted to direct it, we jumped at
the chance. We immediately realized that this project
could help to make a difference for a nation of more than
55 million people being denied the rights we take for
granted – and that it would be the most important piece of
work we've ever created.
"After the cyclone hit," Stringer went on, "we realized we
could make some slight changes to the film and the campaign
site, and possibly have an even greater positive impact on
the people of Burma at a time when their needs are even
more desperate."
The project began as a dialogue between Le Blond and
Jackson. Last year, Le Blond wrote a script, and since
then, had been searching for the right production partner.
"I had this script which, though I thought worked,
would have been prohibitively expensive to execute, just
because of the scale implications involved," said Le Blond.
"Then as I started thinking of other ways to try to make
it, I spotted a film by Shilo which just took my fancy.
When I spoke with Shilo, there was an immediate
understanding of what we were trying to do." According to
Tracy Chandler, Executive Producer for Shilo, things
clicked quickly from there. "There was no pretense,
there was no negotiation," she said. "Everybody was
in and everybody was excited, and we all knew that the film
had to touch people so that they'd want to share it with
others and get involved in the cause."
Since the film's imagery would have been impractical to
obtain via live-action cinematography, Shilo chose a very
multi-media approach. The visual content was created by
Shilo's artists using Autodesk Maya for 3D, QUBE for
managing renders, Mental Ray for rendering, Adobe Photoshop
for texturing, Adobe After Effects for compositing, and
Final Cut Pro for editing. Reflecting a great amount
of audio research, concepting and exploration by Shilo's
team, the PSA's soundtrack was ultimately performed and
mastered by the artists at Amsterdam-based Good Sounds.
"The crux of the film's story is based in juxtaposition and
surprise: An ominous set-up gives way to hope. The
flowers are the perfect icon for that," Stringer said.
"My favorite shot involves a really close-up shot of
a flower fluttering in front of the camera, where the
camera has a lot of shake on it. Seeing that scene
made me realize that the flowers had already become
characters for us, like they were paratroopers falling on
D-Day. Some look really lyrical, beautiful and fluid, and
some of them dive with intensity. To me, it's really
cool to be able to take something like a flower and let it
become a paratrooper – or a performer that can poetically
deliver a powerful message, as these do." Jose Gomez, who
along with Stringer is co-founder, creative director and
director for Shilo, shared his own perspective on this
project. "An important goal for each of us, in every
project we take on, is getting people to think," he said.
"This project is the ultimate example of that.
As directors, we generally regard ourselves as
provocateurs, but in this case, we're actually activists,
hoping that those who see this film will help us to make
positive differences for the people of Burma."
"From the very beginning, everyone I met at Shilo was just
automatically going above and beyond… and that to me is
what filmmaking is all about," added Le Blond. "It's
about complete collaboration, to actually make something
better than just a script. As the details of the cyclone
came to light, that same spirit allowed us to take the film
a step further, to a point where it can potentially
heighten relief efforts, while also raising awareness for
the societal difficulties these people face every day, even
under normal circumstances."
For Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam, Brenda Bentz van den
Berg served as the project's agency producer. Shilo's
project team also included executive producer (UK) Mark
Hanrahan, Stringer's fellow lead artists Tamir Sapir and
David Hill, matte painting artists Mathieu Reynault and
Rodeo FX, Marco Giampaolo, Cassidy Gearhart and Noah
Conopask, 3D animators Henning Koczy, Richard Cayton, Ohad
Bracha, Bren Wilson, Eugen Sasu and Kiel Figgens, 3D
artists Christina Ku, Richard Kim, Warren Heimall, Craig
Kohlemeyer and Scott Denton, compositors David Hill, Tamir
Sapir, Cassidy Gearhart, Noah Conopask and Stieg Retlin,
miniature designer Willi Patton, editor Nathan Caswell,
sound designer Dante Nou, producer Lindsay Bodanza, and
coordinator Danielle Smith.
In the U.K., Shilo is represented as a director by HANraHAN
(www.hanrahan.co.uk).
About Shilo
Shilo is an Emmy Award-winning creative production company
representing a group of filmmakers led by directors Jose
Gomez and Andre Stringer. Internationally known for
creating original and commissioned work that is powerful,
provocative and visually extraordinary, Shilo's deeply held
passions for design-infused storytelling and their
innovative applications of live-action, design, and
animation techniques deliver breakthrough experiences for
screens large and small. From its studios
in New York and Del Mar, California, where recent projects
have spanned short films, commercials and music videos,
Shilo has the capacity and experience to originate ideas
and handle all aspects of production. Shilo published
its first book, We Make It Good, in 2007, and also curates
the site www.WeMakeItGood.com.
For more information, or to request a reel, please contact
Tracy Chandler at +1.212.352.2044, or visit Shilo online at
www.shilo.tv.
Press release :
DWA for Shilo