User:GeeJo/Sandbox/Parallel Lines

*Parallel Lines*
	File:Parallellines.jpg A frame from each of the Parallel Lines films, in 21:9 aspect ratio
Agency	Tribal DDB (London, Amsterdam)
Client	Philips
Language	English
Running time	A (DarkRoom); B (El Secreto de Mateo); C (Jun and the Hidden Skies); D (The Gift); E (The Hunt)
Product	Philips Cinema 21:9 TV;
Release date(s)	April 8, 2010
Directed by	Johnny Hardstaff (DarkRoom); Greg Fay (El Secreto de Mateo); Hi-Sim (Jun and the Hidden Skies); Cark Erik Rinsch (The Gift); Jake Scott (The Hunt)
Production; company	RSA (filming); Unit9 (digital)
Preceded by	Carousel
Official website	http://www.philips.co.uk/cinema

wanted to distance from carousel - boards1

Those five films are tied together by the same six lines of dialogue from DDB London's creative team of Shishir Patel and Sam Oliver, and that dialogue was the only brief given to the directors who treated on the project. - shots

"We spoke to several production companies," explains Dawson, "and all of them were very enthusiastic about the idea. But RSA exceeded our expectations by a long way. We were blown away by the number of treatments we received from their directors. Clearly having the Scott name there doesn't hurt either! In fact we're very grateful that Ridley Scott has agreed to select the winner of our user-generated film." - shots

submissions by 45 directors in the RSA fold. - Insp1 - http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2010/philips-parallel-lines/

shot on location in Uruguay, London, Moscow, China and South Africa. - Insp1

On, 7th April (one day prior to the release of the films), Philips has bought a Facebook ‘reach block’ across 10 global markets whereby all users in those markets will see the trailer on their personal homepage. Those who click through and become a fan of Parallel Lines will be rewarded by being offered the chance to preview a film the day before their official release. - Insp1

Parallel Lines’ digital integration includes a YouTube homepage masthead in widescreen 21:9 cinematic format which will appear in seven markets on launch day, 8th April. It will direct consumers to a Philips Cinema channel where they can watch the Parallel Lines trailer in HD quality on Philips widescreen 21:9 Ambiplayer. It will be the first time a 21:9 cinematic format media player has ever been used on YouTube. - Insp1

Stunts/Teasers - http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=700412286613 (amsterdam) - http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3675996&id=254731353380#!/photo.php?pid=3687949&id=254731353380&fbid=376536903380 (paris)

Placards on floor - http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3675996&id=254731353380#!/photo.php?pid=3681371&id=254731353380&fbid=376279738380

Reported on by Die Welt - http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3768569&id=254731353380

Premieres held worldwide:

Brussels - http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=702473775373
Sweden - http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=702473565793
Amsterdam - http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=701942909233
London - http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=701939251563
Moscow - http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=701940514033

The UGC competition is another branch to the Parallel Lines site.the competition will open on 9 April and invites people to create their own Parallel Lines films to the same brief and upload them to a specified YouTube page. The five RSA directors will then judge the entrants and pick their favourites from which Ridley Scott himself will then choose an overall winner. Alongside that will be a public vote in which people can choose their own personal favourites and vote for them online. And on top of that there will be more interactive content added to the existing site over the next few weeks as well as interviews with the five directors which will be accessible via the Parallel Lines Facebook page. - shots

The agency sent briefs to three production companies and asked that all directors on the respective rosters pitch ideas. RSA Films responded with 45 treatments, from which DDB chose ideas by directors Jake Scott, Carl Erik Rinsch, Johnny Hardstaff, Greg Fay and animation duo Hi-Sim. - boards1 - http://www.boardsmag.com/articles/online/20100226/parallellines.html

(johnny hardstaff) - built from idea of girl in bath, worked backwards. (3:00) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adxu3_BplNk (johnny hardstaff) - friendly competitive atmosphere between directors. (7:00) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adxu3_BplNk (johnny hardstaff) - started in October, finished sound 1 week before BAFTAs (8:00) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adxu3_BplNk

To build anticipation for the release, the PR company (One Voice) commissioned design studio Blastsent to create boxes, sent to film bloggers with clues relating to the shared dialogue. Inside each box was a note from RSA Films founder Ridley Scott. “The five shorts of Parallel Lines are completely different, but they all share the same single dialogue. Until they’re released on 8th April, the words of the dialogue are being kept secret. Within this pack are some exclusive items relating to one of the five Parallel Lines shorts, including a clue to one of the lines of dialogue.” See our stories on The Gift, The Hunt, Jun and the Hidden Skies, Darkroom, and El Secreto de Mateo. - http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/?s=parallel+lines&x=0&y=0

Darkroom credits - http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2010/philips-darkroom-by-johnny-hardstaff/ El Sercreto de Mateo credits - http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2010/el-secreto-de-mateo-by-greg-fay/ Jun and the Hidden Skies credits - http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2010/jun-and-the-hidden-skies/ The Gift credits - http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2010/the-gift-by-carl-erik-rinsch/#more-44293 The Hunt credits - http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2010/the-hunt-by-jake-scott/

to get more information about the project, interviews with the client, agency and production company as well as behind the scenes footage, look out for the next issue of shots, issue 122, out next month. -------WAIT FOR THIS!-----

synopsis[edit]

Darkroom, directed by Hardstaff. Set in a retro future Shanghai, Darkroom opens on a covert surveillance operative as he searches for his criminal quarry. Scanning a polluted city skyline, we see through his technology as he zooms ever deeper into a distant apartment and through the imaginative use of reflections and technology begins to unravel a sinister secret. Through this voyeuristic journey we are led to a climax with dramatic consequences.

• The Hunt, directed by Scott. The Hunt follows two men on a trail to find the ultimate prey. In the eerie woodland something lurks; a mystical creature. Soon we will find that the hunters may well become the hunted.
• The Gift, directed by Rinsch. This sci-fi thriller introduces us to a dystopian future. It's a winter's day in Moscow, but the familiar landscape is not all it seems. An experienced KGB agent is on his way to deliver a special gift. Expressionless and giving the aura of emptiness, the lone man makes his way across the city. As the secret of the gift is unveiled to the recipient, the desire for the object becomes evident. The agent must have it. Even at the cost of a man's life. A high octane chase through Moscow ensues as the dead man's robotic butler tries to rescue the precious gift. It must not be left in the wrong hands.
• El Secreto de Mateo, directed by Fay. In this heart warming tale set in the underprivileged tower blocks of South America, a boy shows a young girl to a room with a secret. The girl is introduced to a donkey which the boy tells her is a unicorn. Delight and fulfilment fills the young girl as she is left to feel the magic of this moment in a life that has offered her so little. This joy is short lived as we are shown the difficulties of growing up as bullies taunt the pair. The boy stands up for his younger friend. Afterwards though, it all seems too much as the brave boy is left to cry quietly in the corner. Unaware of her friend's pain, the girl returns her attention to the beauty of the animal.
• Jun & the Hidden Skies, directed by the Hi-Sim duo of Chris Hawkes and Cheun Hung Tsang. Through animation Hi-Sim transports us into the playful imagination of siblings Jun and Aco. We are instantly rushed from the children's attic into space as a cardboard box transforms into a spaceship. This fantasy adventure excites as our heroes find themselves in the midst of a space battle resulting in the capture of Aco. Jun is left to fall from the skies before being saved by a fire breathing dragon. Jun and his new friend blow away the enemy as the plight to save the captive Aco gathers pace.

- Shoot - http://web8.shootonline.com/go/news-view.rs-web2-4672276-1271698208-2.DDB-London--RSA-Films-Run--Parallel--Track-Online-For-Philips-TV-Sets.html

Since the teaser release on February 26, thousands have become fan of Parallel Lines on Facebook (www.facebook.com/philipscinema) and viewed the official trailers on YouTube. By becoming fan of the campaign on Facebook, users continue to get access to additional exclusive content such as director interviews, stills, and behind-the-scenes clips.

    On April 8, a "Parallel Lines" masthead in widescreen 21:9 cinematic format premiered on YouTube's homepage in seven markets. It directs consumers to a dedicated Philips Cinema channel where they can watch the "Parallel Lines" trailer in HD quality on Philips widescreen 21:9 Ambiplayer. It is the first time a 21:9 cinematic format media player has ever been used on YouTube. 
    The outreach is also embodied in a contest challenging budding filmmakers to create a sixth "Parallel Lines" short. Judged by filmmaker and RSA founding partner Ridley Scott and in association with BAFTA, the "Tell It Your Way" competition will give consumers worldwide the opportunity to submit an original short film based on the same dialogue used by the directors from RSA. The winner will gain a week's work experience at RSA offices in Los Angeles, New York or London. The competition entries will be hosted on a branded YouTube channel and will feature public voting rounds. Finalists will be judged on various criteria including creative storytelling, use of dialogue, and technical achievement. - Shoot

For this week's Hotshot Philips reveals its follow-up to the hugely successful Carousel project with Parallel Lines, another digital campaign that showcases Philips products via fantastic online content.

Philips dominated both conversation and award shows in 2009 and the early part of 2010 with their mesmerising campaign for the Cinema 21:9 TV, Carousel. Now they're back with a follow-up that trumps even Carousel in both creative imagining and overall scope. If the Cinema 21:9 is a next-gen TV then Parallel Lines is a next-gen campaign.

Like Carousel, Parallel Lines in an interactive, web-based campaign that has various threads and points of entry but the main draw to the site, initially at least, will be the five short films directed by five different RSA directors [Jake Scott, Carl Erik Rinsch, Hi Sim, Johnny Hardstaff and Greg Fay].

Those five films are tied together by the same six lines of dialogue from DDB London's creative team of Shishir Patel and Sam Oliver, and that dialogue was the only brief given to the directors who treated on the project. The resulting films vary wildly in tone, style and content but each is hugely engaging and impressive and showcases the features of Philips' products beautifully on the interactive site which has, like Carousel, been built in conjunction with Tribal DDB Amsterdam.

"'There's a Million Ways to Tell a Story. There's Only One Way to Watch One' is the endline that encapsulates the big idea behind Parallel Lines," explains Neil Dawson, DDB's worldwide cco for Philips. "As a dramatisation of that thought Parallel Lines is five completely different stories told using the same few, seemingly random lines of dialogue."

The five different films all conspire to highlight the cinematic aspect of watching content on a Philips TV, even though you're watching it on your computer screen. Like Carousel, the Parallel Lines content will be showcased as if you're seeing it on a Cinema 21:9 set and the user will be able to interact with the films by altering the Ambilight setting as well as the picture and sound quality to their desire.

RSA's involvement came about because of their passion and dedication to the project, and though they weren't the only production company to be approached about the campaign, from DDB's point of view, they proved to be the best choice. "We spoke to several production companies," explains Dawson, "and all of them were very enthusiastic about the idea. But RSA exceeded our expectations by a long way. We were blown away by the number of treatments we received from their directors. Clearly having the Scott name there doesn't hurt either! In fact we're very grateful that Ridley Scott has agreed to select the winner of our user-generated film."

The UGC competition is another branch to the central trunk of the Parallel Lines site. Already announced, the competition will officially open on 9 April and invites people to create their own Parallel Lines films to the same brief and upload them to a specified YouTube page. The five RSA directors will then judge the entrants and pick their favourites from which Ridley Scott himself will then choose an overall winner. Alongside that will be a public vote in which people can choose their own personal favourites and vote for them online. And on top of that there will be more interactive content added to the existing site over the next few weeks as well as interviews with the five directors which will be accessible via the Parallel Lines Facebook page.

A huge multi-layered campaign such as this is a challenge at the best of times, but how did Dawson feel about following on from the success of Carousel? "The right decisions were made early on, in regard to following up Carousel," he says. "This year we needed a big idea to carry the whole range. And we needed to surprise people once again." Job, it would seem, done. - shots