It’s been quite the year for movies or the lack of them. With Warner Bros’ Tenet being pushed back to an unnamed date and with chatter of theaters not reopening until mid-2021, audiences are in dire need of a good ol’ fashioned action blockbuster. Thank god for the creative team David&Goliath and Kia Motors America (KMA).
From the producers who introduced the world to dancing hamsters comes an epic adventure, titled The Features Film, presents automotive content in a whole new genre and includes a virtual who’s-who of Kia’s A-list automotive talent sharing lead actor duties. This is our Reel Ad of the Week and it just doesn’t kick ass. It “kia-cks” ass.
Inspired by noir thrillers from Hollywood’s golden age (of which I am a fan) not to mention recent films like Baby Driver, The Features Film he story follows a getaway driver who wants to escape a career in crime. And maybe take a suitcase or two of cash on his way out the door. But, he’s not alone. Instead he’s joined by a romantic co-lead who’s also eager to leave her criminal past in the rear view mirror. Together, they mastermind an escape.
Using every feature-laden Kia they can get their hands on to outwit an endless array of desperate thugs and a menacing crime boss.
The story unfolds across one night, as The Driver enlists eight “A-List” Kia models – Forte, Soul, Stinger, Niro EV, Niro HEV, Seltos, Sportage and Sorento – to help him break free from the seedy underworld and turn his life around. Watch below:
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“Working on car advertising for the past 20+ years, when we think about creating ads, the convention has always been to highlight car features in a way that tells a compelling story,” noted David Angelo, founder and creative chairman of David&Goliath. “In many cases, the car feature becomes so dominating that it overshadows the story and diminishes the impact of the concept. So we turned this convention on its head. And created an entire idea where not one, but 13 features would be ‘featured,’ in a highly watchable film that not only demonstrates capability, but also makes them the captivating lead ‘actors’ of the film.”
The film is divided into a series of 13 individual :15-second pre-roll videos and is also available as a six-minute longform film that seamlessly takes the viewer on this cinematic journey. In addition, a :30 trailer and :60-second teaser are available.
Russell Wager, director, marketing operations, Kia Motors America, adds, “We’ll miss going to the movies this Summer and catching the latest Hollywood blockbusters, so Kia took this as an opportunity to provide a similar viewing experience, but with a plot twist you never saw coming.” “With many automakers offering the same or similar vehicle options, The Features Film is a unique, entertaining and fun way to differentiate ourselves and reach consumers directly with highly creative content.”
By taking this unexpected approach, Kia made the feature-demo videos more engaging and highly watchable – yet still hard working enough to educate potential shoppers.
The effort, directed by Slice’s Ozan Biron, radically shifts the paradigm of what car feature videos can be. David&Goliath has elevated the expected demonstrations by placing vehicle features at the heart of a high-octane action film, evoking actual emotion. And that’s why we like it, making it RAW.
CREDITS
CLIENT: Kia Motors America (KMA)
AGENCY: David&Goliath
- David Angelo: Founder & Creative Chairman
- Yumi Prentice: President
- Laura Forman: Chief Strategy Officer
- Mark Koelfgen: Executive Creative Director/Copywriter
- Frauke Tiemann: Group Creative Director/Art Director
- John O’Hea: Group Creative Director/Art Director
- Steve Clarke: Group Creative Director/Copywriter
- Chris Mead: Associate Creative Director/Copywriter
- Kris Wong: Associate Creative Director /Art Director
- Peter Watson: Art Director (social)
- Caleb Nyberg: Copywriter (social)
- Paul Albanese: Managing Director, Broadcast Production
- Peter Bassett: Managing Director, Integrated Production & Technology Services
- Justine Kleeman: Executive Producer
- Genevieve Shah: Producer
- Natasha Royzina: Director Business Affairs
- Amy Santana: Associate Manager, Business Affairs
- Donesh Olyaie: Group Planning Director
- Jeff Cannata: Communications Planning Director
- Jasmine Spraglin: Sr. Strategist
- Natalie Gomez: Senior Communications Planner
- Hailey Kim: Jr. Communications Planner
- Taylor Grant: Analytics Director
- Genie Lara: Associate Director of Project Management
- Paul Stephens: Senior Project Manager
- Jeff Moohr: Managing Director
- Sarah Masket: Management Supervisor, Digital
- Gabriella Mourad: Account Executive, Digital
- Britney Bencomo: Assistant Account Executive, Digital
- Mark McNaul: Automotive Specialist/Kia Product Information Manager
- Meagan Steinkamp: Digital Designer, Motion Designer
- Kurtis Mirick: Digital Designer, Motion Designer
Production Company: SLICE
- Ozan Biron: Director
- Ted Herman: Executive Producer
- Trevor Cawood: Producer
- Philip Fyfe: Line Producer
- Macgregor: DP
Editorial Company: Spinach
- Adam Bright: Editor
- Jason Dopko: Editor (courtesy of Lost Planet)
- Juliana Rodzinski: Assistant Editor (courtesy of Lost Planet)
- Marshall Thompson: Assistant Editor
- Ethan Jacob: Assistant Editor
- Patricia Gushikuma: Post Producer
- Jonathan Carpio: Executive Producer
MOTION GRAPHICS: Ampersand
POST: The Mill
- Andrew Gilson: Producer
- Blake Rice: Color Associate Producer
- Jessica Amburgey: Color Associate Producer
- Emma Hertz: Coordinator
- Steve Cokonis: VFX Supervisor
- Adam Lambert: 2D Lead
- Matthew Osborne: Colorist
MIX: Lime
- Rohan Young: Sound Design and Audio Mix
- Jeff Malen: Audio Mixer
- Jeremy Nichols: Assistant mixer
- Susie Boyajan: Executive Producer
MUSIC: Alibi, APM, and Wolf at the Door
- Song: Tracking The Target
- Composer: Benjamin Hayden (PRS)
- Publisher: Alibi Generator (ASCAP)
- Master: Alibi Music, LP
- Song: Galactic Paradox
- Composer: Doug Moss (ASCAP)
- Publisher: Alibi Generator (ASCAP)
- Master: Alibi Music, LP
- Song: Desert Trap
- Composer: Sheridan Paul Tongue (PRS)
- Library: APM
- Song: Dark Tunnel
- Composer: Nicolas Alexandre Robert Deroo (SACEM)
- Library: APM
- Song: Radius
- Composer: Max Cameron Concors (ASCAP)
- Library: APM
- Song: Stolen Muscle Car
- Composer: Ethan Hunter (PRS) 50% and Brett Weir (PRS) 50%
- Library: APM
- Song: Give It Everything
- Composer: Victoria Faith Beaumont (PRS) 25% Ross Stephen Gilmartin (PRS) 75%
- Library: APM
- Song: The Getaway
- Composer: Bradley Denniston
- Music House: Wolf at the Door
SOURCE: David&Goliath
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1