Mangroves are super trees that do so much for us and our world – like sucking up and storing carbon from our air, protecting us from storms, and filtering pollution out of the ocean. But mangroves have a PR problem: unlike better-known environmental causes such as coral reefs and kelp forests, most people have never even heard of them.
Enter Minecraft: Mojang Studios, the Swedish developer who created the game, wanted to turn Minecraft enthusiasts into mangrove enthusiasts. Using the stage of the best-selling video game of all time, they created Rooted Together, the first-ever documentary nature film shot half in the real world and half inside the game of Minecraft. Launched in June, the film introduced the game’s 141 million players to the most important tree they’ve probably never heard of, until now.
Minecraft is capping off the Rooted Together initiative with an extension of the campaign launching on November 11, 2022, directed by wildlife filmmaker Jawahi Bertolli. A custom map was built inside the game by partner Everbloom Games, visualizing 50 years of mangrove restoration in about 50 minutes for players. The company then partnered with 4 popular Minecraft creators to stream the map, encouraging their audiences to donate to The Nature Conservancy. Watch the launch and impact films below:
REELated:
As a result, the campaign raised over $227,000 for the cause and distributed it to regional mangrove efforts around the world. One of the recipients of these donations, Zulfa “Mother Mangrove” Hassan is spotlighted in the campaign– a community organizer and conservationist who leads 30 women from the Mtangawanda village in Kenya to rehabilitate degraded mangrove forests in their area.
Both iterations of Minecraft’s “Build a Better World” campaign were created in partnership with agency 215 McCann, using the game as a vessel to make a real-world impact for the protectors of our coastlines.
CREDITS:
CLIENT: Microsoft
- Director of Marketing Communications: Fergus Lynch
- Senior Product Marketing Manager: Jeff Rivait
- Integrated Marketing Communications Manager: Samuel Brody
- Chief Storyteller – Mojang AB: Lydia Winters
- Game Developer – Mojang AB: Cory Scheviak
AGENCY: 215 McCann
- Chief Creative Officer: Scott Duchon
- Creative Director: Brad Meyers
- ACD/Art Director: Alper Kologlu
- Sr. Art Director: Savannah Hicks
- Copywriter: Ian Forsyth
- Art Director: Maddy Thompson
- Director of Integrated Production: Whitney Ferris
- Sr. Producer: Nina Ulbrich
- Producer: Taylor Nitta
- Director of Business Affairs: Mary Beth Barney
- Business Director: Peter Goldstein
- Account Director: Myco Nguyen
- Sr. Account Executive: Dylan Williams
- Assistant Account Executive: Akshaya Sridharan
- Director of Strategy: Sam Chotiner
- Strategy Director: Ryan Riley
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Sound Off Films
- Executive Producer: Adrienne Hall
- Creative Director: Haimy Assefa
- Director of Impact Marketing: Meg Ryan
- Director of Impact: Gina Papabeis
- Director of Operations: Tyler Dunning
- Operations: Midori Takata
FLORIDA
- Florida Unit Director: Haimy Assefa
- Florida Second Unit Director: Dylan McGale
- Producer: Adrienne Hall
- Underwater Producer: Sophie Morgan
- Line Producer: Isabel Montenegro
- Production Coordinator: Bella Valentini
- AD: Adrian Rozas
- DOP: Mecky Creus
- 1st AC: Jesus Garcia
- 2nd AC: Maria Haack
- Underwater Cam Op: Phoebe Fitz
- Steadicam Operator: Kevin Jacobson
- Drone Operator: Justin Namon / We Fly Aerial
- Drone Assist: Antonio Alonso / We Fly Aerial
- Gaffer: Andres Vietto
- Key Grip: Juan O. Perez
- VTR: Trey Buenvecchio
- Sound Mixer: Mathias Beyer
- DIT: Maikel Jimenez
- DIT: Gregory De Franca
- Locations: Madeline Schwarz
- MUA: Luza Jaramillo
- PA: Toti Zuccaro
- PA: Alejandro Valladares
- PA: Kevin Diaz
- PA: Fabi Rivero
- PA: Camille Cummings
- Special Thanks:
- Club Nautico
- Daniel Joyner
PHILIPPINES
- Philippines Unit Director: Tasha Van Zandt
- Remote Producer/PM: Melany Rochester
- Field Director/Producer: Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo
- Line Producer/PM: Kayzzle Del Rosario-Paulino
- Director of Photography: Francisco Guerrero
- 1st AC/Gaffer: Von Simbul
- DIT: Kurt Claridades
- VTR: Carlo Salonoy
- Sound Recordist: Andrew Millalos
- Location Manager / APM: Evangeline Torcino
- Hair & Makeup: Cris Joyosa
KENYA
- Local Producer/DOP: Jahawi Bertolli
- Camera Assistant/Logistics/Community Outreach: Elke Bertolli
- Special Thanks
- Lamu Marine Conservation Trust
- Kililana Conservation Group
POST PRODUCTION:
- Editor and Post Supervisor: Lucas De Cesco
- Editor: David Faddis
- Colorist: Ayumi Ashley
- Flame Artist: Mark Everson
ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE:
- Shawn Heinrichs
- Getty
- Pond 5
- Stocksy
MUSIC: Marmoset (certified b corp)
- Sr. Project Manager: Marilynn Diamond-Wexler
- Sr. Music Licensing Creative: Marissa Hernandez
- Creative Coordinator: Rachel Schmidt
- Director, Creative Partnerships: Eric Nordby
SOUND DESIGN AND MIX: Lime
- Audio Mixer and Sound Design: Jeff Malen
- Audio Assistant: Meg Ochs
- Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
- Red Pipe Studios Audio Engineers (VO Sessions): Robert Eklund and Julius Rydinger
- Bird SFX: Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Philippine Pied-Fantail Recordist: Robert S. Kennedy
- Black-Whiskered Vireo Recordist: Peter Paul Kellogg
- Mangrove Cuckoo Recordist: Mike Andersen
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