When my daughter Chloe was say, 5 or 6, we would watch the classic animated show Justice League on Cartoon Network. Chloe, in her pajamas, would run to our TV and scream out every superhero’s name that would appear on screen during the opening credits.
“Batman.. Wonder Woman… Green Lantern… Superman… Martian Manhunter… Flash… Hawkgirl.” She was clearly imagining what it would be like to be a superhero, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl in particular.
Our weekly viewing was one of our bigger daddy/daughter bonding moments. One that lives on in memories that bring a smile to me every time I think about it.
Daddy/daughter bonding is one of the main reasons our “Reel Ad of the Week” comes from San Francisco-based 215 McCann for Xbox and Electronic Arts’ launch of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Everyone imagines being a Jedi. Running around swinging makeshift Lightsabers and using the Force to save the galaxy. Hell, I even wrote a film about it in 2013’s The Stream.
To celebrate the launch of the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Xbox and Electronic Arts came together to bring that dream to life in ‘Become a Jedi’, a live action spot that brings this universal truth to life and celebrates both the love of play and Star Wars.
The spot, directed by Reset Bonded’s Garth Davis (Lion), tells the story of a young girl with a wild imagination who succeeds in getting her father and his coworkers to put work aside for a moment and find a real connection in the ultimate Star Wars fantasy.
Order 66 has just been executed and gamers take on the role of Cal Kestis, a Jedi Padawan on the run, fighting for his survival. Paralleled in the live action spot, our young hero— a nod to Cal’s character—uses her imagination to transform her father’s workplace into the planet of Bracca while on the run from workers-turned-Stormtroopers. Watch this big, yet intimate spot about relationships below:
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“The central premise of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is based on the iconic hero’s journey of becoming a Jedi. That journey – fraught with danger, suspense, whimsical humor, and wonder – was our north star for marketing. We wanted to bring that fantasy to life with a live action spot which indulges every Star War fan’s childhood dreams of swinging a lightsaber and harnessing the power of the Force,” says Respawn Global Brand Director, Charlie Hauser.
The story boldly embodies Xbox’s brand ethos of ‘Jump in’ – a celebration of the gaming community as a whole and their shared love of gaming, inviting everyone to join in on the fun.
“As our heroic young Jedi transforms flashlights and wrenches into lightsabers, we’re reminded to give into the moments of playing together that make life more fun this holiday,” added Craig McNary, Director of Xbox Global Brand and Integrated Marketing.
Besides the touching moments, the spot features fantastic action alluding to the gameplay users will experience. It also spot features other characters that are unique to the game.
I was won over by BD-1, the useful but cute, faithful droid sidekick. There and you’ll get challenged when you encounter the main villain, the Second Sister, and her Imperial soldiers, the Purge Troopers.
The cinematic tone was brought to life by a list of credits that can rival any Star Wars film. There’s Oscar-nominated Director of Photography, Matty Libatique, whose impressive list of films include Black Swan, A Star is Born, and Requiem for a Dream (to name a few).
The world was brought to life through visual effects and sound design and audio mix by Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound respectively.
The spot debuted at X019, a celebration of everything Xbox being held in London this year on November 14th. Millions of fans around the world will be tuned into the livestream on Xbox and EA’s social channels.
The Xbox One and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order console bundles launch on November 15th, along with the global media campaign supported in the US, UK, Mexico, Australia, Germany, France, Poland, Sweden, Spain, and Norway with cinema, TV, OLTV, Out of Home, digital, and social video placements.
CREDITS:
CLIENT: Microsoft / Xbox
XBOX, GENERAL MANAGER, INTEGRATED MARKETING: Rob Matthews
XBOX, GENERAL MANAGER, BRANDS AND ADVERTISING: Taylor Smith
XBOX, DIRECTOR, BRAND AND INTEGRATED MARKETING: Craig McNary
XBOX, SR. INTEGRATED MARKETING MANAGER: Josh Munsee
XBOX, SR. MARKETING MANAGER, 3RD PARTY GAMES: Kathy Richardson
XBOX, MARKETING MANAGER, 3RD PARTY GAMES: Michelle Fears
XBOX, SR. PRODUCT MARKETING MANAGER, HARDWARE: Theresa Van DenBoogaard
CLIENT: EA / Respawn
EA, CMO, MARKETING PUBLISHING AND ANALYTICS: Chris Bruzzo
EA, SVP, GLOBAL BRAND MANAGEMENT: Jason Bunge
EA, SR. DIRECTOR, GLOBAL BRAND MARKETING: Arturo Castro
EA, DIRECTOR, GLOBAL BRAND MARKETING: Charlie Hauser
EA, SVP, MARCOM & CMO MANAGING DIRECTOR: David Tinson
EA, VP, MARCOM STRATEGY: Charles Kha
EA, CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Neel Upadhye
EA, SR. DIRECTOR, MARCOM PRODUCTION: Angelo Ferrugia
EA, SR. MANAGER, PRODUCTION: Margaret Meo
EA, LEAD VIDEO PRODUCER: Christopher Beckett
EA, SR. MANAGER, MARCOM STRATEGY: Alexandre Scriabine
EA, VP, MARCOM ACTIVATION: Stuart Lang
EA, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: Jovanna Piazza
EA, SR. DIRECTOR, GLOBAL ACTIVATION: Andrew Wong
EA, DIRECTOR, GLOBAL ACTIVATION: Angela Sun
EA, GLOBAL ACTIVATION LEAD: Joe Gatdula
EA, GLOBAL ACTIVATION ASSOCIATE: Clay Bradshaw
RESPAWN, HEAD OF RESPAWN: Vince Zampella
RESPAWN, COO: Dusty Welch
RESPAWN, GAME DIRECTOR: Stig Asmussen
RESPAWN, SR. PRODUCER: Kasumi Shishido
RESPAWN, PRODUCER: Jordan Klein
CLIENT: Lucasfilm Ltd.
LUCASFILM LTD., DIRECTOR, BRAND MARKETING: Matt Shell
LUCASFILM LTD., MANAGER, BRAND MARKETING: Anthony Rodriguez
AGENCY: 215 McCann
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Scott Duchon
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nichole Geddes
SR. COPYWRITER: Gabe Sherman
SR. ART DIRECTOR: Shawn Raissi
DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATED PRODUCTION: Mandi Holdorf
SR. PRODUCER: Gabby Gardner
PRODUCER: Christina Chin
DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Mary Beth Barney
BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Peter Goldstein
MANAGEMENT SUPERVISOR: Devina Hardatt
ACCOUNT SUPERVISOR: Harold McKeon
ASSISTANT ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Paige Kane
DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY: Brian Wakabayashi
STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Cassidy Wilber
STRATEGIST: Christian Stewart
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Reset Content
DIRECTOR: Garth Davis
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Dave Morrison
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Deannie O’Neil
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jen Beitler
HEAD OF PRODUCTION: JP Colombo
LINE PRODUCER: Megan Moore
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Matthew Libatique
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Jay Pooley
MAKE-UP: Christine Kohut
COSTUME DESIGNER: Adelle Gaudet
STUNT COORDINATOR: Tom Struthers
EDITORIAL: Cartel Edit
EDITOR: Leo Scott
CUTTING ASSISTANT: Matt Berardi
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Collen McKay
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Lauren Bleiweiss
PRODUCER: Samantha Axelrod
MUSIC COMPOSITION
COMPOSER: Blake Robinson
MIXING: Steve Kaplan
ORCHESTRATION: Gordy Haab and Carl Rydlund
AUDIO MIX & SOUND DESIGN: Skywalker Sound
SOUND DESIGNER / RE-RECORDING MIXER: Steve Boeddeker
FOLEY ARTIST: Jana Vance
FOLEY MIXER: Frank Rinella
ENGINEERING SERVICES: Dusty Jermier
DIGITAL EDITORIAL SUPPORT: Ivan Piesh
POST-PRODUCTION SOUND ACCOUNTANT: Renée Russo
POST-PRODUCTION FINANCE MANAGER: Mike Peters
CLIENT SERVICES: Eva Porter
SCHEDULING: Carrie Perry
POST PRODUCTION
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION: Jon Null
HEAD OF ENGINEERING: Steve Morris
HEAD OF PRODUCTION: Jon Null
GENERAL MANAGER: Josh Lowden
VFX: Industrial Light & Magic
POST VFX SUPERVISOR: Sherry Hitch
ONSET VFX SUPERVISOR: Jonathan Rothbart
VFX ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Yimi Tong
VFX EDITOR: Jenni O’Byrne
CG SUPERVISOR: Leandro Estebecorena
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jill Brooks
ANIMATION SUPERVISOR: Delio Tramontozzi
ANIMATORS: Philip Barnard, Dave Logan, Nathan Thomas
CREATURE TD: John Niforos
LAYOUT SUPERVISOR: Marla Newall
LAYOUT ARTISTS: Janice Chan, elissa Mullin, Gurpreet Pannu, Luke Spence Byrd, Xiaoxuan Sun
PARTICLE TDS: Thomas Bevan, Mihai Cioroba
LEAD GENERALIST – ENVIRONMENTS: Shane Roberts
GENERALISTS – ENVIRONMENTS: Kevin Page, Adam Watkins
LIGHTING TDS: Kevin Reuter, Yegor Swarovski
COMPOSITORS: Tigran Badalyan, Michael Conte, Larkin Flynn, Ravi Kasumarthy, YunJung Ko, Alison Lake, Michael Ranalletta, Ronnie Williams Jr.
DIGITAL PAINT & ROTO SUPERVISOR: Michael Van Eps
DIGITAL PAINT & ROTO ARTISTS: Beth D’Amato, Robert Dorris, Katie Morris
MODEL/TEXTURE ARTISTS: Mark Keetch, Mark Marcin
ASSOCIATE PIPELINE TD: Katherine Sanchez
COORDINATORS: Rebecca Norton, Andrew Martin, Lane Howard, Yegor Tesler
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Jessica Tong
SOURCE: 215McCann
Contact Colin Costello at colin@reel360.com
