2016 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

In this film about mobile dependency, we open with vignettes of ‘disconnected’ characters. While they’re shown surrounded by friends and family, they’re immersed in their phones and disconnected. We see a family of preoccupied phone-users at a restaurant and a theatre full of movie patrons—each bathed in the faint blue light of a phone to show their weary expressions. Our narrator wonders how we let ourselves arrive at this point, but then offers a solution. “It’s time to take the power back and use our phones in a better way.” Suddenly, the mood of the film changes and we see people using their phones to get closer. Friends make music on instrument apps. WhatsApp groups become physical groups. And desert adventures are captured and shared with those nearby, rather than strangers in far away places. Friends share an iPad. Digital Maps help desert campers ‘get lost’ in the wilderness. Each new situation shows how phones bring people together, rather than isolate them. Finally, a group of Qatari men gather around a remote, desert campfire. They laugh and talk. We cut to their phone, ringing thanks to a strong signal, but purposefully left in the car so that our characters can “Make Better Connections”.

Creative Execution

Qatar is firmly rooted in Arabic traditions, but a high population of expats and an appetite for foreign culture create a melting pot in the truest sense. Therefore, our music reflects this unique combination of internal and external influences and combines traditional Arabic rhythms and instrumentation, with modern chord progressions and harmonies. The emotion and tone of the music reflects the film during each section—spanning from quiet and disconnected in the beginning, to loud and powerful as the film’s mood changes. The pace starts slow, beginning in a minor key to reflect the pessimistic opening scenes But as the film progresses and the narrator’s passion increases, so too does the music. With each line, the emotional impact of the music swells. More instruments join, and syncopated drums give the song a rich, layered sound. With each measure, we hear more instruments; An accordion, a mandolin, and triumphant horns, until finally, the viewer is enveloped in a tapestry of sound that matches the spirit of the film exactly. As the film reaches its climax, all the instruments drop out—except traditional Arabic Oud and drums, creating a quiet yet powerful space to deliver our campaign’s key message.