2019 Winners & Shortlists

SURPRISE GUEST

BrandIKEA UAE
Product/ServiceIKEA
EntrantMEMAC OGILVY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryDirection
Idea Creation MEMAC OGILVY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production BIG FOOT FILMS Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Write a short summary of what happens in the film.

To bring our idea to life, our executions needed to portray drama in its most exaggerated form. We recalled the hyperbolic emotion and stupendous over-acting of the 1980s Spanish telenovas or “soap operas,” so we hinged our campaign on replicating these retro Spanish soaps entirely. Each execution played out as a single episode based on seemingly ordinary situations but shot in the dramatic style that mirrored the master scenes of the Spanish soap opera genre. Our cast remained the same throughout each episode, acting as typical soap family characters; the drama queen wife, the reactive husband, the bossy mother-in-law, the teenage daughter and eight-year-old son. Similar to the soaps, our situations were always triggered by one event that resulted in an extreme dramatic outburst. Yet that event could have been completely avoided if our products were in the home; the simple solutions that could have avoided the drama.

Cultural/Context information for the jury

The Spanish soap operas of the 1980s were much-loved by Arab families who would sit together around the television, gripped by every episode, feeling empathy and recognition with the dramas that unfolded every week. They soaps were always dubbed in classical Arabic as even though the language was no longer spoken, it added to the theatrical entertainment and allowed the dialog to be understood and enjoyed across the Arab world. This deeply nostalgic aspect of the Spanish soap operas helped bring our idea to life right away and achieve the overall look and feel we were aiming for.

Tell the jury anything relevant about the direction.

With direction, the goal was to remain committed to the authenticity of the genre and include all the retro elements that re-created the look and feel our audience were familiar with. The structure of the film triggered the build-up of drama by creating a master scene in every episode. Over-exaggerated acting, camera movements that replicated how the soaps were filmed with their famous crash zooms and whip pan actions, different camera angels that captured the same reaction and frames that spoon-fed emotions directly to the audience were all taken into account. The art direction established the soap opera-style from the very first frame along with wardrobe, hair and make-up that immediately conjured up typical 80s soap opera characters for our audience.

Credits

Name Company Role
Juggi Ramakrishnan Memac Ogilvy Dubai Chief Creative Officer
Youssef Gadallah Memac Ogilvy Dubai Group Creative Director
Juliana Paracencio Memac Ogilvy Dubai Creative Director
Moemen El Siwi Memac Ogilvy Dubai Senior Art Director
Rana Khairy Memac Ogilvy Dubai Senior Copywriter
Stella Parkes Memac Ogilvy Dubai Senior Copywriter
Maya ElKai Memac Ogilvy Dubai Copywriter
Troels Popp Memac Ogilvy Dubai Associate Creative Director
Majken Gram Memac Ogilvy Dubai Associate Creative Director
Tarek Shawki Memac Ogilvy Dubai Business Director
Ami Popat Memac Ogilvy Dubai Senior Account Manager
Maged El Wakeel Memac Ogilvy Senior Account Executive
Luke Morris Memac Ogilvy Dubai Head of Production
Omar Hilal Freelance Director
Begad Omran Freelance Executive Producer
Ahmed Azmi Freelance Executive Producer
Aly Seifelnasr Freelance Producer
Nada Faid Freelance Producer
Farah Serry and Shahd Allam Freelance Assistant Producer
Kim Miquel Freelance Director Of Photography
Ahmed Hafez Freelance Editor
Mohamed Diaa and Mayar Mohsen Freelance Art Directors
Mohamed Osama Freelance Photographer
Dina Nadeem Freelance Wardrobe Stylist
Aroma Aroma Post Production
Sary Hany Freelance Music
Carla Klumpenaar IKEA UAE IKEA Regional General Manager Marketing, Communication and Interior Design
Amer Yaghi IKEA UAE IKEA Regional Communication Manager
Binita Chowdhury IKEA UAE IKEA PR & Communication Specialist