ADC Awards
The ADC Annual Awards is the oldest continuously running industry award show in the world. Now in its incredible 102nd year, these awards celebrate the very best in advertising, digital media, graphic and publication design, packaging and product design, motion, experiential and spatial design, photography, illustration and fashion design all with a focus on artistry and craftsmanship.
A Future Begins
Agency OBSERVATORY / Los Angeles + Chipotle / Newport Beach + The Elements Music / Los Angeles + Nexus Studios / London
Category
Branded Content / Entertainment - Online Video / Short Form
Annual ID
ADC101_ADV070M
About the Work
A decade after Chipotle’s award-winning film featuring Willie Nelson covering Coldplay’s “The Scientist,” the food industry innovator once again teamed up with Observatory and Nexus Studios to craft a stop-animation tale of hope and optimism for the future of family farmers, this time with Kacey Musgraves reimagining another Coldplay classic, “Fix You.” It’s only the second time Coldplay has licensed one of its songs — with the first being “Back to the Start.”
Directed by Johnny Kelly, "A Future Begins" is a timely homage to the family-run farms at the heart of Chipotle’s supply chain. The short follows the now-aging Pa from the original film, struggling with his farm after his son leaves home for college and starts a new life. The story, which ends with the son and his new family returning to the farm to work towards sustainability, highlights Chipotle’s pledge to support the next generation of farmers through The Cultivate Foundation. The short illustrates a clear pathway for struggling rural farmers to make sustainability achievable and even profitable.
The production consisted of 10 different sets and 82 tiny resin puppets captured in one fluid camera move. Kelly’s commitment to detail included the depiction of solar panels that provided shade for the animals while generating clean energy, extra plots of land dedicated to rewilding, and polytunnels to cover a crop of peppers. Craft lovers were also treated to nearly ten minutes of behind-the-scenes footage led by Kelly and supported by his talented team of puppet makers.
We launched the film on YouTube, followed by a single broadcast premiere on Thanksgiving Day during the NFL's Raiders vs. Cowboys Game in a first-of-its-kind isolated 2m20s commercial break to 77 million households. Additionally, we worked with Carhartt on a social activation where fans could shop the looks from the film.
2022 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit Honor
Credits
Agency
Observatory / Los Angeles
Client / Brand
Chipotle / Newport Beach
Production Company
Nexus Studios / London
Music / Sound Production Company
The Elements Music / Los Angeles
Art Director
Gordon Allen
Melanie Climent
Animator
Robin Jackson
Chief Marketing Officer
Chris Brandt
Creative Director
Shelley Sheppard
Director
Johnny Kelly
Director of Photography
Toby Howell
Editor
Dave Slade
3D Previs
Steve White
Additional Animator
Tobias Fouracre
Compositor
Osman Baloglu
Lead Animator
Gary Cureton
Matthew Cooper
Lead Compositor
German Diez
Sound Assistant
Ryan Kelly
Sound Design / Dubbing Mixer
Christopher Swaine
Sound Supervisor
Barnaby Templer
Sr. Director, Brand Marketing
Michael Kotick
Sr. Manager, Art Director
Bianca Pettinicchi
Sr. Producer
Isobel Conroy
Studio Technical Lead / CG Supervisor
Mark Davies
VP, Brand Marketing
Stephanie Perdue
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