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.

2022 ADC Awards - Advertising

A Future Begins

Agency OBSERVATORY / Los Angeles + Chipotle / Newport Beach + The Elements Music / Los Angeles + Nexus Studios / London

Client Chipotle

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

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

Senior Director, Brand Marketing

Michael Kotick

Senior Manager, Art Director

Bianca Pettinicchi

Senior Producer

Isobel Conroy

Sound Assistant

Ryan Kelly

Sound Design / Dubbing Mixer

Christopher Swaine

Sound Supervisor

Barnaby Templer

Studio Technical Lead / CG Supervisor

Mark Davies

VP, Brand Marketing

Stephanie Perdue

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