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To build interest and intrigue in the 16th annual Newport Beach Film Festival, taking place April 23–30, 2015, an integrated ad campaign, “Know New Art,” is designed to captivate and garner attention for the talented artists among us who have yet to be discovered. RPA Advertising, now in its sixth year partnering with the Festival, is building on the strategy of creating campaigns for the Newport Beach Film Festival that are as artful as the films that are showcased from more than 40 countries.
In-theater, TV, print, out-of-home and festival programs illustrate the distinctive personality of the Festival and the creativity it inspires by screening more than 350 films to an audience of 60,000 that highlight the best in contemporary and independent film.
“‘Know New Art’ articulates the Festival’s commitment to find unknown artists, provide them a stage and create a big, emotional impact—sometimes on a global scale,” said Co-Founder and Director of Marketing Todd Quartararo. “The Festival serves as a place of cultivating profound awareness and exposure both for the artist and the audience.”
“Skeet Art,” the in-theater promo from Biscuit Filmworks’ identical twin directing duo, the Freise Brothers, reveals a new form of nontraditional art that serves as a metaphor for the Festival. In a high-contrast black-and-white world, the story follows an eccentric, rifle-toting new-age punk and her butler through a field of high grass, where they pause to shoot a round of skeet. Clay pigeons have been replaced with homemade color bombs filled with brilliant powder, with which the sharp-shooting artist magnificently paints the sky.
“We found ourselves at a shooting range in the desert for a friend’s wedding and began to talk about our strange small-town childhood experience with guns, art and punk rock music. Seemingly unrelated things, we had this idea to re-imagine them inspired by the Festival’s theme of ‘Know New Art’ and meld these elements into a short narrative—what kind of art would a skeet-shooting, punk rock, fine artist make,” said the Freise Brothers. “This was our first time working with RPA, which was a fantastic experience. They gave us all the freedom in the world and brought so many creative ideas to the table. We developed storyboards early on, so the whole production team and crew really saw the vision from the beginning. It was great to all be on the same page.”
“Everyone who worked on the project did so with the utmost passion,” comments Editor Lucas Eskin of Cut + Run. “Directing duo the Freise Brothers’ commitment to artistic vision is unbending and inspiring. They suggested that we make the piece black-and-white—and fortuitously I had already edited my rough cut that way. Then the RPA creatives said they had thought that too, so the idea was universal. That’s the kind of collaboration this was. During the edit, I had to envision what the explosions would look like and make time for the movie magic that was being created by the VFX team at Jogger. I love being a part of this piece, and it is so inspiring to know that it will be projected on the largest screen this side of the Mississippi.”
In a similar high-contrast style, the print, digital and out-of-home feature edgy, in-your-face portraits of people breaking out in a wide range of facial expressions. These are the exaggerated emotions usually expressed in the safety of a dark theater, but here the joy, sadness, ecstasy and surprise are in full, raw display.
“The great thing about creating for the Newport Beach Film Festival is that the brand is smart, eccentric and artful and allows RPA to do work in another realm. Everyone who joins the team, from colorist and photographer to editor and director, creates a collective voice which takes the work to an unexpected place that helps the festival stand apart from the pack,” said Scott McDonald, VP, creative director at RPA
The Festival will run throughout Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, beginning April 23 and concluding April 30.
