Adobe, the software company changing the world through digital experiences, has partnered with creative agency Pereira O’Dell to develop a new film contest.
Which came first, the movie or the movie poster? The #MoviePosterMovie Contest flips the script on filmmaking by inviting college students to design a poster for a film of their choice. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a movie poster is worth an entire film. At the end of the entry period, Adobe will partner with Braff to select a winner. The concept behind the poster then will evolve into a three- to five-minute short film.
This approach reflects a new take on user-generated content and how it relates to brand partnerships. It also serves as a savvy, effective way to reach the brand’s target demographic of college-age students. About this initiative, PJ Pereira, Creative Chairman of Pereira O’Dell says: “This generation has taught us creativity is everywhere. Adobe is just giving them the tools to do it bigger than they ever thought they could."
"This initiative is so interesting and exciting because it’s giving students direct access to a world that is otherwise extremely hard to break into. I have always said that making short films is the best education a film student can have. Together, the winning student and I will create something completely original. The student will create an original poster, and from there, I will bring the idea to life through a short film," says actor and filmmaker, Zach Braff.
The entry period extends through November 30th, with the selected film going live in March 2019.
Tell us about your role in the creation of this work.
The team’s role was to come up with an idea that would excite and engage students across the country and position Adobe as a relatable and relevant brand that’s synonymous with creativity.
Give us an overview of the campaign, what is it about?
The Movie Poster Movie Contest simply asks college students to make an original movie poster about anything they want, and award-winning writer/director Zach Braff will turn one movie poster into a short film. The winning student will also join Zach on set to see their poster idea come to life.
Tell us about the creative brief, what did it ask?
We wanted to communicate to students that with the Creative Cloud suite, they’ll have every product they need to express their creativity and see their ideas come to life. Our goal was to create a campaign that would ignite student’s creativity in the most fun and unique way.
Which insight led to the creation of this piece of work?
Posters are one of the best ways to express a movie idea, so why not start there and flip the process on its head?
How did the client initially react to this idea?
The client immediately gravitated to the simplicity and stickiness of the idea. They loved how the Creative Cloud products would become the tool to take student’s creativity to a level they never thought possible.
What was the greatest challenge that you and your team faced during development.
For us, deciding on the right look and feel for the campaign was challenging but we feel the greatest challenge will be faced by Zach when trying to pick the winner.
What did you enjoy most about seeing this campaign through? Did you learn anything new from the experience?
For us, the most exciting part of this campaign is yet to come. We can’t wait to see the movie posters students come up with, and obviously the final short film that Zach creates.
Where do you see this campaign going in the future?
Movies have sequels. Why can’t Movie Poster Movie Contests have them?