The sponsor reel places the 2D-illustrated wading bird logo front and center, as he appears in recognizable scenarios from both well-known and more obscure movies from such filmmakers as Quentin Tarantino, Darren Aronofsky, John Waters and Mary Harron. From donning the black suit from Reservoir Dogs to a pink tutu from Black Swan, the bird cheekily captures the attitude of each film. The piece concludes with the festival tagline, “Filmmaking on the Edge,” and thanks its generous sponsors and supporters.
“We were impressed with motion504’s previous sponsor reel work,” said Andrew Peterson, director of programming for Provincetown International Film Festival. “Festival sponsor reels are notoriously boring, and they turned it into an entertaining piece of art. We wanted a spot that would spark conversations on the street. Motion504 came up with these quick vignettes and great transitions that reflect each filmmaker’s sensibilities.”
For motion504, there were a number of initial tactical discussions with Ultra Creative to ensure the animated bird maintained integrity with the 2D print bird. Because the 2D mascot had no facial expressions, motion504 creative director Scott Wenner had to find creative ways to express the bird’s personality and movements for each storyline.
“With the unveiling of the festival rebrand this year, it will be the first time that people have seen the bird mascot,” Wenner said. “We needed a gag to introduce the irreverent personality of the bird to the audience. Using him as a dressed-up set piece and putting him into different situations of known movies was the best way to go. Each vignette not only had to be strong visually, but also had to work with the overall flow. We tried to find a balance between the filmmakers featured and the individuals who have been big supporters of the festival itself.”
Music for the trailer was composed by Los Angeles-based composer Barbara Cohen, whose jazzy score effectively mirrors the multiple vignettes. Minneapolis-based BWN Music provided a rich sound design, which works in tandem with the music to reflect each filmmaker’s personality.
“I’m always amazed at how much great music and sound design can enhance and transform the work that we do,” said Eric Mueller, motion504 executive producer. “Barbara and BWN were able to create distinct flavors for each of the filmmakers’ vignettes, and yet the whole piece blends together into a delicious whole.”
The Provincetown International Film Festival opens on June 19 with Lovelace starring Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard.
Provincetown International Film Festival – Sponsor Reel from motion504 on Vimeo.
