Saatchi Get Destructive With Big Data

Saatchi & Saatchi NY recently decided to remodel their office and instead of missing an opportunity to craft some creative chaos approached pop electro artist Big Data to shoot his latest promo.

Seemingly let loose at the agency’s HQ, the video for Clean ft. Jamie Lidell sees a seemingly normal office erupt into carnage as a Fight Club-cum-Battle Royale kicks off.

To find out more about the promo shots spoke to Saatchi executive creative directors Chris Moreira and Mark Schöller and Big Data about the project.

How did the idea come about?

CM & MS: When a remodel of one of our floors was being finalised, our CEO asked us what we might want to do to capture the rebuild of the space. We were more interested in the destruction side of it, as it seemed a more interesting story could be told there. So we started thinking of what that could be. We landed on a simple idea of ‘what if someone had the worst day ever at work?’ And once we knew we wanted to make a music video, we then worked with Bill Kirstein [director] and Big Data to refine the story for the Clean music video.   

Why did you feel a promo was the right idea for the “remodelling”?

CM & MS: We don’t see it as a promo. It’s more of an opportunity to make content and another type of storytelling. There’s something interesting in finding a narrative within a destructive setting. And to be able to tell that over-the-top narrative in a music video, well that seemed too good of an opportunity to pass up.


How up for the idea were you?

BD: Very! When Saatchi first approached us, the idea of destroying office furniture with sledgehammers was more than tempting. But their concept also dovetailed nicely with a lot of the underlying ideas behind Big Data.


Why did you feel the treatment was right for the promo?

BD: I've always imagined Big Data as the sort of nefarious corporation behind all the evils of the Internet and technology. Saatchi’s treatment was a nice way to imagine a day in the life at Big Data HQ.

How much input did you have into the project?

BD A fair amount. My input mainly had to do with ways to Big-Data-ize the story a bit more.


What do you feel are the benefits of agencies and artists collaborating directly?

BD: Agencies are a great mix of in-house creative and production. A lot of their works comes down to generating and executing creative ideas, keeping the ball moving. 

SA: I’m quoting here, but it’s ‘Collaborate Or Die’ these days. The critical part is making sure you find the right collaborators, but when you do, the output is far greater than the alternative. 

How long did the shoot take and what challenges did you face during it?

CM & MS: Once we found Bill, our director, and Big Data, it was pretty straightforward. Our biggest challenge for sure was having to work around the actual construction work being done to the floor. But thanks to our producers, we were able to pull it off. The shoot itself was just one day, albeit a long one! 

How important do you feel creativity is when marketing a new release?

BD: Immensely. The volume of brand new music that is released every day is staggering. If you aren't creative about marketing that music, it's unlikely you'll be able to break through.

How did the office have to be prepared for the shoot?

CM & MS As the floor was unoccupied it was simple enough. There was however that extra sense of excitement in the air at the office. We had a few Saatchi people as extras too.

Was anything off limits?

CM & MS: Bathrooms. That was one of the only things we weren’t allowed to break. Personally, I was only told 'No' once. My producer Tina simply said ‘NO Chainsaws’. But we did get a man to bust through a wall. 

What did you need in the way of stunt teams?

CM & MS: For anything that needed to be rehearsed or was deemed potentially dangerous, we used a stunt person. The rest was just good old collective 'elbow grease’.