Pereira & O'Dell Unleash 'The Power Inside'

Pereira & O'Dell Unleash 'The Power Inside'

The follow up to any success is always tough, especially when the previous work picks up pretty much every accolade in the industry. Such was the problem for Pereira & O'Dell, the San Francisco-based agency whose incredible 'The Beauty Inside' campaign for Intel and Toshiba scooped a bookcase-full of awards including 3 Cannes Lion Grand Prix, a Gold Clio and a Daytime Emmy (not to mention an in-depth interview with us and a SEC opinion piece on the Huffington Post).

Thankfully the solution to the problem was as clear as the nose on their face… or rather the moustache beneath.

'The Power Inside' is the brands' new social film which, like its predecessor, utilises the filmmaking talent of Hollywood's creative minds and marries it with an involving level of consumer interaction. The plot this time - an alien invasion by a race of extra-terrestrial moustaches (yes, you read that right!) and unibrows who take over the upper lips and eyes of people around the world. The main character is Neil, who together with his friends and with the help of technology discovers his inner strength to defeat the invaders.

Taking on a more obviously comedic tone than last year's thoughtful 'Beauty', 'The Power Inside' has enlisted acclaimed directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon (Blades Of Glory) and a dazzling cast including Harvey Keitel, Welsh actor Craig Roberts (Submarine) and Analeigh Tipton (Warm Bodies). Split into six episodes, the film's staggered release will coincide with the social element, spanning more than 15 countries. To join the team and potentially be featured in the film, people are invited to upload a photo from their computer webcam to the film's Facebook Page. The facial recognition software will add a moustache or unibrow. Viewers can also upload videos of themselves removing a moustache to join the Guardian team, with the pics having the potential to be incorporated into the social film episodes.

We were curious as to how the agency felt following up this year's Cannes champion, so set a few questions to Pereira & O'Dell's Chief Creative Officer PJ Pereira.

This campaign follows on the heels of the multi-award-winning 'The Beauty Inside' project. Was there a pressure to deliver something to match?

That's a hard question to start! We have put so much love into these projects... they become like kids. You want the youngest to do as well as the elder ones, but you never know. The style is so different though (this one is a sci-fi comedy, while Beauty Inside was a love story) that I think they will do better in different areas. That's what a good dad would say, right? But we know there is expectation that this one does very well - from the client, from the fans, from ourselves. Not sure it will win as many awards or if it will get more or less views... but we know the fans will like it. I just watched the first cut last week and even after reading the script so many times and being there at the shoot, when I saw it taking shape it was cooler than I had imagined.

What can you tell us about 'The Power Inside'?

The Power Inside is the story of Neil, the only man in this planet with the inner strength to fight these creepy, furry aliens. He doesn't know that in the beginning, and during his 'journey' keeps hearing to 'look inside himself.' So at the end, despite the different tone and style, this is still a story around the idea that it's what's inside that counts.
 

The tone of the films is a change from the 'Beauty Inside' films. Was it a conscious decision to differentiate the projects?

This is our third social film for Intel-Toshiba. The core idea has always been to explore the possibilities of combining movie making and social media. The first one we did, 'The Inside Experience', was a thriller. At the last day of the shoot we were already talking about what we would do next. Doing a sequel was obviously the first thing that occurred to us, but eventually the best way to stay true to the original exploration of social film-making was to switch to a different genre altogether. From that, 'The Beauty Inside' was born. And following the same principle, we are now switching again. We are doing a comedy.

The funny thing is we shot the last scenes of 'The Power Inside' during the weekend that we won the Emmy until the day before we won the first Grand Prix at Cannes. When we saw all that recognition, we were actually glad we had switched 'cause then it would be more difficult for people to compare the two of them. After all, what happened to 'The Beauty Inside' sometimes happens only once in a lifetime to very lucky people. We don't expect all that to happen again. We can only hope it will go well, in different ways.

The films are being made by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, two names that are known for their comedy prowess. Is it important to get directors like this and Drake Doremus involved in the creative process to give the projects added credibility?

Yes, it's very important. Directors that really know the genre can bring the right talent and crew, they can help us fine tune the script... but there is more to them than experience and credibility. Will/Josh, Drake and DJ (Caruso, from 'Disturbia', who did 'The Inside Experience') were amazing directors that showed real passion for the ideas we brought to them. That was the key. They seem to want to do it as badly as we did, and since our very first meeting working with them on how to make the ideas more interesting seemed easy and seamless.

How does the shooting of this kind of campaign differ from a conventional commercial shoot?

Usually commercial shoots are very product oriented. Sometimes there are clients, lawyers... lots of people trying to make sure the product is gonna be there for as many seconds as possible, and the director has very limited ability to influence the work. In something like this, the story is inspired by the product, not about it. So we have more freedom to tell the story differently, and our presence on the set is way more to help the directors have everything covered, rather than policing their work. It's way more fun this way. We heard from more than one director that in these projects they actually have more freedom than when they are working with studios, which makes it very interesting for them too. Hopefully more feature film directors will get into these kinds of projects. The world will be more fun if we have fewer ads that interrupt the content and more that actually try to compete with regular programming for the love of the audience.
 

There's a fine list of talent involved in front of the camera too, including Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Keitel. Is it difficult to enlist the performers? How do they see the project?

I can't talk for them individually, but overall, they all seemed intrigued by the story. That's how it always starts. The fact the product is not featured very prominently makes it more comfortable for them. In the end, they are there to tell a story, and that's what we let them do. The connection with the product happens by gently including the computer somehow as a character in the plot and outside the movie itself: on the way we talk about it, the way we promote it, and the high level metaphor that it's what's inside that matters.

In 'The Beauty Inside', the Ultrabook was the way we recognized the main character, 'cause he was played by different actors in each scene, so the product was a way to spot who he was. In 'The Power Inside' the Ultrabook will have its role too, but that's something that will be explained later, and is done according to the tone of the film itself.

One of the major reasons the 'Beauty Inside' campaign won plaudits was its narrative bravery and heartfelt production. How do you ensure these projects remain authentic?

'The Beauty Inside' was shot to be "incredibly romantic" - that was our deal with the director. We wanted people to feel the fun, the pain, the anxiety of the main character. In 'The Power Inside' the production is very, very different. We shot this film to feel threatening, despite the fact that the premise is so absurd. In both cases, the shoot was designed to make the story, and the characters, shine. There is no guarantee if you liked 'Beauty Inside' that you will enjoy 'Power Inside' too, because the genres are very different. But that authenticity is there, in both. Each one in its own way.
 

How does the public get involved in the shape of the film? Are interactive elements necessary to getting content like this noticed?

We learned along the way that you have to architect this for multiple levels of participation. Some people like to geek out about them and spend hours talking to the characters and the community. There are people that just want to watch the main episodes. And there are lots of people in between. In 'The Power Inside' you will be able to interact with the character via Facebook, but also upload photos and videos that may be included in the film itself. I can't tell you what's going to happen with these photos and videos, or why they matter yet, because that's part of the story.

How can we expect the film to be released? Are there other elements to the campaign?

The "film" is split into 6 chapters, released in 6 consecutive weeks, starting on Aug 15. We thought of releasing it all at once, but then we wouldn't give the audience enough time to submit their photos and videos. Between those episodes, you can talk to Neil, the main character, on Facebook, and eventually convince your friends to join the Guardians to save the world, or the Uricks, and destroy it.

We've seen the 'Beauty' and 'Power' inside? What's next? Glory? Hurt? Candy (a piñata-themed spin off)?

We were discussing that yesterday. I am actually taking notes. The piñata idea is brilliant. May I steal it?

What other campaigns are you working on at the moment?

We just launched a lovely campaign for Keep America Beautiful in partnership with the AdCouncil. It's the story of a little plastic bottle that dreams of seeing the ocean.

There is also a Skype campaign that we love. It's all about staying together, and we brought John Clang, an amazing photographer that has been taking these photos of Skype calls projected on walls as a way to do portraits of families that can't be together. Then we document the process of making the portraits and tell these peoples' stories. The first one we did, and a crowd favorite, is the story of Denis, a Ugandan that had to leave his country with just $5 in his pocket. We had him cooking together with his family back home and taking a photo. It was the first family photo he had. It was very touching, and rewarding, to see it happening.

Posted on 8th August 2013