Winner Wednesdays: Jody L Miller

The winner of the Forever Young theme for Pepsi Films TriBeCa was Jody L Miller, who came up with a hilarious spot that revealed a generational conspiracy. Jody kindly answered some questions for us about her filmmaker chops and future plans.

Name:

Jody Lauren Miller

Location:

NYC

What experience do you have in films and filmmaking and how long have you been making films for:

I started my production career at NFL Films (National Football League) a handful of years ago where I learned the art of filmmaking from the ground up. One can only take so many tackles and touchdowns before venturing out and making funny films ... at least I think that's the normal progression of a filmmaker.

What are your hopes for your future in film and are you working on any other projects at the moment:

My hope for "my future in film" is simple ...  to keep shooting! I try to shoot as much as possible and just rock out fun, creative work. As far as other projects, I'm always writing something. Currently I'm cooking up two short films, a viral project involving all aspects of social media and of course reading through the current MOFILM / PEPSI briefs to see what creatives are "speaking" to me. Besides that I'm busy bragging about my MOFILM TriBeCa experience.

Why did you choose to enter for Pepsi in particular:

The brief! The thing that always attracts me to MOFILM and PEPSI FILMS competitions are the creatives. If I have a strong idea, that can bring their brief to life, I'll shoot it.

What do you think of Pepsi Films:

Starting with their briefs I can tell you I think Pepsi Films believes in the filmmaker and their creativity before "product pitches" and that is unheard of in my experience. Any company who posts a brief saying they DON'T want their product featured ... well, you have to like that immediately. It told me they were looking for good, strong FILMS not commercials. What filmmaker doesn't immediately fall in love with that idea? Pepsi Films is a group I'd never hesitate to throw creativity at.

Are you going to enter any Pepsi Films contests:

Done and done and yes and yes! I will be entering more in the future.

How did you come up with the idea for this particular spot:

Here's the scene, true story ... pizza place, old guy, paying with change, everyone's mad. Stereotypes are funny and relatable because they are based on a truth. So after getting annoyed at the slowness of the more-mature-sector of society, I just envisioned a world where maybe, just maybe, there was some sort of senior-conspiracy and the joke is on us.

What do you think about Pepsi as a brand and how did you try to get this across in your film:

The Pepsi brand is so omnipresent in our daily lives it's hard not to come across it time and again throughout the day. In "Old on Purpose" there was no need to hit the viewer over the head with any kind of branding or sales pitch. It's never mentioned or highlighted in any way. As a matter of fact the product is VERY easy to miss in our spot, but it is ever present. You will see Pepsi cups at the pizza place, in the movie theater and in the old-fogies glasses in the "party" scene at the end of the film. So the only way we tried to get across any type of branding effort was simply to mimic its presence in our daily lives.

What kind of person were you targeting with your spot, what particular reaction were you aiming for and how did you go about getting it:

"Old on Purpose" was not targeted to a certain demographic ... well, except for those people who want to laugh. The goal was to tell a solid story with colorful characters that plays on a silly idea. The gag played well and the "reveal" got that wonderful, slow "ahhhhhh" reaction I was hoping for. Once the joke was told I drove it home just a bit more by showing a funny over the top reaction of an aggravated driver that we can all relate to ... because most of us have lived it.

What equipment did you use:

We shot with the Panasonic AF100 and used a Canon 7d DSLR for the car scene. Since we didn't have a truly solid car mount we couldn't risk the AF100 falling off so the DSLR had to be the brave one and sit on the hood of the car while it was cruising around. Luckily all survived unscathed and lived to shoot another day.

Did you face any challenges in the process of making the film:

This is such a funny question because there isn't one shoot, large or small, without a huge list of challenges and problems. I'm sure all filmmakers can attest to that. With that being said the biggest challenge on this one was casting. It's very hard to find talented, older actors. Let alone talented, older actors who can get themselves to the set LOL.

What advice would you give a filmmaker thinking about entering a Pepsi Films competition:

Do it!!! However, be sure to shoot something you love. Shoot a film that will have "legs" and that you can use for your demo reel. It takes such a huge effort to put out good work so make your time (and those friends who you sucker into helping you) worthwhile!

The top 5 Chinese films of all time

The Shanghai Film Festival and Pepsi Films Shanghai are fast approaching. Here's what you need to watch before you set foot in the Middle Kingdom. As we (LawHag) are both Chinese we are therefore experts in the Chinese Cinema field by default. So you can trust this list.

#5. Shower
(Yang Zhang, 1999)
The richly humorous and touching story of a businessman, Da Ming who returns to home to Beijing where his father runs the local bathhouse, only to be caught between two cultures. At the heart of it this film is a commentary of the changing times in China where the old meets the new. An emotional roller coaster as it can make you laugh as easily as it can make you cry.

#4. Kung Fu Hustle
(Stephen Chow, 2004)
The next Pepsi Films is in Shanghai so you know we need a shout out to Shanghai! Kung Fu Hustle is about a hilarious wannabe gangster in the 1940s who aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf. This movie is a perfect blend of old school mythical Chinese kung fu set in the 20th century. Also this film will probably the funniest kung fu flick you have ever seen. Trust us on this one.

#3. Hero
(Zhang Yimou, 2002)
A series of flashback accounts shape the story of how one man defeated three assassins who sought to murder the most powerful warlord in China. If you like Jet Li and big armies then this is a must watch. Also not to mention that Western films such as Troy and 300 drew inspiration from this film.

#2. In the Mood for Love
(Wong Kar-Wai, 2000)
A man and woman move in to neighboring Hong Kong apartments and form a bond when they both suspect their spouses of extra-marital activities. Exquisitely shot meditation on love and loss starring Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. It was also nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000. A must watch!

#1. Infernal Affairs
(Andrew Law Wai-Keung, Alan Mak Siu-Fai, 2002)
A cop thriller following the parallel lives of an undercover officer who infiltrates a Triad gang and a policeman who secretly reports to a ruthless gang boss. Sound familiar? it should because the Oscar for Best Picture went to a remake of this film. You might remember it as the The Departed directed by Marin Scorsese. Infernal Affairs is a slow burning build up of psychological tension that will leave you broken and burnt out when it's finished with you and that's why this is the best Chinese film of all time.

And that concludes our list of best Chinese films of all time!
Some of you will agree, most of you will probably disagree so let us know your thoughts!

Sincerely as always,
Yours truly,
With love,
LawHag

Winner Wednesdays: Lloyd Choi & Simon Yang

The first ever filmmakers to take home the coveted Pepsi Films trophy were Canadian's Lloyd Chang and Simon Yang, with Creative Control for the Hit Delete theme.  Lloyd and Simon will be working with Pepsi Spain on a special commission in 2011 and we'll let you know what they get up to. In the meantime have a read about what they do, how they do it and why they love Pepsi Films

Name:

Lloyd Choi & Simon Yang

Location:

Vancouver Canada

What experience do you have in films and filmmaking and how long have you been making films for:

Simon and I are self taught filmmakers, never having done school for film. We learned from the streets, from the hard knocks. We've been doing this seriously for the last 3 years. 

What are your hopes for your future in film and are you working on any other projects at the moment:

Like most filmmakers, to be a feature film director making the films we want to make. We are currently doing a couple MOFILM Pro projects, as well as a music video and short film (action film!) to be shot in the summer. Long term would be to do a feature in the next couple years. 

Why did you choose to enter for Pepsi in particular:

Making a film that tells a story in a minute is a fun challenge. You see a lot of films that are too long for their own good, so this was a great lesson on how to keep the story and editing tight, keeping the audience engaged. Also, the cash prize and a trip to Barcelona doesn't hurt much either! 

What do you think of Pepsi Films:

It's a great way for filmmakers to exercise their storytelling chops, getting their film exposed, and being rewarded for their hard work and talent. 

Are you going to enter any Pepsi Films contests:

Most likely later on, but for now we are concentrating on MOFILM Pro projects.

How did you come up with the idea for this particular spot:

Like most ideas, it came at the 11th hour, a few days before the deadline. It was all very spontaneous, written in a night, shot a couple days later and edited that same night, submitted a few minutes before the deadline! Creativity springs from desperation sometimes.

What do you think about Pepsi as a brand and how did you try to get this across in your film:

Pepsi is such an iconic brand in the marketing and commercial world. But what excited me most was doing something that wasn't branded, with free reign on the concept, story, and final cut. That's when filmmakers really shine... when we're limitless.

What kind of person were you targeting with your spot, what particular reaction were you aiming for and how did you go about getting it:

Definitely targeting a wide audience. Just wanted to do something fun and cheeky.

What equipment did you use:

Canon 5D Mark 2 and tripod. And a bounce board!

Did you face any challenges in the process of making the film:

We were supposed to shoot it the day before, but it ended up snowing that day. And it rarely snows in Vancouver. Luckily, it all cleared up the next day... then a couple weeks later we were in Barcelona with some cool peeps! 

What advice would you give a filmmaker thinking about entering a Pepsi Films competition:

Keep the story simple. Base it around a core idea, then surprise the audience. 

Pepsi Film TriBeCa winners interviewed by LisaNova

When we were out in New York at the wonderful Pepsi Films TriBeCa awards, Pepsi North America sent along LisaNova to interview our winners, our ambassadors LawHag and the award evening host, Jon Landau, producer of Titanic and Avatar.

This is the great video Lisa and her team put together.

Pepsi Winners - What happens next?

One of the best parts of the Pepsi Films experience is that the overall winner then goes onto work directly with Pepsi on specially commissioned piece. But what does that entail and what's that experience like?

We caught up with Matt Snyman, the first Pepsi winner who went on to work with Pepsi directly after taking first place in the theme 'if kids ruled the world' for Barcelona 2010, with the very catchy 'No Vegetables'. Since then Matt, and his co-conspirator, musician Tom Godfrey, have been rather busy. They went back to Spain in the summer 2010 to create this TV ad with Spanish rapper Haze and created a supporting web series about their question to find the elusive rapper.



We caught up with Matt to find out more about his experience and what's he up to currently.

Name:
Matthew Snyman

Location:
London, UK

What experience do you have in films and filmmaking and how long have you been making films for:
I have been making films since I was about 6 years old. Those films were mostly about Batman and He-Man toys though. Some would say they're still my finest work. But the passion for filmmaking runs deep. I studied Film at the University of Westminster, and during my time there, tried to reopen the UK's oldest Cinema on London's Regent Street, where the Lumiere brothers showed off their Cinematograph machine for the first time in 1896. And 4 years later, that finally happened! After University I worked on my own short films and sent them to festivals wherever, and whenever I could. Through this I appeared on a global reality TV series on MTV about digital artists and filmmakers. This was where Kevin Smith described me as his worst enemy. Which was really cool. Then I started doing MOFILM competitions.

What are your hopes for your future in film and are you working on any other projects at the moment:
I hope one day to be a Writer-slash-Director, which is why Kevin Smith got angry and said I was after his job. Currently I have a feature romantic comedy script doing the rounds in LA, but the big news is that my web series is getting released today on DailyMotion! It's called The Dead Must Die, it's a comedy/horror web series set after the inevitable ‘Zombie Apocalypse’. And it's 7 episodes, which will be released every week on a friday for the next 7 weeks. Tell your friends. ;)

Why did you choose to enter for Pepsi in particular:
I've always liked the taste. Hey what's Matt want to drink? Pepsi. Really? Yes. ;) And I really liked their brief. They search for creativity over direct advertising. Which is rare.

What do you think of Pepsi Films:
I really think Pepsi gets Social Media and Digital. They've been at the forefront since the beginning, and with the relationships they're building with up-and-coming filmmakers, they're building some great futures and creating opportunity where there once was none.

Are you going to enter any Pepsi Films contests:
I have in the past, and I'm sure I will in the future. Although it will be hard to top winning in Barcelona last year, then getting to make a Pepsi Ad for Spanish TV, in Spain! I'm still not sure if any of my actors had any idea what I was talking about. They just kept smiling and nodding.

How did you come up with the idea for this particular spot:
This is actually a pretty great story... We sat down with Pepsi in London, and starting brainstorming over a conference call with the Agency BBDO in Spain. By the end of the call we had a monkey, Hollywood and a limo, and everyone was totally excited. But by the time of the actual shoot, the monkey had become famous Spanish rapper Haze, Hollywood turned into Madrid pretending to be Andalusia, and the limo became a recording studio! Ahh the joys of working with agencies.

What do you think about Pepsi as a brand and how did you try to get this across in your film:
For this spot, the core of it was trying to create awareness of the 1 Euro, 1 Pesi campaign in Spain. (Yes, I did just spell Pepsi as Pesi.) In various parts of Spain, they pronounce Pepsi differently, and Pepsi were wise to this, and made it a core part of their strategy in this area. So in our ad, set in Andalusia, we had Pesi, not Pepsi!

Pepsi really try to engage with their audience at every level, so we really tried to reflect this in the ad. A young Andalusian drinks Pepsi, and all his dreams come true!

What kind of person were you targeting with your spot, what particular reaction were you aiming for and how did you go about getting it:
I think I sort of covered this in the last question... I should really read ahead. We aimed at the young people of Spain!

What equipment did you use:
We shot on my trusty 5D mark 2, plus 2 other 5D mark 2's. Mark 2 to the power of 3!

Did you face any challenges in the process of making the film:
Well, making an Ad in Spain, when you can't speak Spanish, is going to be complicated. Luckily we had a great crew and we had an English/Spanish phrasebook. 'Uno mas' became my favorite sentence.

What advice would you give a filmmaker thinking about entering a Pepsi Films competition:
I would say, be creative, enjoy the experience, and make sure you have fun. It can lead to great things.