Film Craft > Production

BE ONE OF MANY

SOUNDTREE MUSIC, London / MERCEDES-BENZ GROUP / 2023

Awards:

Shortlisted Cannes Lions
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Film

Overview

Credits

Overview

Write a short summary of what happens in the film.

The film portrays the continual struggle women face excelling in a male dominated society. It challenges the pretences of old by showing how exceptional women have had to be in certain fields to be recognised. As the ad develops it questions this theme demanding for a more balanced future where women are recognised & rewarded as equally as men are. We are shown a combination of stills and moving footage of historical women and then younger girls excelling in more predominantly thought of ‘male’ areas such as race-car driving or STEM subjects like science classes. This culminates in the tag line ‘Be One Of Many’, signifying a message of unity, togetherness and acceptance.

Background:

We were tasked with creating an evocative, purposeful, and somewhat romantic new composition. We set our sights and sounds on a raw, rebellious feeling that could become an outcry and appeal to and unite women everywhere.

The brief was to create an accompaniment to the visuals that transported the viewer emotionally through the spot and add a unique twist to create a combination of things we've never quite seen before. The challenge was to not go down a trodden path; there are lots of sweeping scores out there that would've given us an emotional pull but would've felt too manipulative. Another big objective for us was to be defiant and unapologetic without feeling twee or cliched. We knew we needed a lyric to continue the roll of the VO and portray an empowering message to inspire and defy.

Tell the jury about the creation of the original music track.

We knew it would need a propulsive drum led rhythm which would drive the whole piece and give us a backbone to build on. The more unusual 6/8 time signature harkens back to an older style and adds a romanticism into the mix, representing th struggle women have faced of old. The uninhibited piano pulse helps it flirt with an almost 'doo wop' feel, which gives the piece attitude and swagger without making it feel too masculine and cliched.

To offset the classic feel, we put together and featured a childrens' female choir which really questions the future and their role in it with some poignant unapologetic lyrics "I'll do what I want" etc. We really wanted to hear and feel the collective ‘I’ and this brought a great energy as this real life story moves from the past to the present and into the future.

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