Open on a teenager as he wanders into the town square of a fictional Cold War state called “The Routine Republic.”

Military clowns monitor people’s every move. Hundreds line up for breakfast like soulless slaves to routine. Each are handed a bland, circular breakfast sandwich just like every other day.

Our hero shuffles forward and unfolds a flyer that reads, “Defect.” He eyes a friend, they exchange a nod and make a break for it.

A guard in the watchtower sounds the alarm. The clown police shoot down a yellow winding slide and give chase. From his throne room, the clown czar watches the rebellion unfold on surveillance cameras mounted on a drive thru menu board. He slams his fist down in frustration.

They make it to the outer wall where one final obstacle stands in their way, a ball pit moat filled with plastic colored balls. They make the leap, crawl through a hole hidden behind a propaganda poster and escape to a small village where they discover the next generation of breakfast.

The creatives were briefed. One month later the agency team flew to Budapest, Hungary to make an epic Cold War short film.

As soon as the project was green lit, the director flew out first and scouted for two days. Three days later, huge sets reminiscent of the Hunger Games were constructed including two eight-foot concrete walls, a giant ball pit moat, a two-story watchtower with a winding yellow slide, and a small Italian village.

With the help of a local production company casting was done in Budapest to maintain the cultural authenticity of the piece. This included two heroes, a small army of clown guards and hundreds of extras. Upon realizing that the final line needed to be delivered in English, they remotely casted an American in LA and flew her out several hours later. She arrived and began filming the next day.

A considerable amount of CG was also required so a flame artist joined the team on site and began building cinematic backdrops and a forty foot bronze statue of the clown tsar offering a breakfast sandwich to his people.

Three weeks and one million dollars later, The “Routine Republic” was born.