This is a film about how all of us have had a giant, a person whom we looked up to for guidance and inspiration. The first half of the film shows different scenarios of this idea, such as: a young boy and his hardworking father, a young girl and a pioneering astronaut, a player and his coach. A small child’s voice speaks to the viewer, reminding them that someone in their life has pushed them forward. Then, people from the story are shown getting into iconic American trucks. The narrator says: “To those who’ve gone before us, Chevy, Ford, Dodge… Thank You”. Then a man gets into the all-new Nissan Titan truck, revealing that this is an ad for Nissan. The narrator says: “We see the way forward”. Thanking the competition for pushing Nissan and the industry forward, the new Titan drives toward sunrise.

Nissan needed to re-launch the Titan, a full-size pickup truck. The previous model, over a decade old, had failed to its biggest established competitors. Ford, Chevy and Dodge dominate the truck market. These three brands not only invented the pick-up truck in America, but own the hearts and minds of “American” truckers. They are constantly at odds, trashing one another in a barrage of ads. Knowing that although truckers could respect the Titan’s engineering, they would ignore it due to its Japanese heritage, Nissan had to do something disruptive: we extended a humble gesture of respect that elevated the competitors, honoring them for driving us and the industry forward. Thanking a competitor is rare. Thanking three competitors in the same advert has never been done.

Shoulders of Giants was shot to evoke memories in the American people. To accomplish this, every shot was composed with detail and depth of field to create this feeling of a memory. Careful attention was also paid to the color palette in each scene to evoke this same feeling. The clothing, furniture, and even the carpet were meticulously crafted according to how they appeared in camera.