Film Craft > Production

YOU ARE OUT THERE

BROKEN HEART LOVE AFFAIR, Toronto / GO RVING CANADA / 2023

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Film

Overview

Credits

Overview

Write a short summary of what happens in the film.

The film focuses on a man, stuck in the drudgery of daily life. Waiting on the subway platform, surrounded by others jostling for space, he makes an impulsive decision to run away and pursue his “Wildhood”.

He ventures into the countryside, shedding the shackles of everyday life–his suit, briefcase. He comes to a fire in the woods where he sees a shadowy figure through the flames. Chasing after him through the wilderness, the pair jump off a rock into a river, revealing that the man he is chasing is himself. The worn-down office worker stares into the face of a more rested, peaceful version of himself.

The message “You are out there” appears as he emerges from the water, born again, and walks toward a campsite with RVs parked amid trees

Background:

With competition for leisure dollars heating up coming as pandemic restrictions eased, Go RVing Canada (GRVC) set out to build interest and attract the next generation of Canadian campers to the RV lifestyle. Rather than abandoning the brand’s nearly decade-old platform “Wildhood” (born from the fundamental desire for connection with people and the natural world around us), GRVC wanted to evolve its creative expression of “Wildhood” to reflect the emotional demands of consumers in a post-pandemic world.

Tell the jury about the casting process.

The creative idea inspired the casting for this spot that centres on a person's internal dialogue with themselves. We needed to find an actor who could let us into their mind to share their journey with us. After extensive casting across Canada looking for someone who had their own internal story to tell, we found our actor in Calgary Alberta.

His dynamic range gave us an amazing performance from super small and subtle cues to screaming at the top of his lungs. He’s a great emotional sherpa.

Is there any cultural context that would help the jury understand how this work was perceived by people in the country where it ran?

Canada faced some of the strictest Covid-19 lockdown policies in the world. Confined for weeks on end to our homes, it was a moment for many people to pause without distraction and evaluate whether we were living our most authentic lives. This is reflective in data around record high “quit” rates, divorce rates, even demand for mental health resources across the country. With a recognition that a dissonance existed, people were more motivated than ever to find and live out that missing piece that defined themselves.

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