Ella Rowan

Comedy - INTRO

We were thinking about hiring a master calligrapher to transcribe this entire treatment…but we decided not to do that, in the end. What a waste of energy and talent that would be! Just like how without AT&T, you are wasting the energy and talent of your iPhone 11. It’s absurd. And that’s why your concept is so smart and funny: a talented, extraordinary character, in a scenario where he’s just completely wasting his talent and energy.

We’re taking this beautiful fish out of water and leaving him to flounder on the shores of utter normalcy. The best way to reinforce the idea that this is not the right place for him is to keep everything but his character - our performances, our production design, and our visual tone - honest, subtle, and restrained.

Lifestyle - ART DIRECTION

Our characters' environments feel authentic, but elevated…reality at its very best. These spaces and places are loaded with details that feel specific to our characters, that add to their backstories and point out everything unique about them. And bringing it all together is a hint of added style that makes every space especially pleasing to the eye and fun to watch.

We’ll work in the teal color palette from the Holiday landing page and other Amazon Holiday visuals; a key wardrobe item here, a throw pillow there, etcetera. We want to find the right balance in the gesture, not so much it’s overwhelming, and not so little that it stands out. Instead, the teal accents should gently wash over the audience…the impression is made without anyone noticing.

Sports - CINEMATOGRAPHY

For this film in particular, I want to push for a slightly more photographic look, keeping the majority of our shots centred in frame. While my typical style tends to have a diffused, vintage feel to it, I want this film to be quite crisp and clear. The images are well lit and nicely composed; but the film itself isn’t so beautiful that the scenes feel staged. The focus of this film is the movement itself, and the best way to do this is to make sure we show enough context around the bodies.

There’s nothing abstract in our imagery. This is very physical, very literal; this is about real women, not the idea of them. Of course I want to make sure that we see the sports bras clearly and in a way that accents their shape and pattern. I love that shot of the racerback bra shown in sweat-relief on the woman’s back…this sort of visual is highly athletic but also human. It shows the grit and sweat and tears and we should lean into that.

Beauty - PERFORMANCE

The women we end up taking on this journey will have their own voice, their own perspective. Each one of them will have a different relationship with nature. If we cast a woman who is visually or hearing impaired - how would her sensory experience differ from someone else’s? Maybe she relishes in the soundscape of the natural world - birds, insects, the wind in the trees, vibrating at a completely different frequency than city noise. Or maybe she connects with the tactile, running her hands across rough bark and wispy grass, dipping her toes into cold river water. How would a woman in her 60s experience nature compared to a woman in her 20s? Does she take in the life unfolding around her with a wiser and more contemplative mindspace? 

I can’t answer for these women, but we can ask and learn, treating our cast as creative collaborators. This is an opportunity for us to reach women who don’t often see themselves in advertising - we can let them know that we see them, and that we’re listening.

Lifestyle - INTRO

Imagine walking into a stranger’s house. You sit on the couch and flip through the magazines on the coffee table. You run your fingers across the spines of their books. In the kitchen, you see their collection of salt and pepper shakers. You see a child’s drawings taped to the fridge, along with family photographs and birthday cards. You know these people intimately without ever having met them. You know their interests, their tastes, their personalities. This is because home is more than just a frame in which life happens; home is a portrait of life itself. What you’ve captured so beautifully in your scripts is the parallel evolution of home and life. As our identities change over the years, so do our homes. We’re constantly updating, renovating, and redecorating to make the places we live to reflect who we are, and X makes this ongoing process easier - and more fun – than ever before. What makes a house a home? You do.

Comedy - CHARACTERS

THE SON

He’s in his second year of university. He’s a good-looking kid, a bit lanky and sullen but he takes after his Dad in many ways. His demeanor in the lederhosen is similar to a dog in a neck-cone – a combination of embarrassment, shame, and despair.

THE DAUGHTER

She’s in her first year of university, and she’s experiencing the classic transformation from ditzy cheerleader to well-informed and sophisticated liberal vegetarian. Basically, she took one course in environmental studies and now she’s the authority on everything from animal rights to fracking. She’s going through this rebellious stage, exemplified by her nose ring, but we sense that it won’t last forever. She’s only a “vegetarian” when she can make a point or piss off her parents.