About the project
The script
Ideamaking
Production
Postproduction
Export for TV and Cinema
We’re not just talking about entertainment or a production that didn’t grind us down, but entertained us
We’ve already worked with the biggest viral factory to redesign their logo in 2021. Emefka tossed their mane a few times, we winked nonchalantly and the creative chemistry boiled over to other projects. Last time, we were brought together by an ad spot grinding out everything you care to know. Emefka launched a news website and kicked off its journalistic era with tasteless advertising on TV and in cinemas.
It ground down quickly
We left the first meeting with a vague idea of what we were going to film. Lightly earnest and appropriately unfussy. But it wasn’t until the final idea making was clearly put on the table that the grinder decided to run this creation at a highly un-fancy speed.
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Idea
Emefka became famous on the Slovak internet mainly for creating memes. However, the new news portal of the main viral producer needed to turn the spotlight on journalistic craft, but didn’t want to lose any of its fresh branding in the process. So how do you strike a balance between journalistic pears and entertainment apples? Ideally in a common cake, in equal proportions and ground finely. The main hero of this production has therefore become a giant grinder, in which both serious news from the world and funny messages worthy of likes and bossing are ground. For each section from the Emefka site, we found a telling metaphor thrown into the grinder by the comics editors in the Requiem Warehouse. It scrapped a robot as a symbol of news from the world of technology, a huge meme and a cuddly gorilla with a tie that salutes the National Council. The cheesy idea was complemented by a catchy claim – We’re not just about fun– and the motor in the grinder really revved up the fun.
Production
The script did not heat up in the Emefka editorial office for long. The headquarters of internet entertainment approved it at first, and after some minor proofreading, we then set about battling the heavy-handed journalism mill. Its natural environment, as it were, became the editorial office. We simulated a newsroom environment, hired stylish fake journalists to tame the hoaxes and chase the truth, and for the perfect performance in front of the camera, we even made a few rumours.
Casting, props, costumes, set design, cinematography, direction and art direction all had an unfussy signature and our creative director Martin briefly swapped his comfy t-shirt for an ironed shirt and even cut the opening flap. The spot was deployed to both TV and cinemas in early December, Hollywood’s number five is in deployment as long as the dedlays are adhered to.
On set, however, we followed everything the storyboard prescribed. We handled the production day in 7 hours, shot 12 scenes, ate 48 fried cauliflowers and had 2 scenes wrapped for post production.
Postproduction
After the first control cut, in which it was checked whether the scenes fit with reality as the script preached, the raw material went into post-production. We gave the shots colour grading and built up the effects. The main attention was given to the protagonist – our giant metal grinder – who initially appeared awkward and expressionless on set. In postpro, however, it received the kind of tuning that upgraded it to a third millennium grinder. Following close behind in the video were scenes that required complete construction under studio scrutiny. For example, we first modelled a tunnel with cabling in 3D and then ran a camera through it. Reversing with rotation. We also modelled the Emefka factory on a 3D map of Slovakia, pulled the Tatras from an atlas, created transitions between shots and added 2D/3D motion tracking cameras wherever necessary.
That’s what you get.
The old wisdom says that talk is talked and bread is eaten. Sometimes, however, talk spreads faster than the smell of organic onions on fresh spelt bread with vegan butter for 8,90€. The popular meme from Emefka tested the ability of internet users to resist hoaxes at the beginning of winter and thus fit quite nicely into the scenario of independent and predatory reporting with honest fact checking. Although there was no bread buttered in the original script, we always had spontaneity and the ability to play it. So we added the bread and onions to the video in post-production just before it was uploaded, and we greased the falling papers at the beginning of the spot with it.
Not only your screens will be greasy. When the grinding is inelegant, we like to get elbow-deep in mud from the work.
