Ogilvy India has created a carnival themed film to announce and promote Season 5 of the Indian Premier League scheduled from 4 April to 27 May 2012. The film features Makrand Deshpande acting as the ‘Master of Ceremonies’ taking the protagonists and the viewer on a journey to experience the carnival’s various delights.
The film opens with two school boys wondering about the noise coming from the other side of a wall. One of them looks through a peep hole on the wall and sees a carnival in progress. A guy dressed as the host for an event whistles out to them and shows them a way in through a loose board on the wall. Once inside, the boys take in the atmosphere and enjoy the various rides and games suitably named after particular cricketers' characteristics playing for the IPL. The film ends with one of the boys gesturing to the host in a manner of asking "what is this?", and he replies, "Yeh IPL hai boss".
Abhijit Avasthi, national creative director, Ogilvy India, said, “An evening spent with the Indian Premier League is a crazy time. Every match is a series of ups and downs. Twists and turns. Screaming. Shouting. Anxious moments. Exhilarating moments. It is all this and more. So we thought . . . hmm. . . can we possibly compare the IPL to a day spent at an amusement park? Given what a rollercoaster of a ride each game is? The film evolved from there.”
Pointing out that cricket as a passion is a given in the country, Anup Chitnis, executive creative director, Ogilvy India, added, "But the IPL is a format that is refreshing in its approach and presentation of cricket. Our communication also had to do the same. We had to be fresh and unique in the way the excitement and thrill surrounding the IPL was portrayed."
Anders Forsman, director, B-Reel Films, added, “The script was a collaboration between me, the creative team at Ogilvy Bombay and the production team at Bang Bang. We threw some ideas around and landed on the story of two boys stumbling into this funfair that works as a metaphor for a night at the IPL, where every night you go on a emotional roller coaster.”
Explaining that IPL is a carnival of passion, sheer talent and skill, engaging all your senses, playing the role of a fun-filled family outing or an exciting evening plan for friends with ease, Anuraag Khandelwal, senior creative director, Ogilvy India, said, "IPL is where the world's best talent comes together and each player leaves you with a unique experience, every evening. Doing this film was immensely satisfying, given the details and the scale it demanded, which the IPL brand demands."
Satish deSa, creative director, Ogilvy India notes that the film is the truest reflection of everything that IPL stands for. "This film could only be inspired by the IPL, made by the IPL, and run by the IPL. It is huge, spectacular, entertaining, thrilling, noisy, bright and colourful. It captures the sense of wonder and awe a wide-eyed child feels standing in the middle of a carnival. For us, that's exactly what IPL does to each one of us for 57 days. Yeh IPL hai boss."
Elaborating on the production that went behind this film's shoot, Roopak Saluja, co-founder and managing director, Bang Bang Films, said, “I can't even begin to describe what an experience this has been for Bang Bang - massive sets, precision miniatures and slick visual effects, to create what is arguably the country's biggest television advertising extravaganza of the year. Teaming up with Anders Forsman and co-producing this project with B-Reel was an excellent decision that led to an exhilarating production for all involved.”
The campaign teasers began airing on February 26 while the complete film went on-air from 6 March.
Credits:
Brand: IPL
Client: BCCI
Agency: Ogilvy (Mumbai)
National creative director: Abhijit Avasthi
Executive creative director: Anup Chitnis
Senior creative director: Anuraag Khandelwal
Creative director: Satish deSa
Associate creative director: Sandesh Mangaonkar
Senior copywriter: Shazaad Arjani
Managing partner: Navin Talreja
Vice president: Dharam Valia
Management supervisor: Makarand Nadkarni
Group account manager: Rahul Bhambri
Account executive: Aakruti Upadhyay
Production companies: Bang Bang Films and B-Reel Films
Director: Anders Forsman
DOP: Erik Sohlström
Additional cinematography: Sanjay Kapoor
Produced by: Roopak Saluja, Payal Arora and Johannes Åhlund
Head of production: Cyrus Mendes
Production manager: Chetan Kale
Assistant producer: Mohit Singh
Assistant directors: Sagar Rao & Aditya Gupta
Production assistants: Jatin Shah, Malcolm Noronha, Fiam Bamji and Sapna Singh
Production designers: Dilip More, Mats Sahlström and Anders Hellström
Editor: Shivkumar Panicker
Post production manager: Abdeali Pedhiwala
Post production: The Chimney Pot (Stockholm)
Music: Dhruv Ghanekar
Wardrobe: Sanjna Shah and Shrushti Donde
Casting: Vishal Gajaria and Malcolm Noronha