Penny, The Rift

The film - a snapshot of the zeitgeist and the political climate that’s tearing it apart - had all started with a simple prompt: “A rift runs through society”.

From there, Seb reimagined this society into a German apartment complex - each household a bubble, and each encounter reflecting an on-going issue. The rift itself, a destructive yet overlooked tear ravaging through the building.

The crack, created through fantastic set and prop design and finalized with intricate VFX work, was accompanied with a harrowing sound and music design that all came together to push the one aspect that Seb held closest to his heart: a good message is heard well through a good story.

Ultimately, it was a message that resonated with many far and wide, having amassed over 20 million clicks in just under four weeks. The top comments under Penny’s YouTube upload speak for themselves. Many were impressed, but many more were simply relieved to have a story like this out in the world. Some shared moments in their own life where they had to step back from their political standing and remind themselves that there’s always a common ground. One person even recounted the time they saw the advert in the cinema – the way the theater fell silent upon the last scene – only to be completely upturned on sight of the Penny logo, shocked that a supermarket commercial could be so impactful. And among others, two of the most important national papers (FAZ and Süddeutsche) ran articles on the film and national TV channels broadcasted coverage of the ad, featuring takes from a psychologist and the general audience.

Directed by @sebward

DoP @kaspertuxen

EP Christoph Petzenhauser @lastdoorontheleft
Producer Christoph Petzenhauser & Björn Krueger-Levy @bjorn_levy
Production Coordinator @el_.as Mittelstädt

Agency @serviceplan Campaign, @spc.3000
Managing Director Christoph Everke
Managing Partner Michael Jaeger
Creative Directors Moritz Dornig & Matthias Schuster
Copywriter Katharina King
Jr Account Manager Alessia Scheffler
Account Director Frederike Striegel
Account Manager Marén Echtermeyer
EP Aisha Blackwell
Producer Jennifer Measles

Production Designer Kave Quinn
Costume Design Zozo
1st AD Tirso Diaz-Jares @tirso_m_
Casting Director @todorowjulia

Edit @trimediting
Editor Tom Lindsay
Offline Producer Noreen Khan

Sound Design Nicolas Becker @nicobeck1107
Sound Mix Ken Yasumoto @kensmot

Music @benlukasboysen

VFX @timebasedarts
VFX Producer Chris Aliano
VFX Supervisor Ben Cantor
3D Artists Sam Osborne, Maxine Ponsart, Teodora Retegan, Chris Wood & Ashley West
2D Artists Ollie Ramsey, Will Robinson, Matt Shires, Miguel Wratten, Lucy Lawrence, Prince Yiadom, Jamie Crofts, Sarah Breakwell & Ria Shroff
Colorist Lewis Crossfield
Colorist Assistants Sham Talbot & Max Ferguson-Hook

Service Production ICON Films @iconfilmsro
Producer Alex Molea
Production Manager Alexandra Buzas
Production Coordinator Otilia Catana
Art Director Serban Porupca
Set Dresser Carmen Dima
1st AC Bogdan Talpeanu
Gaffer Florin Niculae
Key Grip Andrei Arsenescu
SFX Coordinator Adi Popescu