TREATMENT BY
DYLAN MARANDA
and
WILDGIFT
Firstly— so much appreciation for your trust in single bidding this. Can’t thank you enough for your openness and collaborative approach, you can expect the same in return from me!
These are the types of jobs I love. Ones where we get to get in the trenches together to create something exciting— with an opportunity to own a unique look and approach and aim to make something we haven’t seen before.
I consider every treatment a starting point for conversation, so if anything feels off or not quite right in here, it’s up for discussion.
All that said— let’s dive in…
I am always looking for story in every piece I work on.
No matter the project, I believe there’s always a story to tell— and it’s always the best avenue to leave a lasting impression on a viewer. Sometimes my reel can feel like a bit of a mish-mash to folks, but what I hope can be felt through all of my work is a service to story.
There’s a saying in long form that every film is made up of 15 great moments. In advertising, I think it’s about creating one that really lasts.
Lucky for me, you guys have a great story and an amazing moment built into your concept.
This goes without saying, we need to make this story and this moment our North Star. Every decision we undertake needs to be in service it—
So I want to make sure we are on the same page with what exactly it is…
For me, the key moment is our reveal in the middle.
This is what’s tied to the “emotional event” of our hero characters (more on that in the next page)—
Put simply, our reveal is where we see our characters relationship to their surgery and recovery change. It’s the exact moment that we need to win the viewer over, and get them to invest in the recovery journey of our characters— so they can feel themselves in the stories we are sharing.
But up until the moment at our midpoint, we need to ride the line of ambiguity. Surgery is a big thing; it carries a lot of weight. As I type this right now, my mom’s knee replacement is in 48 hours, she will be in recovery by the time you read this. The lead up to her surgery has had a big impact on me personally. We’ve shared a ton of anticipation and there's been a lot of talking about what she hopes for in her future. There’s excitement for her to be mobile again— but it’s mixed with some apprehension in what will be a challenging road to recovery.
It’s complicated, but that’s real life.
It’s that mix of feelings that tugs at the heartstrings, that reminds us that we are human, and that’s what we need to get on camera. Through the emotion of our actors' performances, we can really connect with their anticipation of the unknown. It’s against the grain, not having everything be bright and happy right from the get go— But it’s going to pay off because:
Exparel is what’s facilitating that shift in our big moment.
Exparel is directly tied to the emotional event on screen. We then understand that with the help of Exparel, the empowerment and motivation for a supported recovery overtakes the emotional ambiguity we might feel in the first half of the spot, ambiguity that mirrors the relatable and human experience of surgery in real life.
It then sets up all our visuals in the second half. Knowing that our characters can now think positively about their recovery with Exparel means that these positive and uplifting thoughts of the future aren’t just a daydream— they are an obtainable reality.
Emotional event isn’t necessarily a new idea in the acting world. A teacher by the name of Judith Weston, who’s method I have studied meticulously, introduced it into the world of directing.
It’s something that thickens stories or concepts with emotional context— it’s what gets viewers engaged with the people they see on screen.
To put it simply, emotional event is when characters change in front of us. It’s a direct alteration to the circumstance of their relationship with another person, themselves, or the world. In the case of our film, we are witnessing a change in our hero women’s relationship to their recovery. In order for us to invest in them having the courage to take control of their pain, or for someone who might be embarking on a similar surgery to relate to our subjects, we need to show a defining moment of change on screen that we can invest in.
For our spot, I really believe that to be our middle moment where we see them taking the chance to try something new in Exparel. When we see someone have a real change in perspective, especially around an experience as difficult as surgery, that means something. Even more so when our hero characters turn their recovery into something empowering and motivating through the help of altruistic and supportive doctors.
These are the types of moments that are going to stick with people— when we see that change in front of us, it allows us to connect with them.
That is what we need to capture to move our viewers.
It sometimes surprises people that my background is in theatre acting— even though I am long since retired, I would still consider myself “allergic” to exposition and empty performances.
🤣
I still think like an actor… Or at least, I think a lot about what I can give an actor to facilitate a great performance; to provide what they need to get authenticity on screen. I have a couple ideas of what we can do with this project to really set ourselves up for success.
Firstly, I want to flesh out exactly what our actors are saying on the day— in a way that facilitates an authentic performance. What I have done in the past to help this is once we identify what exactly we want the lines of those cut together sound bites to be in the 60— After we have that, I will work with you to write and build out small but impactful monologues that encompass those lines into a bigger story.
3 hero characters = 3 hero monologues.
Another aspect of the performance I believe we should explore is some more grounded physical limitations to our character's recovery. Being conscious and appropriate when it comes to where in their post-op journey they are, and using it to inform performance. Whether that's a visible knee brace, cane, compression bandage etc. I think it roots the story closer to when Exparel is most effective, while also creating an anchor point for the physicality of our actor’s performance. We can chat on this.
All of this gives our actors something to sink their teeth into, while also providing some upside for us. It gives us a foundation to audition off of, a firm plan for what we are seeking in the performance on set, and can even give us some wiggle room in post if we find that we like a different line more than what we originally thought to go with. Done are the days of getting actors repeating single lines, it’s a recipe for stale performance and it doesn’t provide enough depth— let’s give them something to work with together.
Speaking of strong auditions— Let’s chat casting.
We don’t quite have the means to go union on this one, but that’s completely fine! What I have found works best with this constraint is a hybrid street / traditional talent casting approach. I often work with Katrin Braga in Vancouver to street cast hard to find talent that really bring an authenticity to their performances. She works by finding people that combine technical training, lived experience, and just plain old being good human beings! She has cast everything from A24 feature films to beer commercials, and does an amazing job.
Giving her those written monologues to work with and having her understand our key moment in our spot will give her to tools to find amazing cast.
Let me know if this tracks, I am really excited about this approach!