Ad of the Day | Honoring Today's Wavemakers at Sundance

Jan. 31, 2024

In collaboration with VCCP and White Claw, Brand New School conceived a full brand experience at this year's Sundance Film Festival, aligning White Claw's brand and cultural ethos with the values shared by independent filmmakers. The Sundance Film Festival has always been a platform for independent filmmakers to make an impact, and White Claw has made waves by disrupting the spirits industry with its magical effervescent potion, making it the perfect brand to sponsor one of the world's most celebrated Film Festivals.

The creative team at Brand New School, VCCP, and G7 developed a cohesive visual identity that would apply to all digital and physical brand touchpoints throughout the film festival. This included designing a branded event space called the White Claw Shore Club on Sundance's main stretch. Inspired by their iconic Wave logo and the notion of White Claw as the underdog, BNS and VCCP developed a concept called "Make Waves,” a phrase that became the creative messaging for both brand experience and a film, "Making Waves," which played before each festival film and established a connection between the brand, music, and culture while honoring Sundance’s filmmakers.

Utilizing the Unreal Engine in a commercial application, Brand New School developed a way to combine hyperreal landscapes of glacial mountains and oceans to complement the concept of "Making Waves," integrating White Claw’s iconic wave against the mountain backdrop of Park City. The key phrasing in brand messaging was shown in parallel imagery of waves of sand, water, and sound, and the product itself paired with performers in a choreographed dance that emulates waves of connectivity. Designed for repeat viewing as the thirty-second film shown before each screening, "Making Waves" encourages audiences to discover new meanings with each viewing.

Constructing the film as a visual poem with a non-linear narrative, Brand New School director Nico Cassavechia created a story of connection between the dancers that would interplay with the visual motifs and analog scientific narration. Renowned choreographer Denna Thomsen’s inventive movements extended the metaphor of making waves by showcasing the ripple effect of waves and how one ripple causes and inspires even more movement. Throughout, the waves are visible, audible, sensory, and visceral.

Brand New School Founder Jonathan Notaro of the project said: 

"We have worked with VCCP on various White Claw projects, and leveraged that trust to make something artful and striking. Between the clients and the team, everyone took ownership and trusted each other. It’s really refreshing to see White Claw and VCCP bravely use this opportunity to make an homage, not an ad."