Meat & Livestock Australia/ MLA: You Never Lamb Alone

Credits & Description:

This September, Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has launched its new Spring Lamb campaign positioning lamb as the meat that doesn’t discriminate. Building on the long established We Love Our Lamb platform, the integrated activity taps into the central role lamb plays in celebrating the face of modern Australia and bringing everyone together, no matter their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or ability. This message will be spread to all Australians via content, a traditional 30 second TVC, an innovative media approach, social amplification, OOH, a bespoke partnership and PR. The content created by The Monkeys, Sydney, cuts to the chase and addresses the fact that we are a welcoming and inclusive society that loves lamb, by featuring a cast of Aussies from all walks of life, coming together over a lamb barbecue.
Media: TV
Category: Other
Client: Meat & Livestock Australia
Agency: The Monkeys
Production: Plaza Films
Country: Australia
Director: Paul Middleditch
Executive Creative Director: Scott Nowell
Creative Director: Grant Rutherford
Copywriter: Tim Pashen
Producer: Abby Hunt
Producer: Caroline David
Producer: Jess Bonney
Senior Art Director: Barbara Humphries
Executive Producer: peter masterton
DoP: Daniel Ardilley
Planning Director: Michael Hogg
Managing Director: Matt Michael
Content Director: Katie Wong-Hee
Content Manager: Victoria Zourkas
Head of Production: Thea Carone
Senior Account Director: Jessica Silver Account Director: Katie Raleigh Account Manager: Lauren Caverley Senior Account Executive: Taylor York Account Executive: Duncan Fredericks
Post production: The Editors
Editor: Peter Whitmore
Colourist: Christine Trodd
Sound: Song Zu
Senior Composer: Haydn Walker Sound Designer: Simon Kane
Synopsis:
The film is a flowing journey that explores all of the different aspects of our National Identity. The commercial starts with Luke Jacobz, who addresses the concern that there are ‘too many perky white males contributing to a lack of diversity on our screens’. Suddenly Jacobz disappears and is replaced by Bengali-Australian actor Arka Das who continues the diversity tour of Australia. There are appearances from Indigenous model Samantha Harris, followed by Comedian Jordan Raskopolous. Das speaks of “all religions, faiths and beliefs”, “people of colour” and extols the virtues of ‘the ultimate cross-cultural protein’. It ends with Das asking “Who was here first?” while holding a lamb chop. An Indigenous couple (Cathy Freeman and Greg Inglis) step forward: “That would be us”. It addresses the fact that we are a diverse society by featuring a cast of Aussies from all walks of life, coming together over a lamb barbecue.
The film taps into the central role lamb plays in celebrating the face of modern Australia and bringing everyone together, no matter their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or ability. A message such as this one tackles the notion that has been discussed at length of late, which suggests that there is a real disparity between what and who is displayed on TV and in the media versus what Australia actually looks like and many Australians felt they weren’t being represented correctly in the mass media. By simply throwing a lamb chop on the barbecue, we’ve managed to overcome complex societal issues and help pave the way for a diverse and welcoming future for all. It’s about embracing what shapes our modern Australian identity and how it binds us Aussies together as one united, multicultural family. With this film we’ve embarked on an odyssey of cultural enlightenment.
The film takes place in one seamless, single take. It starts off small and intimate, then gradually progresses through each scene continuing in one fluid movement, until it reaches its destination: the ultimate BBQ. Realising a script with so many layers of humour in one take demanded meticulous planning. Through expert choreography and thorough rehearsals; the actors knew exactly how their scenarios played out and this ensured that everything coincided precisely with the camera movement in order to create a wonderfully fluid and engaging performance.