Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau: It All Begins With a Song [2 min]

Credits & Description:

Brand NASHVILLE CONVENTION AND VISITORS CORPORATION
VML Kansas City, USA Entrant Company
VML Kansas City, USA Idea Creation
PLAN A FILMS Ashville, USA Production
VML Kansas City, USA Media Placement
Debbi Vandeven VML Global Chief Creative Officer
John Godsey VML North American Chief Creative Officer
Tyler Smith VML Executive Producer
Nick Keenan VML Music Producer, North America
Kelli Shannon VML Associate Producer
Shali Wade VML Group Account Director, Client Engagement
Chusy Jardine Plan A Films Writer/Director/Co-Producer
Andy O'Neil Plan A Films Editor/Co-Producer
Joshua Indenbaum Plan A Films Co-Producer
Tim Cofield Plan A Films Cinematographer
John Billings Plan A Films Sound
Cary Daniels Plan A Films Sound
Butch Spyridon Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation President / CEO
Deana Ivey Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation Chief Marketing Officer
Chuck Creasy Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation Creative Director
Synopsis
The city of Nashville, Tennessee is famous for its music scene, which attracts millions of tourists each year. But music tourism has exploded in popularity in America, and so have the number of destinations doubling down on their music offerings. But most these so-called “music scenes” are inauthentic and consist mostly of cover bands playing in bars. We needed to remind people that Nashville is the true epicenter of music in America.
Strategy
The rise of music tourism has led to more cities promoting music to attract tourists. But these manufactured music scenes are just live performances that could happen anywhere. What makes Nashville unique is that music in the city goes far beyond a live performance -- its home to the entire music industry. So our goal was to show that in Nashville, we don’t just play the music, we come up with the music. We brought this strategy to life not with an ad, but with a full-length documentary featuring the creators of hundreds of hit songs telling the story of the city they call home.
Relevancy
This is a full-length documentary that tells the story of music city through the eyes and voices of the songwriters who make it special. With most movies, songs are the backing track to the narrative—or sometimes part of the story; but in this film, the songs are the story. The 30 songs featured in this documentary were carefully selected and woven together to tell how Nashville has become the epicenter of songwriting in the world.
Outcome
The film debuted to hundreds of music fans at The O2 Arena in London as a special screening during the Country 2 Country music festival on March 10, 2018. It’s just begun a major film festival run, and has already received several official selections so far this year. Press from around the world have given the film rave reviews, calling it “raw and honest”, and saying it “hooks potential travelers imaginations.” We’re now in talks with major networks such as HBO, Netflix and Hulu to distribute the film as pure entertainment content.
Execution
The 49 songwriters in this film were painstakingly chosen over the course of 9 months. They had to represent a wide generational and racial range to appeal to all audiences. And because authenticity is the core value of the Nashville brand, we needed a cast that truly mirrored the songwriting community in Nashville. This required the perfect mix of stars as well as up-and-comers. And the songs were casted just as much as the songwriters. We needed a wide range of music genres to combat the perception that Nashville only creates country music. Shooting and editing then took place over the next two years. The film debuted as a special screening at the Country 2 Country music festival, and has subsequently been featured in multiple film festivals.
Campaign Description
Prove that Nashville is America’s only music city by telling the story no other city could tell. IT ALL BEGINS WITH A SONG brings one of music’s most important, and most unknown forces into the spotlight: The songwriter. This full-length documentary goes behind the performers, to the people who create the songs you know and love and the city they call home. Featuring both up and comers and the greats who have turned Nashville into the songwriting center of the world. The film casts a vast light (nearly 50 songwriters were interviewed) on the Nashville songwriting scene, spanning genres and generations, and shows that in a world of homogenizing metropolises, it's these unsung talents that truly make Nashville special.