Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai transform a dad into a superhero for the launch of the all new BMW X3
For the launch of The All-New BMW X3, BMW wanted to celebrate the spirit of reliability by transforming a loving and dedicated father into a superhero in their latest short film.
In today’s world, the Chinese middle class is under immense pressure to balance societal expectations of both modern and traditional responsibilities. The film tells a story about the struggle to balance work and life through our hero, a father.
To acknowledge and celebrate the people we depend on, BMW in collaboration with Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai announced a 14-minute film on Father’s Day for the X3 – the reliable car for reliable people. The full film was released on July 3rd, the same day as the All-New BMW X3.
The short film features film star Mark Zhao, playing a parent whose son lovingly watches him deal with the pressure of being a reliable father and a successful businessman.
However, because the son does not fully understand the complexity of his father’s life, he imagines a fantastical world where in order to spend time with him his father must fight off imaginary villains such as a Dark Queen, a gang of Kung Fu fighters and hostile kidnappers in order to spend time with his son. He ultimately escapes them all in a dramatic car chase with the help of The All-New BMW X3. The film also features Song Jia, who is constantly misunderstood by the son because she appears to be stealing his father away. Over the course of the film it is revealed that she is Mark’s colleague and a great example of the modern independent Chinese woman.
Okan Usta, creative director at W+K Shanghai, commented, “Reliability is a quality that is often taken for granted, yet we all need that person who is the anchor of stability in our lives. We wanted to make their struggle larger than life by showing it through the wild imagination of a child. It’s a universal insight that touches so many lives, including mine as a new father.”
The film ends with a powerful tribute to the modern Chinese achievers, dedicated “to those whose superpower is to always be there for us.”
Credits –
Executive Creative Directors: Ian Toombs / Vivian Yong
Creative Directors : Minhao Lu / Okan Usta
Art Directors : Justin Phang
Chinese Copywriters : Liu Wei / Lance Lian / Alex Zhang
Head of Production : Sanne Drogtrop
Production Manager : Bernice Wong
Digital Producer :Xiong Xiong
Senior Planner:David Lin
Planner : Elaine Huang / Peter Shao
Account Director : Jason Wang
Account Manager : Mandy Lin
Account Executive : Laura Yu
Head of Project Manager : Nicole Bee
Project Manager : Olivia Yuan
Business Affairs : Jessica Deng
Head of Design : Fish Ho
Production House: The Loft Films
Executive Producer: Lem Geok Choo / Magne Lynger
Producer : Peichuan Tsai/ Ye He
Production Manager : Weiche Chang / Yushu Liu
Director : Martin Werner
Assistant Director: Robert Jonathan Diment/ Qing Gui
Story Creative: Vivian Yong/Ian Toombs/Minhao Lu / Okan Usta
Script Writer: Minhao Lu / Okan Usta / Yirou He
Director of Photography: Daniel Voldheim
Focus Puller: Gang Yan/Bencong Kang
Editor: Olivier Bugge Coutté / Pang Wei Fong / Lim Fan Fan
Musician and Composer: Karl Håkan Bertil Eriksson
Art Director: Poliang Wu
Special Wardrobe Stylist: Shouhsiang Liu
Wardrobe Stylist: Hsiuwei Lin
Hair and Make-up Stylist: Mingyu Tsai
Casting Director : Ying Sheng
Casting Assistant : Ling Lin
Gaffer : Guobin Huang
Behind the Scene : Bo Hai
Property Master : Guowu Guan
Sound Recording: Bin Chen
Location Manager: Jijun Feng
Digital Colorist:Nikola Stefanovic (MPC Shanghai)
Visual Effect: Volt Shanghai
Mark Zhao starring Jun Ma
Jia Song starring Jing Wang
Yunhao Kou starring Dong Dong
Yuanbaizihui starring Dong Dong Mom
Special Starring: The All-New BMW X3
Kindergarten Teacher: Wei Liu
Boss: Xiujun Du
Special Forces: Haofei Li/ Cheng Cheng/ Youbu A Zhi / Leihan Zhang/ Junhao Lai
Kidnappers: Weimin Zhang/ Yaze Li
Hostage: Ningxue Yin
Other Kids: Yitong Sun/ Rubing Qian/ Chenzhou Liu/ Xihan Chen/ Haohan Bai
Kungfu Masters: Yuechao Sun/ Tong Li/ Lu Li/ Deming Feng/ Ronghua Cheng/ Cheng Peng/ Chaoqun Wang/ Wei Wang/ Gongke Li/ Jiabao Li/ Wenshuo Zhou/ Qitai Li/ Zhanpeng Gong
Clients: Yuezhong Lin/ Ninghai Zhao/ Haiming Wu
Designer : Fan He
Marketing Director : Jessica Sinn
PR Manager : Rachel Xiao
Visual Support : Fortune Star Studio