National Geographic, in Partnership with Pereira & O’Dell New York Launches 10 Days of Genius, A Film Festival Inspired by GENIUS, The Fascinating and Untold Story About the Life of Albert Einstein
GENIUS, From Executive Producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard and Starring Geoffrey Rush, Airs Tuesdays at 9/8C on National Geographic
WASHINGTON, DC - May 30, 2017 – National Geographic launches the "10 Days of Genius" Film Festival, a series of short films inspired by the creativity and imagination of Albert Einstein. National Geographic partnered with creative agency Pereira & O’Dell New York to develop the concept, content, and strategy behind this unique initiative, kicking off with two short films “The Instrument” and “The Mirror,” directed by Sam Spiegel. Additionally, a partnership with the Tongal filmmaking community worked with new filmmakers to develop and produce 8 unique and inspiring short films that showcase the many inspirations of Albert Einstein’s genius.
The series of original short films each center around a unique Einstein quote, such as “I live my daydreams in music,” “Imagination is more important than knowledge” and “When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it’s longer than any hour. That’s relativity.”
The headlining short, “The Instrument”, imagines a world where music and physics are one and the same and the rules of gravity are meant to be defied.
[WATCH SHORT FILM]
GENIUS, From Executive Producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard and Starring Geoffrey Rush, Airs Tuesdays at 9/8C on National Geographic
WASHINGTON, DC - May 30, 2017 – National Geographic launches the "10 Days of Genius" Film Festival, a series of short films inspired by the creativity and imagination of Albert Einstein. National Geographic partnered with creative agency Pereira & O’Dell New York to develop the concept, content, and strategy behind this unique initiative, kicking off with two short films “The Instrument” and “The Mirror,” directed by Sam Spiegel. Additionally, a partnership with the Tongal filmmaking community worked with new filmmakers to develop and produce 8 unique and inspiring short films that showcase the many inspirations of Albert Einstein’s genius.
The series of original short films each center around a unique Einstein quote, such as “I live my daydreams in music,” “Imagination is more important than knowledge” and “When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it’s longer than any hour. That’s relativity.”
The headlining short, “The Instrument”, imagines a world where music and physics are one and the same and the rules of gravity are meant to be defied.
[WATCH SHORT FILM]
· “The Instrument" - Einstein’s mind was filled with more than just equations - as he himself said, “I live my daydreams in music.” Take a vivid look at the musical ingredients of Einstein’s imagination in our new short, “The Instrument,” directed by Sam Spiegel.
· “The Mirror,” also directed by Sam Spiegel (“The Instrument”) a short film that questions what if all of time collapsed to an instant and how far would you dare to travel while riding a beam of light across the universe
· “When Pigs Fly,” an animated short film that challenges the hypothetical, “could fly”, and says, I’ll bet there’s at least one that can
· “Take Me Back,” where a female physicist, drawing inspiration from Einstein's quote that 'the past, present and future are an illusion,’ travels back in time to stop herself from meeting her future lover
· “Movement,” where a Taiwanese-American daughter rediscovers her father’s love for dance just after he dies and learns his signature moves as a way to remember him
· “Relativity Ramen,” which explores relativity in the most recognizable of current day situations -- waiting for a microwave timer that never seems to be done.
From executive producers, Academy Award winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, the latter making his scripted television directorial debut with the first episode, GENIUS stars Geoffrey Rush as elder Albert Einstein, Johnny Flynn as young Einstein, and Emily Watson as Elsa Einstein. GENIUS — the network’s first scripted series — reveals how Albert became Einstein, exploring his extraordinary professional achievements along with his volatile, passionate and complex personal relationships.
“With our scripted series GENIUS, we introduced Einstein the man, not just the physicist, showcasing the man behind the mind. He was a true creative spirit with an insatiable curiosity,” said Andy Baker, SVP/Global Creative Director, National Geographic. “The 10 Days of Genius Film Festival will celebrate Einstein’s innovativeness and hopefully inspire audiences to explore their imaginations and find their inner-genius.”
Dave Arnold, Executive Creative Director, Pereira & O’Dell New York says, “’10 Days of Genius’ honors Albert Einstein in service of GENIUS. Everyone knew how rare this brief was, and it was exciting to explore the intersection of music and science knowing how important both were to Einstein.”
“Einstein’s creative genius helped us reimagine our world. Through our platform and creative network, we are redefining how we approach content by allowing unique and diverse talent reimagine his famous quotes,” said James DeJulio, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Tongal. The “genius" behind this campaign is that it helped us empower limitless imagination, bring opportunities to up and coming filmmakers, and, as a result tell incredible stories.”
Beginning on May 30, the “10 Days of Genius” Film Festival will premiere with the release of ‘The Instrument’ and will live across National Geographic’s digital and social platforms – the Genius homepage, VOD, YouTube, and Facebook.
Additional shorts include:
· “The Mirror,” also directed by Sam Spiegel (“The Instrument”) a short film that questions what if all of time collapsed to an instant and how far would you dare to travel while riding a beam of light across the universe
· “When Pigs Fly,” an animated short film that challenges the hypothetical, “could fly”, and says, I’ll bet there’s at least one that can
· “Take Me Back,” where a female physicist, drawing inspiration from Einstein's quote that 'the past, present and future are an illusion,’ travels back in time to stop herself from meeting her future lover
· “Movement,” where a Taiwanese-American daughter rediscovers her father’s love for dance just after he dies and learns his signature moves as a way to remember him
· “Relativity Ramen,” which explores relativity in the most recognizable of current day situations -- waiting for a microwave timer that never seems to be done
GENIUS, which airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on National Geographic, just passed the halfway mark of the season. Over the next few weeks the series will explore Albert Einstein’s (Geoffrey Rush) later years, including his immigration to the U.S. with his second wife Elsa (Emily Watson) – which was staunchly opposed by then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, (T.R. Knight) -- his reluctant and remorseful involvement in the development of the atomic bomb, and his attempts to reconcile with his family.
The special two-part season finale will air Tuesday, June 20. Globally, GENIUS is averaging nearly 3.5 MM viewers per episode, hitting record numbers in most key markets. National Geographic magazine’s Genius cover story is projected to sell 100K issues; that makes it above average and the third best-selling cover for FY2017 to date.
For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or go to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
· “The Mirror,” also directed by Sam Spiegel (“The Instrument”) a short film that questions what if all of time collapsed to an instant and how far would you dare to travel while riding a beam of light across the universe
· “When Pigs Fly,” an animated short film that challenges the hypothetical, “could fly”, and says, I’ll bet there’s at least one that can
· “Take Me Back,” where a female physicist, drawing inspiration from Einstein's quote that 'the past, present and future are an illusion,’ travels back in time to stop herself from meeting her future lover
· “Movement,” where a Taiwanese-American daughter rediscovers her father’s love for dance just after he dies and learns his signature moves as a way to remember him
· “Relativity Ramen,” which explores relativity in the most recognizable of current day situations -- waiting for a microwave timer that never seems to be done.
From executive producers, Academy Award winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, the latter making his scripted television directorial debut with the first episode, GENIUS stars Geoffrey Rush as elder Albert Einstein, Johnny Flynn as young Einstein, and Emily Watson as Elsa Einstein. GENIUS — the network’s first scripted series — reveals how Albert became Einstein, exploring his extraordinary professional achievements along with his volatile, passionate and complex personal relationships.
“With our scripted series GENIUS, we introduced Einstein the man, not just the physicist, showcasing the man behind the mind. He was a true creative spirit with an insatiable curiosity,” said Andy Baker, SVP/Global Creative Director, National Geographic. “The 10 Days of Genius Film Festival will celebrate Einstein’s innovativeness and hopefully inspire audiences to explore their imaginations and find their inner-genius.”
Dave Arnold, Executive Creative Director, Pereira & O’Dell New York says, “’10 Days of Genius’ honors Albert Einstein in service of GENIUS. Everyone knew how rare this brief was, and it was exciting to explore the intersection of music and science knowing how important both were to Einstein.”
“Einstein’s creative genius helped us reimagine our world. Through our platform and creative network, we are redefining how we approach content by allowing unique and diverse talent reimagine his famous quotes,” said James DeJulio, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Tongal. The “genius" behind this campaign is that it helped us empower limitless imagination, bring opportunities to up and coming filmmakers, and, as a result tell incredible stories.”
Beginning on May 30, the “10 Days of Genius” Film Festival will premiere with the release of ‘The Instrument’ and will live across National Geographic’s digital and social platforms – the Genius homepage, VOD, YouTube, and Facebook.
Additional shorts include:
· “The Mirror,” also directed by Sam Spiegel (“The Instrument”) a short film that questions what if all of time collapsed to an instant and how far would you dare to travel while riding a beam of light across the universe
· “When Pigs Fly,” an animated short film that challenges the hypothetical, “could fly”, and says, I’ll bet there’s at least one that can
· “Take Me Back,” where a female physicist, drawing inspiration from Einstein's quote that 'the past, present and future are an illusion,’ travels back in time to stop herself from meeting her future lover
· “Movement,” where a Taiwanese-American daughter rediscovers her father’s love for dance just after he dies and learns his signature moves as a way to remember him
· “Relativity Ramen,” which explores relativity in the most recognizable of current day situations -- waiting for a microwave timer that never seems to be done
GENIUS, which airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on National Geographic, just passed the halfway mark of the season. Over the next few weeks the series will explore Albert Einstein’s (Geoffrey Rush) later years, including his immigration to the U.S. with his second wife Elsa (Emily Watson) – which was staunchly opposed by then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, (T.R. Knight) -- his reluctant and remorseful involvement in the development of the atomic bomb, and his attempts to reconcile with his family.
The special two-part season finale will air Tuesday, June 20. Globally, GENIUS is averaging nearly 3.5 MM viewers per episode, hitting record numbers in most key markets. National Geographic magazine’s Genius cover story is projected to sell 100K issues; that makes it above average and the third best-selling cover for FY2017 to date.
For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or go to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
CLIENT: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
SVP/Global Creative Director: Andy Baker
Creative Director: Tyler Korba
Senior Project Manager: Leah Wojda
AGENCY: PEREIRA & O’DELL/NY
Executive Creative Director: Dave Arnold
Head of Production: Tennille Teague
Copywriter: Jayson Mittman
Art Directors: Aksana Berdnikova, Gary Lee
Managing Director: Cory Berger
Account Director: Mitch Wexler
Account Supervisor: Rosie Boskett
PRODUCTION COMPANY: HEY WONDERFUL
Director: Sam Spiegel
Founder/Managing Director: Michael Di Girolamo
Executive Producer: Sarah McMurray
Producer: Angela Jones
Director of Photography: Robert Yeoman
Production Designer: Elliot Hostetter
EDITORIAL & CONFORM: EXILE NY
Editor: Nate Gross
Assistant: Mitch Goldberg, Stephania Dulowski, Zaldy Lopez
Producer: Melanie Gagliano, Remy Foxx
Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld
MUSIC COMPANY: SQUEAK E CLEAN PRODUCTIONS
“The Instrument”, “The Mirror”
Creative Director: Sam Spiegel
Composer: Sam Spiegel and Rob Barbato
Title: I Am the Cosmos
Executive Producer: Christine Bilich
Mirror:
Creative Director: Sam Spiegel
Composer: Sam Spiegel and Justin Hori
Title: Joy
Executive Producer: Christine Bilich
VFX: MPC
Executive Producer: Jesse Kurnit
Executive Producer Color: Dani Zeitlin
VFX Producer: Aiste Akelaityte
Color Producer: Jenna Gabriel
Producer: Neela Kumuda Parankusham
Colourist: Adrian Seery
VFX Supervisor: Warren Paleos
VFX Team:
Jacob Fradkin, Mike Lombardo, Monica Manalo, Vadim Turchin, Madeline Jackson, David Anger, Jeric Pimentel, Karen Weiss, Mazyar Sharifian, Meghan Sesnie, Jemmy Molero, Chris Ribar, Ambalika Nandy, Ankan Sanyal, Gowri Shankar Velusamy D, Pritesh Krishnappa Kotian, Radhakrishna Rethinasamy, Raju Ganesh S., Shaik Abdul Rahim, Shiny Rajan, Sravan Kumar, Srinivas Achary, Ankit Dheraj Toppo, Sindhuja B, Sabanayagam V, Akhil K.P., Amit Shukla, Anupam Kumar, Arulanandhan, Hemalatha T, Jose J, Joslin Job Mathew, Kishan Katrimal, Mahendra Reddy, Maheswar Konda, Mohanakrishnan C, Muruganatham T, Naresh, Prasanth Palaparthi, Praveenkumar Samiraj, R Vignesh, Rajesh Kumar, V Jegadeesan
TONGAL FILM CREDITS (in alphabetical order):
“Curiosity” by Sonia Megerdichian, Burbank, CA
“Falling in Love” by Maja Fernqvist, New York, NY “Gravity Vs. Love” by Joel Levinson (The Levinson Brothers) & Paul Rondeau, Dayton, Ohio“Movement” by Tiffany Frances, New York, NY
“When Pigs Fly” by Afterman, Tsvetelina Zdraveva and Jerred North, Brooklyn, NY “Relativity Ramen” by Federico Fracchia (Little Jerry Ideas), Buenos Aires, Argentina
“Stick With Me” by Adam Mosher (creator/writer) & Colin Graham (animation) (Oddbomb Productions), Tottenham, Ontario
“Take Me Back” by Michael A. Livingston and Amanda Dreschler (Quick Brown Fox Productions), Los Angeles, CA
