Latest Work
New York, New York Launches Splashy Broadway Trailer
Last month we had the pleasure to collaborate with our sister agency across the pond, AKA NY, as they conceived and created a new, anthemic television trailer for the highly anticipated Broadway musical, New York, New York.
Featuring music and lyrics by Tony, Emmy & Grammy Award winners and Academy Award nominees John Kander & Fred Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret), written by Tony Award nominee David Thompson (The Scottsboro Boys, Steel Pier), co-written by Sharon Washington (Audible’s Feeding The Dragon) and featuring additional lyrics by Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy & Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In The Heights), New York, New York will be directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (The Producers, The Scottsboro Boys)
AKA partnered with DMS, as well as Final Cut, Machine Sound and Significant Others, to create a spectacular celebration of a singular city, full of complex 3D and 2D VFX, stunning sound design, and inventive production design that brings the soul of this new musical to life – all before rehearsals, set construction, and costume builds began.
Our Creative team, led by our Creative Director Mark Mathews, worked closely with AKA Directors and Producers to build the iconic neon sign that is slowly revealed throughout the trailer until we can view it in full, overlooking the breath-taking city. Using advanced 3D modelling, lighting and compositing, our design team created an animated and hyper-realistic version of the neon sign that would fit organically into the live-action footage featuring talent.
Together with the show’s creative team and producers, AKA was able to capture the heart of this brand-new musical – the hugeness of the greatest city in the world, and the hope and hustle it takes to make it here – and visualize it at a level never seen before with Broadway content.
The musical medley at the center of the spot was arranged specifically for the commercial and recorded at the famous Power Station Studios with a 19-piece orchestra. It blends together two anthems for the city—the iconic Kander & Ebb classic, “New York, New York,” and “Cheering for Me Now,” a new collaboration with music by John Kander and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
AKA Chief Creative Officer Miky Wolf (Co-Director/Writer) says, “This musical is a story about artists with big dreams that come here to go big and take risks. We embraced that spirit and created something that’s truly exciting audiences and ticket buyers.” AKA Creative Director Sam McMenamin (Co-Director/Writer) adds, “Just like the show, our spot is a love letter to this city and to Broadway, and at a time we need it most, it finally feels like we’re back.”
See full credits here.
