Blinkink director Zach Tavel builds a mythological world from miniatures and models to house the godly comedic talents of Kate Berlant in this aggressively oddball launch film for California plant-based cheese brand Plonts.

Tavel’s NYC studio, Easy Pete’s, also handled the full Plont’s launch campaign, from developing the branding thru to social video collaborations with comedians and sketch groups on original content to amplify the absurdist, climate-focused values of the brand.

Zach Tavel: “When it came to creating a launch film, we realized there was no better way to poke fun at the existential dilemma faced by consumers than to riff on the original absurdist comedy, the Myth of Sisyphus.
 

“I’ve long been fixated on low-budget movies from the 30s through the 60s that dealt with stories of massive biblical scale but used the dumbest, least-convincing primitive techniques possible to pull that off.”

 
“We chose to utilize old-school techniques like miniatures and models in a contemporary way, playing into the tension between feeling powerless in the face of a mythologically tremendous burden.

“I’ve long been fixated on low-budget movies from the 30s through the 60s that dealt with stories of massive biblical scale but used the dumbest, least-convincing primitive techniques possible to pull that off.

“Ultimately, I wanted to let Kate Berlant and Charly Clive’s talents carry the comedic essence of the spot. I just made sure to provide them with a world that was visually dynamic and off-kilter enough to work with the tone.

“The practical effects, miniatures (created by BAFTA-winning production designer Brin Frost), cheese wheel, and Sisphyus scenes were all created and shot in London, while Kate Berlant’s scenes were shot in Los Angeles.”
 
 

 
Client: Plonts

Agency: Easy Pete’s
CD Brand & Design: Cody Ackors
CD Content & Advertising/EP: Zach Tavel
Creative Consultant: Mark Donnelly

Production: Blinkink
Director Zach Tavel
EP: Josef Byrne
Head of Production: Alex Halley
Producer: Alexander Handschuh
DP: Jack Hamilton
1st AC: Tuncer Ozdemir
Production Designer: Brin Frost
Design Assistant: Beattie Hartley
Costume Designer: Lucy James
Hair & Make-Up Artist: Dasha Taivas
Gaffer: Alex Cullen
Spark: Bryan Lim
Sound Recordist: Benjamin Schweimler
Runner: Jack Taylor
Cam Trainee: Gulistan Korkmaz
Editor: Danny Scharar
Colorist: Connor Bailey @ House Post
Post-Producer, Color: Gina Martin
VFX Artist Simone Ghilardotti
VFX Artist John Malcom Moore

Los Angeles Unit
Production: Easy Pete’s
Producer: Drew Toresco
DP: Josh Kuzo
Hair: Briana Dunning
Makeup: Amber Dreadon
Sound Recordist: Paddy Bairgrie
PA: Evelyn Davis

Audio Post House: Howdy Sound
Sound Design/Mix: Dusty Albertz