MICROPLASTIC JOURNEY

Short List
TitleMICROPLASTIC JOURNEY
BrandMERCK KGAA
Product/ServiceRONAFLAIR® FUNCTIONAL FILLERS
Category A05. Cinematography
Entrant MERCK KGAA Darmstadt, GERMANY
Idea Creation FORK UNSTABLE MEDIA Hamburg, GERMANY
Media Placement FISCHERAPPELT Hamburg, GERMANY
PR FISCHERAPPELT Hamburg, GERMANY
Production RADICAL MEDIA London, UNITED KINGDOM
Post Production WAVE STUDIOS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Post Production 2 MACHINE SHOP London, UNITED KINGDOM
Post Production 3 CHEAT London, UNITED KINGDOM
Credits
Name Company Position
Paul Taggart Fork Unstable Media GmbH Creative Director
Alexander Gradl Fork Unstable Media Gmbh Senior Copywriter
Laura Zabel Freelance Senior Concept
Marco Bergstein Freelance Motion Designer
Lina Rieckel Fork Unstable Media Project Manager
Carl-Jochen Reinhardt Fork Unstable Media GmbH Client Service Director
Quentin van den Bossche RadicalMedia Director
Elliot Tagg RadicalMedia Producer
Emily Rudge RadicalMedia Executive
Schneider Ben RadicalMedia Executive Producer
James Medcraft Freelance DOP
Leopold Naessens Freelance Gaffer
Alex Bender Freelance 1st AC
Charlie Wall Freelance Grip
Ben Cornfield Stitch Editing Editor

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

The film documents a microplastic particle’s journey – from its toothpaste origins all the way to the human food chain. Washed down the bathroom plughole (into a murky network of pipes, treatment facilities, and rivers), the particle reaches a sea inlet before sticking to a gull’s feathers as the bird splashes on the water surface. Carried out to sea by the bird, the particle comes loose and falls into depths below. Fished from the ocean by a passing trawler, the particle sticks to a fish that’s then prepared, fried, and served to an unwitting restaurant guest. The film plunges into darkness as the particle (still stuck to a piece of fish) is swallowed by the hungry diner.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

N/A

Tell the jury anything relevant about the cinematography.

To recreate the movements of a tiny plastic fragment in different environments, the film’s cinematography drifts and floats in a light, free-flowing fashion. This buoyant navigation allows the camera to effortlessly stick to (and detach from) different surfaces – much like a real microplastic particle. Shot predominantly from a single perspective, the camera periodically toggles to alternative angles, giving viewers moments to reflect while adding context to the journey’s many settings.