THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Short List
TitleTHE SHOW MUST GO ON
BrandAMAZON
Product/ServiceAMAZON
Category A03. Casting
Entrant LUCKY GENERALS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation LUCKY GENERALS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production PRETTYBIRD London, UNITED KINGDOM
Credits
Name Company Position
Danny Brooke-Taylor Lucky Generals Executive Creative Director
Nick Bird Lucky Generals Creative Director
Lee Smith Lucky Generals Creative Director
George Allen Lucky Generals Creative
Lizzie Moore Lucky Generals Creative
Sarah Quinn Lucky Generals Client Partner
Minnie Vaughan Lucky Generals Business Director
Joe Bagnall Lucky Generals Producer
Camilla Hempleman Lucky Generals Producer
Loz Horner Lucky Generals Strategist
Ruth Chadwick Lucky Generals Strategist

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

A young dancer wins the lead in a winter ballet production, but COVID hits and her school is shut down. Throughout the year she trains for the performance under lockdown; in her flat with her parents and sister, via zoom with her fellow dancers, and in the hallway of her building, where she smiles at a boy her age. Later in the year, she receives terrible news; her show has been cancelled. Seeing her sadness, her sister starts making flyers. She posts them around her community. The boy reads a flyer and orders a powerful torch from Amazon. Later, the sister hands our dancer the flyer; an invitation to a ballet performance, outside, tonight. Our dancer steps out into the darkness, the music starts, and the boy shines his torch from his window, illuminating her in a spotlight. She performs as the community looks on. She finishes to rapturous applause.

Tell the jury about the casting process.

We were looking for an exceptionally talented dancer to deliver a breathtaking modern ballet performance. Crucially, we also needed our lead to be a powerful actor – able to deliver a range of emotions throughout the highs and lows of the narrative. COVID considerations had crunched our timelines so we had 2 weeks to cast, and therefore spread the net far and wide. As this was a global campaign, we knew our dancer could be anywhere, so we reached out to the world’s best ballet schools across Europe, US and Nigeria. When we found Tais, we realised that she was a prodigious dancer; able to double pirouette (rare at her age). However, we had concerns over her looks. She seemed almost too beautiful and poised. Call backs with our Director confirmed that she was able to deliver outstanding emotive range, and we had found our lead.