Turkish Airlines partners with Ridley Scott and Anomaly for Super Bowl ‘journey’
Turkish Airlines is getting a cinematic treatment for its Super Bowl appearance. Agency Anomaly is working with famed director Ridley Scott on ‘The Journey,’ a short film for Turkish Airlines, premiering with a 30-second clip during the SuperBowl.
The Journey for Turkish Airlines / Anomaly
The full film runs six minutes and is set in Istanbul, where east and west meet. Anomaly partnered with Scott to direct the film, based around the plot of a cat-and-mouse chase across the city's iconic landmarks, and paying homage to its splendor with its new airport, poised to be the biggest in the world.
Paying homage to the ancient city of Istanbul, the airline’s hub for 85 years, spanning the continents of Europe and Asia, the 30-second commercial was featured in the first quarter of the most watched sporting event on the global calendar amongst a lineup of some of the world’s most recognizable brands, while the six minute cinematic short film version launched simultaneously via Turkish Airlines’ YouTube channel.
Turkish Airlines has been advertising in the Super Bow since 2016. The brand debuted its 'Batman v Superman' campaign with the leading role played by Ben Affleck in 2016. The 'Widen Your World' campaign in 2017 found Morgan Freeman inviting the global audience to widen their world, and the 'Five Senses' campaign in 2018 was fronted by Dr. Oz, who explored the wonders of the world through five senses visiting some of the most unique places around the globe where Turkish Airlines flies.
M. Ilker Ayci, Turkish Airlines chairman of the board and the executive committee, commented: “When viewers tuned into the Super Bowl on Sunday, they were treated to a stunning portrayal of Istanbul in this thrilling film from Ridley Scott. We invite travelers around the world to join us on our journey and experience true Turkish hospitality at our brand new home, Istanbul Airport.”
Director and producer Scott said: “With its beautiful topography surrounded by water, Istanbul is an inspiring city to build a story around. The city is a powerful backdrop to the story that brings together the main characters in an exciting and spectacular way, much as Istanbul has done for generations.”
This is Scott’s first time directing a commercial after a 15-year break. The commercial, which was produced by RSA Films, marks the opening of Istanbul Airport, the new home of Turkish Airlines. 'The Journey' showcases Istanbul as the hub of Turkish Airlines and the new center of aviation for global travelers, which will be the world’s largest aviation hub with an annual capacity of 200 million passengers.
Sylvia Hoeks, known for her role in Blade Runner 2049, plays the leading role alongside key Istanbul sights such as Çırağan Palace, Basilica Cistern, Ortaköy Square and Istanbul Airport. Istanbul Airport hosted the shooting with a cast of 250 people while the film in total starred 500 actors. The scenes at the airport portray Turkish Airlines’ cabin crew wearing their new uniforms as well as innovations in inflight cabin design.
Anomaly worked hand-in-hand with the airline, director Scott and his RSA Films, plus a sizeable team of producers, actors and crew members to create a cinematic ode to Istanbul.
“We took a standard brief for an advertising campaign and deployed the strong use of storytelling to truly inspire viewers,” said Fabian Berglund, executive creative director, Anomaly Amsterdam. “With that in mind, we wanted to make something that celebrates the airline, the new airport and the city of Istanbul, creating content that people seek out to watch."
"I decided to go back and click-into advertising because I love the chase and the speed of the job,” explained Scott. "The fact is that this project went beyond the limitations of traditional advertising, and allowed me the creative freedom to tell the story."
