Biscuit Filmworks showed off a wide range of emotion in ads for for Apple and beyond

Biscuit Filmworks spanned the emotional spectrum with its 2023 work, from an ad for WealthSimple starring Martin Short meant to make audiences die of laughter, to the Apple spot “R.I.P. Leon,” about a gecko that appears to perish under the watchful eye of a pet sitter, to a spot about the realities of having a spouse living with Alzheimer’s for the Alzheimer’s Society. “I could not be more proud of the group of talent that we have here … from age 25 to 62,” said Shawn Lacy, founding partner and managing director of Biscuit. While it was tough for her to pick her favorite piece of Biscuit work from last year she said, “I love smart work, and I love emotional work”—and she felt the company did plenty of both in 2023. See all of Ad Age’s 2024 Agency A-List winners here Take the “R.I.P. Leon” spot, for instance. Directed by Andreas Nilsson, the in-house campaign shows a use case for Apple’s “unsend iMessage” feature—when a pet sitter thinks a lizard died, but it turns out it was just playing dead. Apple campaigns, Lacy said, are a lesson in the concept that “simplicity is perfection.” “Every decision was so carefully crafted,” she said of the spot. “Visually, it’s just spot-on.” The humorous WealthSimple ad with Martin Short, however, was anything but simple. The spot included multiple sets and even a (very brief) helicopter ride, all to make the point that money in savings and investments should be working much harder than Short does as a spokesperson. Ad Age A-List and Creativity Gala Buy your ticket to the in-person event Click here “The comedic sensibilities between Martin Short and [director] Aaron Stoller were an instant match, and the shoot went fantastically well—so well that Aaron and Martin went to dinner afterward and regaled each other with stories until the wee hours of the morning,” Lacy revealed. In a more serious vein, James Rouse’s Alzheimer’s Society spot was a tear-jerker with a particular breed of poignancy. Centered around the “in sickness and in health” portion of wedding vows, “The Ultimate Vow” takes viewers through the daily life of someone whose spouse begins to develop signs of memory loss, eventually being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The ad puts director Rouse’s primary skills on display, Shawn said. “James’s gift is talent. He is masterful at casting and talent,” she said, which is clear based on the subtle emotions the actors in the ad display throughout. “Watching his process, how he picks talent and works with them, was inspiring for me honestly, just sitting in callbacks with him. This is a heartbreaking, beautiful story.” Other Biscuit spots in 2023 included Jeff Low’s surreal “Power Your Party” for Ocean Spray; Los Perez’s glittery and ethereal Tinder ads; and Steve Rogers’ “On With the Show” spot for Apple around the end of the strikes in Hollywood last year. See all of Ad Age’s 2024 Agency A-List winners here

Biscuit Filmworks showed off a wide range of emotion in ads for for Apple and beyond

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