The centerpiece of the short film is the chimpanzee, “made from scratch” and affectionately named Luna by her creators, with “every muscle movement, nostril hair and eye twitch carefully designed and added,” according to Chemistry Films executive producer Camilla Nilsson.
“The whole post team has spent hours and hours watching every Netflix series there is of chimps,” combing also through YouTube videos and audio recordings “to create the most realistic chimp we could,” Nilsson said. “We have worked so closely on her for so long that we know every wrinkle and imperfection—she stole our heart.”
The soundtrack was also crucial to the film: “Our goal was to forge an emotional connection between viewers, the ROM, and the expansive realm of natural history,” said Craig McIntosh, the agency’s chief creative officer. “And what could be more powerful than opera to express that?”
At more than a century old, ROM houses 18 million artworks, cultural objects, and natural history specimens. Via its agency partner, it debuted the “Immortal” marketing platform in 2022 with an arresting six-minute film.
The 2024 chapter, dubbed “Immortal: Nature’s Symphony,” includes a significant out-of-home media buy and the tagline, “Listen to nature’s symphony, for it will shape our future.” The hero video, “Opera,” is airing on social and digital channels as well as in-theater in the Toronto area.
