2007 Athens Film Fest
'Czech Dream' shows advertising power
By Jen Pontzer, Staff Writer
May 2, 2007 | noon
Advertising is something that we encounter everyday. It's also something that we don't really think about. "Czech Dream," the documentary by two film majors in the Czech Republic, will force audiences to start.
The idea of Vít Klusák's and Filip Remunda's film is to make an advertising campaign so convincing that people will show up for the grand opening of something that doesn’t exist. In the Czech Republic, something called a “hypermarket” is very popular. A hypermarket is like a supermarket and a mall combined into one giant shopping center. Klusák and Remunda decided to advertise for the Czech Dream hypermarket.
They began by getting themselves cleaned up to look like managers instead of students. They needed to look respectable to gain the consumers’ trust. Then, they worked on market research, a logo, flyers, commercials and a very interesting jingle. For their jingle, they used a children’s choir, as well as professional singers, and the song went on for at least two minutes. Their fliers said that the hypermarket was coming soon but told people they had to wait for the location details. The fliers also made use of reverse psychology with phrases like “Don’t Come” and “Don’t Spend.”
Klusák and Remunda enlisted the help of professional advertising agencies in their campaign. One of the most interesting things in this film was how the professionals talked about advertising. One said that while filmmakers may lie, advertisers do not. Another said, “I honestly think that it’s me who moves the world.”
The scary thing is, he may be right.
On the day of the grand opening of the Czech Dream hypermarket, thousands of people arrived to find that there was just a mock storefront hanging on scaffolding. Advertising alone had dictated whether or not people would shop at the Czech Dream. Some people thought it was funny, and others started flipping the bird and discussing beating up Klusák and Remunda. Theories on why the filmmakers had fooled them ranged from showing how greedy people are to getting people outdoors. However, the talk then turned more serious. The stunt started making people decide to vote against joining the European Union. They believed that this showed that advertising to vote yes for the EU was also a dream without anything behind it. (The Czech Republic did join the EU on May 1, 2004.)
In terms of film execution, the documentary was shoddy. Booms and camera crew often ended up in the frame. The film frequently jumped around, and it took a few minutes to realize what was going on. There are crazy, unnecessary pans and spins. The film seemed to be done unprofessionally. If viewers are able to focus on the message alone, though, they won’t be disappointed. The film really does have worth as a social commentary on consumerism and the power of advertising.
---
Check out this and other the other films from the Athens Film Fest.
Speakeasy rating: B+
MPAA rating: Not Rated
Runing time: 90 minutes
Genre: Documentary, Foreign (with subtitles)