The universal theme of why and how people earn, save and spend money is
beautifully illustrated in ABSA’s new music video “Save for Change.”

Set to the catchy Jeremy Loops track ‘Power’, featuring Casper and Sphum,
the spot was directed by Egg Films’ Dani Hynes for Base2, Absa’s digital
agency.

“Saving is a message as old as banking, finding a fresh way to communicate
the benefits is challenging” says Jacque Matthee Base2 ECD. “Ours is an
enviable space – rules in digital are less defined. Nothing is impossible
when you can unpack ideas without the constraints of traditional length
media spots.”

Dani’s appreciation of people and what makes them tick is artfully
presented in a narrative of three very different stories. The common
thread? Money saved, even in tiny amounts has the power to enable great
change. The potential magic in each moment was obvious from the first
moment in the briefing process. “Save for Change was one of those
incredible jobs where we got to give our input from the very beginning”,
says Dani.

Given only the line “small change creates big notes” as a brief, Dani’s
treatment included the 3 intertwined stories of Fred the talented busker,
Lily the creative waitress and Mike & Simone, the travelling upwardly
mobile couple. Instead of extolling the end goal of a financial plan,
Dani focuses instead on the journey of saving each penny and watching the
savings grow over time. The four characters are not depicted as having to
make huge sacrifice while they save but rather illustrated convincingly
as being strong and resolute in their aim to achieve their dream –
enjoying the moment but working for the future.

Through a process of collaboration, a 4-minute music video was created.
“Because of the freedom of more time we got the opportunity to explore the
characters and give viewers the chance to really engage” said Dani.
Jacque Matthee praised the whole team for their bravery in taking such a
giant leap of faith and having the courage to show the benefits of
compound interest in a fresh, poignant and authentic way. “The stories are
not typical of the savings goals we’ve all seen before. The three stories
were shot to be as different as the people in them and part of what Dani
loved was that we didn’t dictate to people what their dreams look like? It
is so utterly personal. We are excited that thanks to the digital platform
we got to create a charming short film with a powerful brand message,” he
said.

‘Save for Change’ was shot by James Adey and edited by Jason Basson at
OBPP.
Website:
http://eggfilms.tv/south-african-commercials-director/dani-hynes/