TORONTO – With streaming video providers like shomi, Netflix and Amazon successfully producing original content, it was only a matter of time before TV manufacturers joined the content-creating ranks. And that’s exactly what smart TV maker Vizio did.
On a mission for 4K cinematic content to showcase their new line of HDTVs, Vizio realized to get the quality they required they would need to create something themselves. They partnered with Los Angeles-based production company Everdream and the 14-minute documentary Growth was born.
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Directed by Mishka Kornai, Growth captures moments from 75 individuals at different stages throughout their lives to tell a story of “the complexity, subtlety, and beauty of growing up.”
WATCH: Trailer for Growth
Entirely shot overhead from a bird’s-eye view using 6K RED Dragon cameras and drone-mounted Ultra HD cameras, the film is presented in a visually unique fashion and avoids coming across as an advertisement (other than the Vizio name appearing in the credits, there is no branding in the film).
“Growth illustrates the perfect marriage of art and commerce,” said James Khabushani, Everdream’s CEO. “The film speaks to what original content can be – engaging and emotional.”
Based out of Irvine, California, Vizio is credited as being the top smart TV company in the U.S. Its line of high-end, budget-friendly televisions have won numerous accolades from the likes of PC Magazine, Wired, and USA Today.
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“We’re proud of the collaboration with Everdream and excited to bring about a new breed of original content that exudes our brand’s personality traits and is fueled by great storytelling,” Lily Knowles, Vizio’s vice president of product marketing said.
Knowles said the company is “excited about the possibility of creating more narrative-driven, visually appealing stories” in the future.
In a similar move earlier this year, Samsung signed David Alpert, an executive producer on the hit AMC show The Walking Dead, to produce an original series for its virtual reality video service, Milk VR. The company also partnered with production company Metaverse to release the three-minute Milk VR film, The Recruit.
Samsung America’s VP of strategy and creative content, Matt Apfel, told readwrite.com in January that Samsung will always make content, but they were “not in this to be a content company.” The company has not indicated whether it plans to produce content for its mobile digital video service, Milk Video, or for its line of smart TVs.
Growth had its world premiere at the 2015 South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival in Austin, Texas, last weekend. It screens again at the festival on March 21. There is currently no word whether the film will be made available online or via Vizio’s line of television products after SXSW.
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