BRING BACK THE SPARK
The combination of Covid 19 and the rise of streaming services disconnected audiences from the emotional connection to film culture and the cinema experience.
In this project I explored what drives emotional engagment with film amongst young adults and what kinds of experiences they connect with.
Roles
Graphic Design
User Experience
2025
Client
Academic
Solo Project
SOLUTION
Reignite the emotional connection between people and film through a communal pop-up experience and creative campaign designed to rekindle the sense of wonder, connection, and escapism that makes going to the movies memorable.
RESEARCH
Gen Z statistically goes to the movies more than any other generation, with 90% of Gen Z visiting cinemas regularly
Because Gen Z is such a essential part of the cinema industry, The core solution relied on fostering the connection with the Gen Z audiences, and creating a sort of ripple effect to following generations like Gen Alpha.
To better understand this audience I conducted interveiws, to understand this generations connection to film, aswell as wants and needs both in relation to film and in general. These were the insights:
Audience Engagement is built through shared experiences and community
Gen Z finds value in collective experiences
Physical experiences are perceived as more meaningful and memorable
Gen Z respond to themes of Nostalgia and Self Discovery
Gen Z connect with brands that have a persona or feel personal
These insights influenced my project direction to a tactile experience that was reflective and fostered emotional conenction while including themes of nostalgia and community.
OUTCOME
Bring Back the Spark is a nostalgic yet contemporary campaign centred around the “Spark of Cinema” a symbolic representation of the shared passion and emotional connection people have with film. Designed to resonate with audiences on a personal level, the campaign creates a pop-up experience that encourages reflection, connection, and a renewed sense of community through a collective celebration of cinema.
Each DVD cover featured a unique prompt designed to spark reflection and nostalgia. Through distinct visual styles and emotional themes, every cover created its own atmosphere, resulting in a collection that captured a wide range of cinematic experiences and memories.
In early concepts I explored mystical and elegant forms that could embody the emotional magic of the cinema experience but settled on the familiar “spark”. The spark became the foundation of the entire experience, a recognisable motif chosen to as the visual metaphor for the feeling that lives within a shared love of cinema. In the campaign it represents inspiration, emotion, and human connection.
The experience is centered around a Pop up stall, located across multiple cinema’s across New Zealand. These stalls are themed like old DVD rental stores, with shelf’s stacked with DVD cases each with unique prompts. Inside are paper for people to write and share their own stories and experiences with film. The pop up encourages people to share and connect with others stories to help rekindle that spark associated with movies and the cinema experience.
These Free cards can be taken home from the booth with a qr code that leads to the instagram where you can connect with the online community of movie lovers and updates from events hosted by the “spark of cinema”.
To translate the tactile storytelling (from the booth’s shared stories) into something that sticks there is a”spark of cinema” social media. Which takes the stories and memories shared in the booths and turns them into short, engaging social posts that showcase collective emotion, nostalgia, and shared cinematic love. The social media uses warm, human, slightly witty, and nostalgic tone of voice while creating a space for a community of film lovers to unite.
HOMEPAGE