Concept design and art direction
Getting audiences back to the theatre with a Finnish staging of the Hobbit
Client: Turku City Theatre
Project: Hobitti
Year: 2021
Key art and advertising art direction for a Finnish staging of the Hobbit. The project included concept design, art direction and a scripting of a short teaser. The campaign ran locally and nationally in Finland.
Riding the tailcoats of the success of a celebrated Finnish staging of Lord of the Rings, Turku City Theatre decided to stage the Hobbit. Production started prior to COVID19, but marketing strategies were devised at the height of the pandemic under constant uncertainty. I was tasked with creating a campaign that would signal a triumphant return to Middle-Earth and convince COVID-weary audiences to once again enter the theatre.
Bilbo is anything but a willing participant. He'd much rather stay home, choosing comfort. This was also the case for theatre audiences during COVID.
Viewers needed to be coaxed to leave the couch, so we decided to drop them smack dab in the middle of adventure together with Bilbo. The tagline "Joskus seikkailu valitsee sinut" ( "Sometimes, adventure chooses you") made coming to the theatre less of a choice and more of a must. You’ve been selected to join this mad quest.
The recognizable hobbit immediately signaled a return to Tolkien’s world to those familiar with the story, and the action packed imagery caught the eye of new audiences as well.
CREDITS
Art Direction, Photo Compositing and Video Editing: Marita Koivisto
Photography and filming: Otto-Ville Väätäinen
Stock footage: Adobe Stock
Sound design: Iiro Laakso
Hair and makeup: Minna Pilvinen
Actor: Teemu Aromaa
