DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS

THE THANKSGIVING SONG

Back in 2020, Ben Rector released a song about being together…while none of us could be together. “The Thanksgiving Song,” the lead single from his 2020 record A Ben Rector Christmas, gave Shuttershot a new opportunity. We set out to elevate the usual lyric video by crafting a compelling story (without being able to collaborate with the artist in person).

While many of us were finding new ways to occupy our time (see also: the stack of puzzles that were only used once), our Creative Director spent his days and nights finding new ways to turn song lyrics into the story of a thanksgiving dinner. Whipped cream squeezed out of caulk and home-office printers cranked out parody labels of Libby’s pumpkin puree and StoveTop stuffing.

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**The Thanksgiving Song.** Featured in PEOPLE. This was a new style for Shuttershot, but a perfect example of our focus on tactile storytelling. We crafted song lyrics out of objects surrounding the thanksgiving table. From whipped cream (made from a blend of caulk and matte powder), to lyricily embroidered towels to clean up the spills, the video “perfectly encapsulates all the warm feelings of the holiday” says Nicholas Rice for PEOPLE.

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The video’s success—over 2 million views on YouTube alone—should be credited to Ben’s artistry. However…it would be fair to say that our own artistry kept some viewers coming back for more.

TRANSLATING THE SUCCESSFUL CONCEPT

As the number of views on “The Thanksgiving Song” continued to climb, Shuttershot was approached for more. Other artists, managers, and labels saw the value in our creative, detailed approach to sharing lyrics. Soon, we were producing lyric videos for Jackson Michelson, JJ Heller, Francesca Battistelli, as well as multiple others for our OG Ben Rector.

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**Tip Jar.** On the heels of “The Thanksgiving Song” Curb Word Music Publishing reached out to Shuttershot to bring the same style to their artist Jackson Michelson. His new song “Tip Jar” told the story of recovering from a breakup out at the bar, so we shared his heartbroken lyrics across everything from parody liquor labels, hand-milled beer tap handles, faux-beer-foam, and even the tiny sticker on an orange.

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**The Best Is Yet To Come.** After spelling-out multiple Ben Rector lyric videos, his New Year’s anthem “The Best Is Yet To Come” needed something new so people wouldn’t be expecting the rabbit in the hat. We needed a new form of lyric magic. So in a song about turning the page onto a new year, we filmed the video in one long take focused on a day-by-day calendar. Starting on January 1, characters ripped off pages as we push in through the whole year. And on the 12th take...we finally got it.

VIDEO PROMOTED THE RADIO STAR

We knew this concept would translate, not only beyond the holidays, but beyond music. When Chicago’s Variety radio station 101.9 The Mix approached Shuttershot to lead a digital and broadcast campaign for them, we identified a similar challenge to music videos — finding visual energy in a previously-audio-only endeavor.

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**Don’t Be Alarmed.** When The Morning Mix begins at 5:30am, our commercial does the same. In a great (and ultimately more complicated) example of our practical approach to storytelling, we dismantled the inner workings of a vintage flip clock — repainting panels to flip from 5:29am to 101.9fm. While the shot only lasts a moment, eagle-eyed viewers will spot a keychain and sunglasses that set up our first featured artist.

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The result was a day with the “key listener.” We followed 101.9’s ideal fan through a typical morning, aided by the artists spinning on the radio. To convey our message, we curated short vignettes where Lizzo appeared in fried eggs and Maroon 5 popped up on sugar packets. Sugar, yes please!

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**It’s About Egg Time.** Not only is artist “Lizzo” spelled out of real eggs (with the burner on so the “o” would actually cook), this one frame features references to her hit songs including a bottle of “blame it on my Juice,” a carton labelled “No, I’m not an egg at all, look baby, I’m the whole damn meal,” and an egg-timer that reads “it’s about egg time!”

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**Walking the Walk.** One walk sign is not enough for the Joe Bros. On the way to the office (while listening to The Mix, of course) our hero character passes more artist references, like the intersection of Green Day Street and The Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

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FINDING OUR VOICE

In creating every little ingredient for the videos, (ie: if we are already replacing “cinnamon” on the McCormick’s spice bottle, why not also replace the tiny MC logo with BR instead?), we learned that our team is uniquely skilled in building meaning and driving a story through details. This strength doesn’t just benefit lyric videos – it betters every piece of our practice. Each corner in every frame is an opportunity to expand the story we want to tell.

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Your Day with 101.9 The Mix. Highlighting the everyday moments in a Mix listener, this broadcast campaign garnered three national media awards for Shuttershot Productions.

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