Debating the true meaning of Australian identity is an understandably divisive topic, given the multicultural heritage of the country. In 2021, nearly 30% of the population were born overseas, the country ranking ninth in the world for the total number of migrants in its population. It is fair to say Australia would not be what it is today without the input of immigrants who have contributed to the development of the country and its economy. Despite this, conversations concerning contentious and controversial identity politics rage on.
Whether these discussions are taking place between patrons in the local pub or constituents in the local council chambers, being dubbed ‘Un-Australian’ has become the ultimate insult to throw in somebody’s face. Generally used as a dig, the term describes something that goes against traditional Australian ideals, thus calling into question aspects of the culture typically associated with national pride. While clearly a country-specific remark, these nationalistic and ethnocentrist themes have become widely recognisable, as cultural identities around the world continue to merge.
This year, Meat and Livestock Australia’s (MLA) annual summer ‘Share the Lamb’ campaign decided to hone in on the absurdity of this very phrase. Advertising agency The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, recruited talented director, Yianni Warnock. Known for his ability to draw out the paradoxical humour of a subject, Yianni was tasked with directing this tongue in cheek campaign that pokes fun at the unreasonable - and entirely subjective - specifications of what constitutes ‘Un-Australian.’
Working with The Monkeys’ creative director, Scott Dettrick, the MOFA director combined casual surrealism with clever in-camera trickery, to craft a light hearted and satirical three minute spot that is sure to go down in MLA history as an evocative and timely stroke of genius. LBB sits down with Scott and Yianni to learn more about what went into this brilliant film.
LBB> The yearly MLA lamb ads are a January tradition down under – what was the brief for the 2023 edition? How did it differ from previous years?
Scott Dettrick> Yes, it's been described as a one ad Super Bowl. No pressure! The brief in recent years has been pretty similar. To bring divided Australians together with ‘Lamb for Summer’. The previous two years we had been through Covid so that set the tone for how the country was feeling and what was keeping us apart. This year we wanted to explore bigger overarching cultural themes.
LBB> Yianni, given the reputation of the MLA campaigns, how did it feel to be directing this year’s spot?
Yianni> I felt super excited to take on the job. It was a great opportunity to do something with an already established and iconic Australian commercial. Being able to put my spin on this and play with a longer format TVC was an exciting endeavour.
LBB> Did you have any concrete creative expectations or ideas, going into the project?
Yianni> I definitely figured there’d be some frying lamb and a Sam Kekovich cameo, but really I just responded to the script and took it at face value. When you make a project like this you must definitely consider what has worked in the past and what traditions need to be upheld. For example, there is obviously the layer of visual gags that are now a respected formula so we needed to respect that and make sure that we delivered on it.
LBB> Why did you choose to focus on the word "Un-Australian"?
Scott Dettrick> We're in uncertain times and people are struggling to define what it means to be Australian but, ironically, some find it very easy to define what is Un-Australian. It's a word that has been weaponised and abused in pubs and political arenas alike. It's become the intellectual equivalent of retorting, "you are''. Being a bit Un-Australian is actually what makes Australia an interesting and diverse place so we wanted to celebrate that.
LBB> How did you arrive at the idea of constructing "Un-Australia" as a real place?
Scott Dettrick> When someone calls you “Un-Australian” they are effectively saying you don't belong, and that birthed the idea of people disappearing into the 'infinite cultural void'. The irony is that by someone's definition we are all a bit Un-Australian so we would all eventually end up in the 'void'.
How it was going to look was probably the one production consideration we discussed the most. It couldn't really look like anywhere in Australia to begin with, as we didn't want to suggest a particular place or region as being a cultural void. The idea was to start on a stark and slightly surreal landscape which would evolve throughout the spot, turning into a beautiful and inclusive scene that felt like a true representation of Australia.
LBB> The lamb ads have never shied away from topicality, often trying to meet Australians and Australian culture where they are at time of broadcast. How did that principle influence this year's edition?
Scott Dettrick> We always look to the zeitgeist to gauge what the nation is feeling and experiencing. Most importantly, what is dividing the nation and keeping Australians apart? During covid the division was more physical but this year’s spot explores the ways we are currently divided mentally and philosophically, as a nation. We live in an age where news expires in a day so picking the topics that will still resonate between our concept, production and release dates can be tricky. Luckily our crystal ball seems to be working okay so far.
Yianni> I really liked that this year's script felt both topical and timeless at the same time. It felt like it was reaching for something that is more of a recurring issue about Australian identity in general. I feel this film will feel just as relevant in a year or two as it hopefully does now.
LBB> Yianni, how did you apply your signature style to this ad? And how does it fit in with your existing commercial oeuvre?
Yianni> The biggest challenge was the intense speed of filming. I wanted to make sure there was a level of film craft that didn’t feel like an afterthought. It was really all in the pre-production. Choosing the right locations that would be practical to film in and work tonally. Then it was the fantastic collaborators that all worked hard to schedule intelligently and work super hard to keep the dream alive.
LBB> Tell us about the production! The visual effects are astonishingly good. How did you go about creating the world of ‘Un-Australia’ visually?
Scott Dettrick> The main visual effect was the disappearing and reappearing of people that was pretty much all captured in camera as plates and then stitched together. It was simple but effective.
Working with Yianni, we worked out that if the characters left a little something behind as they disappeared it would really help sell the effect, and amplify the comedy. The timing of the disappearance also became part of the comedic timing. The big wide-end scene was stitched together from lots of sources. We had a lot of fun putting some Easter eggs in there of various things that might be considered Un-Australian, from 'McMansions' to jet skis.
Yianni> We tried to keep a visual difference between Exile and Australia. Australia is very much locked off and matter of fact, whilst Exile takes on a sense of movement in the camera language. We wanted Exile to feel sparse without being outback Australia. We chose a location that had cooler tones and heightened the reality at the end, with matte paintings to feel more otherworldly. We didn’t want the disappearing gag to seem like a magic trick with puffs of smoke, more of a harsh abrupt cut. Having the items dropping was a good in camera trick that emphasised the harshness of these cuts and added a funny little visual moment.
LBB> The lamb ads also boast a consistently comical tone - a sort of reserved, dry wit. Were you conscious of this going into the work, and did it affect the writing of the piece?
Scott Dettrick> The Lamb ads definitely have a tone of voice that people find entertaining and we evolve that each year. These ads are owned by Australia, really, so we always want the audience to fill in some of the gaps and find their own humorous points of reference around the bigger idea in the process. The last few years we've included a lot more visual and background gags for people to find along the way or on second viewing and that has had a great reaction.
Yianni> There is a definite deliberate Australian sense of humour in these ads. What I found funny was this understated Australian casualness in how the people are reacting to the situation, which is quite elevated and surreal. Instead of being shocked and hyperbolic about everyone disappearing, they react to it in a pretty nonchalant and casual way. For me that casual surrealism is very interesting and was fun to execute.
LBB> What feedback have you received since the commercial aired?
Scott Dettrick>The feedback so far has been some of the highest ever which is pretty cool. The overall commentary on social media has been really positive and supportive too and, most importantly, people are clearly understanding the premise.
Yianni> It’s a great thing to make a commercial that delivers such a broad reach. It also doesn’t hurt when your neighbour or disparate family member from the country can finally make sense of what you’ve been doing with your time for all these years.
