The brief was simple: entrants had to develop a script for a 1-minute commercial that delivered an entertaining, light-hearted eyesight gag, with the line ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ as the punchline.
After much deliberation over the strong field of 135 entries received, a winner has been chosen. Talented comedy director and writer Jesse Vogelaar, a Melbourne-based creative and award-winning comedy short filmmaker, has taken out the top prize. Jesse will be given the opportunity to bring his production and script to life under the guidance of the Specsavers brand team. The winning package also includes a $5k cash prize to acknowledge Jesse’s talent.
Festival Director Bronwyn Kidd said, “It’s been incredibly rewarding to work with the team at Specsavers to be able to support and nurture an Australian creative to develop their skills through this wonderful career initiative. At Flickerfest, we are committed to finding pathways to support Australian filmmakers beyond our festival, and it’s fantastic to partner with brands such as Specsavers who support us in our vision to discover, reward & further career opportunities for Australian talent in such a meaningful way.”
Shaun Briggs, director of marketing planning at Specsavers ANZ, said: “For over 15 years, ‘Should’ve Gone to Specsavers’ has been one of Australia’s most loved ad campaigns. We are excited to offer Jesse the opportunity to put his creative spin on our beloved brand platform, which aims to delight audiences and inspire them to be as excited about eye health as we are”.
Jesse’s winning ad will premiere on the big screen at the 33rd Flickerfest in Bondi, from the 19th to 28th January 2024, launching at the festival’s prestigious opening night, before appearing in 45 other venues around the country as part of the Flickerfest national tour from February to October 2024.
About Jesse Vogelaars –
Jesse is a queer writer & director based in Melbourne. He debuted as a baby on a small farm in Cambridge, Aotearoa/New Zealand, to two newly arrived Dutch immigrants. He spent much of his childhood charting small islands and playing competitive marbles in the North Island. In 2023, he will direct the Screen Australia and ABC funded comedy, “Ruby Rai, P.I.”, created by Vidya Rajan as part of the Fresh Blood program. His most recent short, “Room for One More”, was nominated for best comedy at Palm Springs Shortfest and ‘Decorum’ premiered at Flickerfest 2023. These films follow up a handful of shorts like “Mark Targets”, which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival and was acquired by SBS. His online short, “You Lose” – went viral, and Junkee called it “Australia’s Greatest Work of Art”. It was featured by NOWNESS, Vimeo Staff Picks and made it to France, featured on L’Oeil de Links on CANAL+.
