CSL

Centenary Films

CLIENT: CSL Ltd (Agency - The Hyphen)

AUDIENCE: 16,000 staff in 30 countries. Government stakeholders.

BRIEF: Create a long-form documentary film that tells the story of CSL’s 100 year history. Create a version of less than 10 minutes for screening at the Centenary Gala Dinner.

APPROACH: We worked very closely with The Hyphen who had created a wonderful coffee table book to mark the occasion. Our job was to bring their research and stories to life in video form. CSL’s story is absolutely epic and extraordinary. Their first 8 decades was spent as a small government department before an astonishing privatisation effort saw them become one of Australia’s most valuable companies. But, their growth was driven by a series of bullish mergers and acquisitions of foreign rivals. Many of these acquired assets had the CSL logo, but culturally they still identified as their old company. We set out to create a film about CSL’s history that also paid homage to the histories of the acquired companies and framed their stories as collective battles in service of mankind. As well as expanding the context, we also narrowed the focus into very personal stories about individuals that were illustrative of the impact the organisation across 100 years. A final defining principle was to frame the past as a pathway that naturally leads to management’s current vision for the future. We wanted to leverage this heritage to inspire staff in the present, filling them with a sense of purpose as they struggle against nature to create a healthy and prosperous future.

DELIVERABLES:

• 78-minute documentary (broken into six chapters). This film was screened for 16,000 staff around the world at venues including cinemas. It also screened in full at Parliament House in Canberra.

• 10-minute documentary. This was screened at the Centenary Gala Dinner and used in staff inductions.

• Chapter One of the 78-minute film was re-edited as a stand-alone 15-minute film for their influenza subsidiary - Seqirus.

CLIENT FEEDBACK: “Everyone LOVED it. What a masterpiece you guys have put together… There is no getting rid of us now!!”