EM filmmaker reaches semi-finals in Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest
A passion for storytelling, a supportive community and a quirky take on biblical storytelling recently propelled an Eagle Mountain filmmaker into the semi-finals of the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest.
With a comedic commercial concept inspired by Noah’s Ark, local residents and filmmakers found a creative way to put Eagle Mountain’s landscape on the map.
The co-creator of the commercial, whose journey to filmmaking began at a young age, credits his wife for sparking the ambition to pursue his dreams.
“She asked me what I wanted to do for work 30, 40 years from now,” Co-Director Daylen Pollard said. “And I thought I’d love to just make films and like make videos, that would be the best thing ever.”
Pollard has been honing his craft since he was 12, but the question from his wife gave him a push to take on the challenge.
For the commercial submission to the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest, he collaborated with another filmmaker, Cody Harrison. Together, they brainstormed ideas, eventually landing on a concept that combined humor, religion and a bag of Doritos.
The creator turned to Google Gemini for initial ideas.
“I actually used Google Gemini and I said, ‘What’s a funny Doritos commercial?’ And they were all terrible ideas. Like nothing was funny,” Harrison said. “One of the ideas was to have all the animals from around the world come and try Doritos. And I thought, ‘Oh, but if we had Noah try and get his animals onto the ark with Doritos, that’s hilarious.’”
What made the idea even more compelling was a personal connection.
“I was like, that’s perfect because my dad looks just like Noah,” Pollard said.
His father stepped into the role, donning handmade costumes that added authenticity to the shoot.
The team chose Eagle Mountain as the backdrop for their project.
“We wanted to shoot it here in Eagle Mountain because the fields are just so awesome and we can make it look like really cool,” Pollard said.
The scenery was perfect, but the shoot wasn’t without its challenges.
“It was late October, and it was like freezing cold,” Pollard recalled.
Cast and crew braved the chilly conditions to bring the vision to life.
“We had to like go and attract animals to get them on set. I’m just kidding. We didn’t. That’s all done with CGI,” Pollard joked.
The Eagle Mountain community played a vital role in the production.
“I’m so grateful for the Eagle Mountain community. Several people in the community were actually some of our cast in it. They helped us,” he said.
Making it to the semi-finals of the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest is a significant achievement, and the filmmaker is thrilled to share the recognition with the Eagle Mountain community.