HUMANE SOCIETY

CAGED FOR COSTCO

Director: Lorenzo Fonda
Production company: Ghost Robot
Executive producers: Mark Depace, Zach Mortensen
Agency: Rokkan

more credits coming soon

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Currently, more than 90% of the US’s 300 million egg-laying hens are kept in battery cages, with only 67 to 86 square inches (170 to 220 sq cm) of usable space for each bird. In 2008 the giant wholesale corporation Costco made a promise that it would eventually stop buying eggs from sellers who kept chickens caged and in inhumane conditions. Though, as of fall 2015 the company still had not followed through its promise. Humane Society of the United States has been monitoring the corporation for a while, and decided to do something about this. Agency Rokkan came up with the idea of setting up a scenario in which unsuspecting New Yorkers would visit a crumbling, run down micro apartment in order to rent it. The reactions that would ensue were of course the core of the film and would help understand people the appalling conditions in which the chickens are forced to live in.

UPDATE: By the end of 2015, Costco went cage-free! Not sure of course if our video was part of the reason, but feels good to even just assume it was. Read about Costco change of policy here.

PRODUCTION NOTES

The other side of the fake room.

In order to get the reactions we needed from the potential renters, we hid eight GoPro cameras around the room, so then I could oversee the scene through a live monitor.