At first, we appear to be witnessing a chronic case of shaky cam. A little boy stands transfixed in a park, holding an ice cream cone. What he is staring at—still not in view—piques our curiosity: Whatever it is, it’s squeaking as it bobs up and down, its movement reflected in the camera’s.
A partial explanation is revealed when we see the face of an oversized playground duck, its bill rocking furiously up and down, accompanied by that incessant squeaking. Oh, what we wouldn’t give for some WD-40 to relieve our ears from the sound of this rusty ride.
Next, we see the boy and the duck’s bill in the same frame. The youngster’s eyes remain riveted on what’s before him—he’s even oblivious to the fact that his ice cream is rapidly melting.
Breaking the spell, an adult’s hand enters the frame and whisks the boy away. Finally, we see the full picture that prompted the lad’s stare fest: A dog is feverishly humping away at the duck.
A super reads: "Spay or neuter your pet. Please." Below that appears the Veterinary Centers of America logo.
This spec spot was directed by Gary Shaffer of Santa Monica-based Tuesday Films. Mardi Minogue and Sarah Lionetti were executive producer and producer, respectively. The ad was shot on location at a state park in Playa del Rey, Calif., by DP Chris Ferrence, who deployed the Canon XL-1 digital camera. Jim Sweet served as production designer.
The concept came from a couple of creatives at Rubin Postaer and Associates, Santa Monica: art director Dan Ahearn and copywriter Martina Cochineas.
"Summer Lovin’ " was edited by Moody Glascow of The Reel Thing, Santa Monica. Bob Festa and Vicki North of Santa Monica-based R!OT were colorist and Henry online editor, respectively. Mark Meuhaus did the audio mixing via AudioBanks, Santa Monica.
