When the ultimate day of reckoning comes, it might be a good idea to have a package of LifeSavers on you. That’s the humorously and dramatically offbeat— yet effective—marketing message in this spec spot conceived, written, art-directed, produced and directed by Nick Piper, who helms spots via Crossroads Films, bicoastal and Chicago.
The :45 opens on the scene of a traffic accident, where paramedics are working feverishly to save the life of a young man who’s laid out on a stretcher. Clearly, he’s in bad shape. Suddenly, though, we are taken away from this chaotic scene with the blink of the patient’s eye. The critically injured man finds himself in purgatory, where seemingly endless rows of drone-like workers are rubber-stamping forms. The paperwork is authorization for sending people from limbo to the depths of hell. We witness one unfortunate soul being dropped into an inferno—and we’re not talking about a suite housing the effects/post tool.
The same hellish fate appears to be in store for our young accident victim. Desperate, he pulls out a roll of LifeSavers and places one single, solitary candy on top of the paperwork that’s about to exile him to life with the devil. Thankfully, the LifeSaver proves to be true to its name. The mindless worker becomes mindful of the candy treat and stamps the young man’s form, "Case Returned."
In an instant, we’re back at the accident scene. The young man on the stretcher has been miraculously revived and appears on the road to recovery. He offers LifeSavers to the surrounding medical attendants and happily, life goes on.
Piper made the spec spot over the past year-plus, during time in-between paying spot jobs. He called in favors to bring the sophisticated live-action/visual effects combo spot to life, showcasing his prowess in people-based narrative storytelling. The duration of the project from concept to completion spanned several shops on his résumé: Crossroads; his former roost, Santa Monica-based Plum Productions; and The Partners’ Film Company, Toronto, which continues to handle him in Canada. Crossroads’ partners Cami Taylor and Dan Lindau executive produced the finished spot, aptly entitled "Purgatory." The DP was Simon Mestel.
Piper and editor Buzz Wein, who is with Anchor Editorial, Santa Monica, cut the spec commercial. Piper served as online editor/Henry artist, tapping into the technical resources at The Finish Line, Santa Monica. Colorists was Brian "Crash" Carlucci of R!OT, Santa Monica.
Visual effects were done by Henry artist Piper via The Finish Line. Audio mixer/sound designer was Michael Schmidt of Face The Music > LA, Santa Monica.
Paul Robb of Face The Music was composer/arranger, writing original music and modifying a recording of Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien, sung by Edith Piaf. Birgit Roberts served as executive producer for Face The Music. Robb and Schmidt provided several creative touches. Robb, for instance, electronically manipulated the 1960 Piaf recording to match the twists of Piper’s story. The composer/arranger affected a pitch shift in Piaf’s voice so that it suddenly assumes an unearthly quality upon the young victim’s reaching Purgatory. Once there, Schmidt had to help create the illusion of office workers working in synchronized lock step. "I had the most fun in creating the stamping sound, which consists of several layered elements, some pre-recorded, others recorded in a Foley session," related Schmidt. "We recorded fists on wood, wood on wood, metal, a crank, a hammer. The final effect includes eight or ten sounds combined. We then multiplied it to create the effect of one hundred people stamping in unison."
