For many people, it’s easy to be a cat lover. But appreciation for the feline is harder to come by when you’ve been reduced to the size of a mouse. That’s the otherworldly sci-fi slant to this spot promoting the Volkswagen (VW) Polo. In the spot, a band of miniaturized humans is trying to somehow survive in a house of "giants," which include an elderly man and a curious kitty.
The man exits the room upon hearing a whistling teakettle in the kitchen. But the cat is ever vigilant and spots the little humans. Upon sight of the cat, the tiny people—understandably panicked—scurry away. The cat goes after a woman who leaps across a chasm from one table to another and into a toy car—a VW Polo. The cat ironically turns out to be of help when it swats at the automobile, providing the vehicle with the propulsion the woman needs to get away.
The car jumps off of a table, making a jarring landing on some books (one of which is appropriately Gulliver’s Travels), then hits the floor. The diminutive woman is one heck of a driver, navigating through assorted obstacles and even surviving a plummet down a flight of stairs. All the while, the cat is in hot pursuit, seemingly within paw’s distance of capturing the woman.
The toy car then zips past the elderly man, causing him to drop his cup of tea. The VW Polo handles so well that it avoids the peril of porcelain and hot liquid.
However, in sharp contrast, the cat cannot avoid the senior citizen, who picks up the feline to end its mischief. The woman makes good her escape, stopping the car by the front door. She climbs out a pet door to freedom. An end tag simply reads, "Polo. Small but tough."
Currently airing in Europe and Australia, "Giants" was directed by Dante Ariola of bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander (MJZ) for BMP DDB, London. Debbie Turner was executive producer for MJZ, with Natalie Hill serving as producer and Kate Leahy as production manager. The commercial was shot on a stage in Prague by DP Ed Lachman. Production designer was J.P. Flack.
The agency team consisted of creative director/copywriter Martin Loraine, creative director/art director Steve Jones and producer Michael Parker.
The Orphanage, San Francisco, produced roughly 40 visual effects shots for "Giant." The project entailed green screen photography, motion control and advanced 2-D compositing. The Orphanage team included executive producers Paul Grimshaw and John Benson, visual effects supervisor Kathy Siegel, effects producer David Dranitzke, CG compositing supervisor Aaron Rhodes, effects associate producer Yvette Memory and compositors Youjin Choung, Natalie Nolan, Jon Harman, Alex Pritchard, Woei Lee, Ralph Procida, Jessie Russell, Dav Rauch, Mike Terpstra and Dennis Wilkins. The Orphanage also tapped into Rough House, San Francisco, using that facility’s Flame and Smoke.
Offline editor was Steve Gandolfi of Cut & Run, London. The Orphanage’s Nick Hasson and John Wank served as online editors; Mary Serafini was postproduction supervisor. Colorist was Fergus McCall at The Mill, London.
Erik Forman of Skywalker Sound, Nicasio, Calif., was the audio mixer/engineer. Sound designer was Gus Koven at stimmüng, Santa Monica. Composer was London-based Jonathan Goldstein.
