The Colonie’s full range of editing, visual FX and design capabilities were recently tapped by Tandem Inc. for a comedic live-action/CGI spot for GrubHub. The :30 commercial, entitled ‘Winner Picks Lunch,’ pits two co-workers against each other in fast-paced game of ping pong with high stakes – the winner gets to decide what they will order for lunch. The male co-worker suggests a different type of food with each lob, only to have his suggestions shot down by his colleague as she returns the ball. As his fierce opponent is about to deliver the winning slam shot she takes out her cell phone and orders her signature sandwich with a single click on the GrubHub app.
GrubHub tapped Tandem, Inc. to collaborate together on their latest national broadcast spot. Tandem’s Tyler Jay directed, and their creative team wrote and produced the spot and began collaborating with The Colonie creative editor Brian Sepanik shortly after the commercial was written. Tyler states, “It’s a very simple story but it had a lot of moving parts to align correctly to execute seamlessly. It was a rewarding challenge but we successfully pulled it off and I have to give credit to our great crew, perfect cast, and wonderful post production partners.”
“Tyler came to us with a great concept and from the beginning we were on the same page about the kind of look, quirky humorous feel and quick pacing that would bring home its message in an engaging and entertaining way,” says Sepanik. “Tyler and I have worked together on a number of spots over the years, so we understand each other’s sensibilities – We’ve developed a kind of creative shorthand that enables us to complete projects quickly and efficiently, which leaves us time to focus on the little details that raise the creative bar.”
After Tyler spoke to The Colonie’s team about the concept, visual FX artist Tom Dernulc, began testing various options and devising the best approach to the shoot, so that the live-action footage would blend seamlessly with the CGI elements. At his suggestion Tyler used a metronome during the shoot to guide the rhythm of the game. Dernulc was present on set to make sure the VFX would go off without a hitch.
“Being on set during the production was invaluable,” says Dernulc. “I was able to work closely with Tandem’s team and make sure all of the plates and reference frames I needed were captured so that the CGI ping pong ball looked as realistic as possible.”
After The Colonie received the footage its team began prepping the job. Most of the commercial was shot at 120 fps on the Arri Alexa Amira to provide plenty of flexibility in case shots needed to be lowed down, which required a bit of extra prep time.
The main challenge the editor faced was timing the movement of the fast-paced ping pong paddles so that they hit the ball just right. In a few areas, when the pace of paddle didn’t exactly line up, Sepanik came up with some innovative solutions to cover the timing issues, taking a few liberties with the action and letting sound design carry some of the game. One of Dernulc’s timing solutions was removing the woman’s arm in one shot so that the pattern of paddle hits was perfect.
“The banter between the two main characters brought the real humor to spot, and Tyler had written an abundance of great, off-beat food suggestions and quips for the characters,” says Sepanik. “I wanted to include as much of this copy as possible – so I compressed the footage between the dialogue to create more time, which also made their verbal play really snappy.”
Sepanik spent three days on rough cuts and then Tyler worked remotely, reviewing the spot and providing feedback. The next day Rich McClellan, GrubHub’s group creative director, came to The Colonie to view the edits, a few more hours were spent on revisions and then the spot was sent up the chain at GrubHub. The client made a few minor adjustments, Dernulc did the finishing and Jennifer Moody, The Colonie’s senior motion graphic artist, animated the end tag – and they delivered the final spot.
“The great thing about working with GrubHub is that Rich and the decision-makers always work directly with us, so the review process is completed extremely quickly,” says Mary Caddy, EP/Partner at The Colonie. “Good planning and smart communication with Tyler and Rich enabled us to create a great spot that we’re all proud of.”
About The Colonie
The Colonie is an award winning Chicago-based creative editorial, motion design, visual FX and finishing boutique with a seamless full-service approach to creating spots and cross-platform content that engage, entertain, inform and move audiences.
Our multi-disciplined collective of creative, technically skilled storytellers work as a creative partner with clients, following a shared vision – from rough-cut through completion – and consistently delivering a final product that exceeds expectations. A wide range of national and global clients, such as Nintendo, Google, McDonald’s, Pepisco and Bayer, rely upon our accomplished team of talent to consistently deliver compelling creative content that elevates the viewer’s experience and connects them to brands. For more information about The Colonie and its services, visit www.TheColonie.com, or contact executive producer Mary Caddy at 312-225-1234, or Sonia Blum or Hillary Herbst at Hilly Reps, 312.944.1100.
