This computer animation spot opens on a hole in the center of a golf putting green. The camera focuses on the hole, from which we hear a voice—of a talking golf ball.
The ball tries to reassure itself that everything will be okay. "I am not afraid of the dark, I am not afraid of the dark," it says again and again, each time with increasing conviction.
But as a hand reaches into the hole to pluck the ball out of the dark abyss, it’s revealed that the ball was afraid after all. "Please … please hold me," says the grateful ball. "Thank you."
A voiceover interjects: "You’re watching the Ace Group Classic."
"Dark" is one of nine animated spots promoting the Ace Group Classic, a golf tournament in Naples, Fla. The talking golf ball campaign came out of agency Doremus, New York, with animation produced by New York studio PSYOP Creative Collective.
The Doremus team consisted of creative director Danny Gregory, art director Quentin Webb, copywriter Jeremy Soule and senior producer Joe Calabrese.
The PSYOP contingent included directors/designers Todd Mueller and Kylie Matulick, animation director/technical director/animator Jason Goodman, executive producer Justin Booth-Clibborn, producer Daniel Rosenbloom, animators Domel Libid and Kartik Mohan, development artist Todd Akita, Flame artist Eben Mears, compositor Gary Looft and 2-D support artist Marion Ennis.
The key to the spots’ success was the character of the golf ball through its voice. Doremus turned to audio production studio 38 Greene, New York, and its in-house creative arm Oink Ink Radio, New York, for the assignment. Oink’s co-owner Dan Price secured Paul Christie to do the voiceover. Christie was the voice of Budweiser’s famed Louie the Lizard.
Other spots had the ball exhibiting its sense of humor and sarcasm in flight and on the putting green. A total of three promos—"Dark," "Foursome" and "Flare"—depicted the ball already in the hole.
In "Flare," the ball says, "Hello. Hello! I can’t breathe too good down here. Do I have to send up a flare? What are you—knitting your scorecard? Get me out of here!" Finally, a hand reaches down and picks up the ball.
In "Foursome," the ball grows increasingly impatient. "Hello!" it says. "Tick tock! Hello! There’s a foursome getting angry right behind us." A hand reaches into the hole, at which point the ball remarks, "Nice to see you."
Audio mixer was Joe Gauci of 38 Greene Studios. Audio director was Oink’s Price.
