Major League Baseball is a game of adjustments. And a player, no matter how experienced, perhaps has to make the most adjustments when he is traded to another team. Some of those changes include: new teammates, new manager, new front office, new city, new fans and sometimes a new league. All those variables apply to all-star pitcher Curt Schilling, who was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Boston Red Sox this off-season.
Sure, Schilling has to adjust from National League to American League hitters. He has to adjust to the use of the designated hitter in the American League. He also has to learn to hate the Yankees. But the most daunting adjustment—with tongue firmly planted in cheek—comes in the form of talking the talk in New England.
"Lessons" opens on Schilling seated in the team locker room. Wearing headphones, he’s listening intently to an instructional audiotape, the title of which is "Introduction to Boston Speak." The tape is a primer on the Boston dialect. A prime example comes when finding a place to "park" becomes finding a place to "paaahk."
However, despite the language hurdles, Schilling looks like he’s already adapting pretty successfully to his new home. While listening to the tape, he’s chomping down on and enjoying a new Dunkin’ Donuts’ breakfast item, the New England Maple Cheddar Sandwich. This spot was rolled out by agency Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Boston, to introduce New Englanders to the new morning entr?e.
After seeing some tabletop photography of the sandwich, we return to Schilling, who’s now walking through the locker room, trying—awkwardly—to speak in his newly acquired New England dialect. A locker room attendant overhears him, and the spot concludes with the attendant correcting Schilling on the proper Bostonian pronunciation of things.
"Lessons" was directed by Neil Tardio Jr. of bicoastal Go Film. The Hill, Holliday team consisted of creative directors Marty Donohue and Tim Foley, copywriter Jim Bell, art director Susan Thomas and producer Alex Vainstein.
Gary Rose, Jonathan Weinstein and Robert Wherry were executive producers for Go Film. Line producer was Katherine Kennedy. The DP was Vance Burberry.
Offline editor was Jason MacDonald of Mad River Post, New York. Online editor was Russ Bigby of Nice Shoes, New York. Colorist was Nice Shoes’ Chris Ryan. Audio post mixer/sound designer was Brian Heidebrecht of Soundtrack, Boston.
Curt Schilling and Jack McGree were the principal actors in this spot.
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