MTV Viewers Get A Contortionist’s View Of "Brain Freeze."
CHICAGO-The creative assignment from J. Walter Thompson (JWT) here was to chill out the "brain freeze" concept, which the agency devised in 1993 for the popular 7-Eleven refreshment Slurpee and make it MTV cool. The original, live-action "Brain Freeze, directed by Tenney Fairchild of Barking Weasel Productions in Los Angeles, showed a Slurpee-sipping youngster screaming incoherently, a victim of a headache induced by the icy cold beverage. The Barking Weasel commercial, a SHOOT "Top Spot" in May 1993, was still airing in 1994.
But for Slurpee’s newest "brain freeze" campaign, JWT wanted to venture further into the bizarre, to custom-fit its targeted MTV audience. The agency decided to capture the feel of an arthouse minifilm by exploring the possibilities of offbeat animation.
"We waded through dozens of animation house reels and narrowed it down to four houses," said Dave Moore, who at the time was a creative director at JWT here and has since moved on to McCann-Erickson, New York, as its senior creative director in charge of the AT&T account.
JWT sent copies of the original "Brain Freeze" spot to Boston-based Olive Jar Animation, to London-based directors/animators the Brothers Quay–through bicoastal commercial/music video house The End, which reps them in the U.S.–and to two other shops Moore declined to name, and asked them to serve up their vision of the idea. According to Moore and JWT art director Tom Jakab, who served as a creative director on the campaign, there were only three prerequisites: someone or something had to take a sip of a Slurpee; there had to be a resulting intense reaction to the extreme cold; and then the words "brain freeze" had to be uttered.
"That was the extent of direction we gave to the participants," Moore said. "Otherwise, the creative approach was up for grabs."
Ultimately JWT opted for four 15-second stop-motion animation pieces, three from Olive Jar (SHOOT, 6/23, p. 30) and one from the Quays. "We wanted bizarre," Moore said, "and the Quay brothers had by far the most bizarre work; they’re ‘quayzy.’ "
Known for their special brand of stop-motion and puppetry filmmaking, the Quays–Stephen and Timothy–based their "brain freeze" approach on an 1890s photograph of a female contortionist. Their idea is set on a vaudeville-style stage. A makeshift stage curtain is suspended in midair. A straw stuck in a Slurpee that’s visible from beneath the curtain is being sucked by someone who is not.
The curtain then rises to reveal the pretzel-like contortionist, perched tip-toe on two chairs and bending over backward to sip the Slurpee. She falls victim to "brain freeze" and turns into an ice cube, which plops into the cup.
"We wanted to create the feeling that you’re in a little theater which presents one oddity act after another," Timothy Quay explained. "The agency offered us a wonderful opportunity to write something and then to realize that vision."
Only the Slurpee and its cup appear in full color; the contortionist and her surroundings are sepia. The Quays spent three weeks in production to bring the 1890s photo to life. They brought movement to the still image of the contortionist through frame-by-frame stop-motion photography. The Quay brothers also took some artistic license with the photo, distorting its perspective sideways and restoring the woman’s face, which was obscured by a napkin in the original.
The brothers made a dupe negative of the original photo in order to produce two, one of the woman alone and the other containing background elements. A four-foot-wide print of the latter served as the basis for the spot’s backdrop or set. During the painstaking, frame-by-frame shooting, the Quays used varied levels of lighting on the contortionist, her background and the Slurpee.
To facilitate the contortionist’s instant transformation, the Quay brothers shot a real ice cube, suspended by a heavy thread. Timothy Quay later "painted the thread out of the scene," he said. Real chair legs were inserted into the scene to enhance the feel of the protagonist’s delicate balancing act.
The Quays also served as sound designers for the spot. They incorporated audio elements like a slight creaking of the chairs and the slurping sound as the straw was being sucked.
All four spots in the latest "brain freeze" package display the names of director and production house onscreen, akin to the credit recognition seen in most music videos. That small touch again made the commercials seem tailor-made for MTV, the prime venue for the Slurpee ads. At press time, the Quays’ :15 was about to debut on MTV.
"It’s a great swan song for me at the agency," Moore said, referring to the entire Slurpee campaign. He credited Jakab and agency producer Barbara Thomas for their major contributions to the spots.
Moore and Jakab both stressed that such advertising wouldn’t be possible without tremendous client understanding and support. Moore described Marva Cathey, a key client contact at The Southland Corporation’s 7-Eleven, as being "one of the biggest fans of great advertising around today."
Top Spot Credits
CLIENT The Southland Corporation/7-Eleven Slurpee.
PRODUCTION CO. The End, London, New York and Los Angeles. Stephen Quay and Timothy Quay (Brothers Quay), directors/animators/cinematographers; Luke Thornton, executive producer; Anthony Taylor, producer. Shot at Atelier Koninck Studios, London.
AGENCY J. Walter Thompson, Chicago. Mark Silveira, group creative director; Dave Moore and Tom Jakab, creative directors; Barbara Thomas, producer.
POST The End, London. Stephen Quay and Timothy Quay, offline editors. Video Tape Recording, Ltd., London. Mike Shirra, online editor.
MUSIC The End, London, and Video London. Stephen Quay and Timothy Quay, sound designers.
*****
Polito And Martin Square Up Citibank
CLIENT Citicorp/Citibank Credit Cards.
PRODUCTION CO. Epoch Films, New York. Jeff Preiss, director; Mindy Goldberg, executive producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY Lowe & Partners/SMS, New York. Diane Jeremias, senior vice president/producer; Barbara Siegel, executive vice president/ copywriter; Lee Garfinkel, chief creative officer; Andy Hirsch, senior vice president/art director.
POST Dennis Hayes & Associates, New York. Lin Polito, editor, "Tuxedo" and "Vacation"; Nicholas Martin, editor, "Action Hero." Manhattan Transfer/Edit, New York. Kierin Walsh and Tammy Feldman, digital effects.
MUSIC David Horowitz Music Associates, New York.
THE SPOT
Three spots use a divided screen, the largest square showing a spokesperson–shot in black and white–presenting a short narrative. The smaller blocks illustrate the tale with bright, playful color scenes. In "Tuxedo," a young "T-shirt and jeans guy" talks about falling in love, renting a tux and finding a bank he can count on. "Action Hero" presents a young mother on a wild search for the right action-hero figure for her child. Mom winds up the true hero because she uses a Citibank credit card with purchase protection. In "Vacation," a man describes the the ups and downs of a family vacation against a slide show of color stills.
Spots broke in May.
*****
Verite Music Delivers For UPS
CLIENT UPS International.
PRODUCTION CO. Dark Light Pictures, West Hollywood, Calif. Caleb Deschanel, director. Shot on location.
AGENCY McCann-Erickson, New York. Lou Popp, senior creative director/copy; John Brown, creative director/art; George Myska, producer.
POST Lost Planet, New York. Andre Betz, editor.
MUSIC Verite Music, Boston. Sheldon Mirowitz, principal composer.
THE SPOT Three :30s illustrate UPS’ expertise in delivering packages worldwide overnight.
Spots broke in May.
*****
CME Is Dependable For Century 21
CLIENT Century 21 Real Estate Corp.
PRODUCTION CO. Kira/H Films, New York. Joseph Hanwright, director/DP; Tom Ruge, line producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY Campbell Mithun Esty, Minneapolis. David Tree, chief creative officer; Bob Ribits and Erik Strommer, art directors; Christy Martin, copywriter; Sue Chiafullo, executive producer.
POST First Edition/Composite, New York. Gavin Cutler, editor.
THE SPOT The :60 "Parents" shows the interaction between Century 21 sales associates and home buyers and sellers and their families. A version of the song "Lean on Me," recorded specifically for the campaign by singer Michael McDonald, illustrates the relationship.
Spot broke in May.
*****
Nikodemski, MPV&F Dance For KSS 95.7
CLIENT KSS 95.7 FM.
PRODUCTION CO. Moving Pictures Video & Film, Glastonbury, Conn. Jim Nikodemski, director. Shot on location.
AGENCY Prime Media, South Windsor, Conn. Richard Shenkman, producer.
POST Moving Pictures Video & Film. Ken Harper, editor.
THE SPOT A spot promoting the morning show with Gary Craig and Robin King features a Judge Ito look-alike tuning into KSS 95.7 FM and dancing in the courtroom.
Spot broke April 17.
*****
David Dryer Rows For Sunny Delight
CLIENT Procter & Gamble Co./Sunny Delight’s Solar Surge.
PRODUCTION CO. Dryer/Taylor Productions, Hollywood, Calif. David Dryer, director; Bob Steadman, DP; Linda Dryer, executive producer; Jim Shippee, production coordinator. Visual effects by R&B Films, Glendale, Calif. Shot at Raleigh Studios, Hollywood.
AGENCY GBF Ayer, Los Angeles. John Johnson, creative director/art director/writer; Terry Goodman, producer; Jerry Wright, executive vice president/client services.
POST The Reel Thing of California, Hollywood. Sally Banta, editor.
MUSIC Killer Music, Hollywood. Gary Stockdale, composer; Ron Hicklin, producer.
THE SPOT Two friends on a slave ship row monotonously alongside other slaves in the galley. Suddenly, everybody perks up and pulls together once Solar Surge is passed out, resulting in a happy, united ship. The spot utilizes footage from the 1926 classic Ben-Hur.
Spot broke in May.
*****
Five Union Square Works Out At Bally’s
CLIENT Bally’s Health & Tennis Corp.
PRODUCTION CO. Five Union Square Productions, New York. Anita Madeira, director; Evan Estern, DP; Barbara Gold, executive producer; Michael Miller, line producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY Hal Riney & Partners/Heartland, Chicago. Jonathan Harries, creative director; Paul Janas, art director; Bill Mericle, copywriter; Liz Wedlan, agency producer.
POST Cutaways, Chicago. Marty Bernstein, editor.
MUSIC Cliff Colnot Music, Chicago. Cliff Colnot, producer.
THE SPOT In "Take It Off," men and women show off their toned-up bods in various stages of dress and undress.
Spot broke in May.
*****
Film House Deposits For Bank One Utah
CLIENT Bank One Utah.
PRODUCTION CO. Film House Inc., Phoenix. John Alper, director; Phil Hagenah, producer; Brian Capener, DP. Shot on location.
AGENCY The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va. John Mahoney, creative director; Randy Shreve, producer; Danny Boone, art director; Stacey Pilcher, account supervisor.
POST FilmCore, Hollywood, Calif. Charlie Chubak, editor.
THE SPOT Brigham Young University football coach LaVell Edwards searches for a new co-star to help him promote Bank One Utah’s Loan By Phone service.
Spot broke April 19.
(c) BPI Communications, Inc. 1995 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
