Starbucks’ “Glen,” directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks, Los Angeles, for agency Fallon, New York, is one of the more memorable spots nominated for this year’s primetime commercial Emmy Award. The ad features a remix of the ’80s hit “Eye of the Tiger,” from Survivor–performed by Survivor. In the new incarnation, the band follows Glen, as gets he ready for work, downing a can of Starbucks DoubleShot espresso, shaving, waiting for the bus, and arriving at the office. The band, dressed as though performing at a stadium show, follows Glen, while singing the updated version of the tune. Sample lyrics: “Middle management is right in his grasp/it’s a dream he will never let die.” Once Glen is at his office, the band, satisfied that Glen is sufficiently pumped up to begin the day, begins serenading Roy, hoping to get him going.
Avi Oron, of Bikini Edit, New York, says the ad “was easy to put together because it was very well-planned,” citing the casting and other spot elements which were all in place when he began editing. “My job on ‘Glen’ was try to keep it very simple,” relates Oron. “Since it’s kind of musical, [we didn’t want to] to fall into the trap of trying to make it like a real music video, but just keep the slow pacing, and the humor and the story. … That was the key. Hopefully, we made it funny.”
Asked if the spot should get the Emmy, Oron laughed that was “like asking me if my kids are smart.”
“It’s a great spot,” he continues, on a more serious note, “it’s among some good spots, and it’s getting a good reaction from the viewers–that’s winning for me.”
“Glen,” which helped land Murro the 2004 Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award for best commercial director, is one in a long line of spots that Oron has cut for Murro. The pair met 15 years ago when Murro was an art director at now defunct Goldsmith Jeffrey; when Murro began directing, Oron began cutting his work. “We just clicked,” says Oron, “I don’t know why, and I don’t know that you can put a finger on it. … but I’m lucky to work with a guy like him.” Some recent Murro/Oron collaborations include Nike’s “Barefoot,” out of Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.; DirecTV’s “Forward,” out of BBDO New York; and an upcoming project for Hummer out of Modernista!, Boston.
Oron notes that during their years collaborating together, the style of Murro’s work has grown, encompassing more elaborate postproduction. But the director remains rooted in strong storytelling. Oron notes that while visual effects today are more sophisticated and realistic than ever, the key is to “use effects to your advantage to tell stories, and not for the sake of the effect.” Oron relates that Murro has successfully integrated visual wizardry into his work, noting “I think it’s serving him in a very, very good way to create some more magic with the storytelling.”
While he frequently works with Murro, Oron often collaborates with other A-list directors. He’s currently working on an Old Navy project directed by Stacy Wall of bicoastal Epoch Films; a Raisin Bran Crunch package helmed by Frank Todaro of bicoastal/international Moxie Pictures; a Saturn spot with Fredrik Bond of bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander (MJZ); and some American Express spots directed by Kevin Thomas of Thomas Thomas Film, London.
Oron, who formerly was a DP–primarily on short films and documentaries–began editing 18 years ago in his native Israel. He says he was attracted to the challenge of editing. “The creative process is more demanding, and there’s more opportunity,” he says, “especially with spots, where you have to tell a story in thirty seconds. … I like the challenge of trying to come up with something new and something different, and to keep the concept and idea clear.”
