Though it’s not quite on the grand scale of having a spec piece bought and then aired during the Super Bowl telecast–which he accomplished last year with Bud Light’s “Skydiver for DDB Chicago–director Michael Downing has experienced a bit of déjà vu all over again, this time for a spec spot called “Swan Lake.”
Downing–who directs commercials for the Canadian market via Untitled, Toronto (and stateside via harvest, Santa Monica)–wrote and helmed this latest spec entry. The work was presented to the National Ballet of Canada, which loved the ad and purchased airtime for it.
The spot opens on a man at his office workstation cubicle. He’s surrounded by the normal office din and clatter–but his behavior is anything but normal. The guy is in a world unto himself, performing like a ballet dancer. He does some knee bends, known in ballet terms as the demi-plie exercise, followed by a couple of twirls with a flourish, and several other artistic gyrations.
Ballet is known as the language of the body, enabling the dancer to tell a story through movement. However, our office worker’s amateurish performance only conveys that he may be a bit off center, if not a total whack job. Adding to the craziness is the fact that his surrounding co-workers are oblivious to the would-be Baryshnikov.
He is equally oblivious to them–until his work phone rings. The sound jars him back to mundane reality. Obviously annoyed, he picks up the phone, sits down at his desk and starts talking. We can only conjecture as to the subject matter–possibly quarterly reports or a boss hassling him over some other long overdue paperwork
A parting end tag reveals the spot’s sponsor: The National Ballet of Canada, accompanied by a slogan, “It will move you.” A Web site address (www.national.ballet.ca) also appears on screen.
The spot was produced by Untitled. Tom Evelyn served as producer. The DP was Tico Poulakakis.
Editor was Brian Williams of Panic & Bob, Toronto. Online conforming and titles were done by Naveen Srivastaba, also of Panic & Bob. Colorist was Gary Chuntz of Notch, Toronto. Panic & Bob’s Williams is additionally credited with audio post mixing, sound design and music for the spot.
The principal actor in “Swan Lake” was Brian Lee Hughes, who also happens to be a director with Reginald Pike, Toronto.
As another aside, Downing has a history with this arts client; he was with the National Ballet of Canada as a corpes de ballet, then became a choreographer and started his own experimental theater/dance company. He made films based on that work, starting him out on a path that led to his directorial career.
“Swan Lake” has a notable spec-turned real-world-spot tradition to live up to relative to Downing. The aforementioned Bud Light “Skydiver” commercial not only aired during the Super Bowl but also finished number one in last year’s USA Today Big Game ad poll.