What’s more of an ordeal? Sitting through an episode of Survivor, or of The A Team?
This :30—titled "Mr. T"—offers the worst of both options, combining elements of the two programs to create the latest would-be millionaire contest show: Who Can Spend A Month In A Trailer with Mr. T.
In this case, however, two negatives make a humorous positive. The tongue-in-cheek spot opens on a fenced-in, seedy-looking two-wheeled trailer rocking back and forth. The ad cuts to an interior shot, showing three people being jostled in bed. A few feet away, a woman tries to eat her breakfast, but to no avail, as the jarring motion knocks the milk and cereal off her spoon. Then we see the source of the ruckus: Mr. T doing jumping jacks at her side.
A much-too-enthusiastic masculine voiceover then introduces the game show in promo-like style. The lucky person who survives the trailer test with Mr. T will become a millionaire. Will it be Levi, Otis, Crystal or Lita? The voiceover introduces each, with an accompanying ID super. Then a series of vignettes shows Mr. T making life miserable for his four trailer-mates.
Mr. T announces that he "needs a foot rub. Who’s gonna give Mr. T a foot rub?" Next he grabs a flute from Crystal’s hands, pulls Levi out of the bathroom, and threatens his trailer hostages with more canned chili. In an interview, Levi gives his impersonation of Mr. T, the chili-pusher.
Other scenes show the former A Team star getting into a hand-slapping game with the elderly Otis, and a no-holds-barred pillow fight with Levi. Mr. T next buzz-cuts Otis’ hair, giving him a Mohawk-style hairdo à la (who else?) Mr. T. "You’re gonna look good, man," Mr. T declares to Otis.
As Mr. T. puts Levi in a headlock and Crystal tries to intervene, a voice of sanity declares over Oregon Lottery graphics, "It shouldn’t be this hard to win a million bucks on TV." The female voiceover introduces Powerball: The Game Show, in which contestants can win up to $1 million. The only way to get on the show is to play—and win—the Oregon Lottery’s new Instant Powerball scratch-it game.
Back in the cramped trailer, Mr. T hovers over Otis. Completing the senior citizen’s "official Mr. T. starter kit," the celebrity adjusts Otis’ new gold chain and strokes his freshly shaven strip of hair.
"Mr. T" was helmed and shot by director/DP Marc Greenfield of Food Chain Films, Portland, Ore., in surveillance-style video, deploying camerawork with a documentary feel. This mimics the voyeuristic feel of reality television series such as Survivor and Big Brother, chronicling the conflicts as well as the (fleeting) moments of bonding between contestants and Mr. T.
The Oregon Lottery spot was conceived by a contingent at Portland agency Moffatt/Rosenthal, consisting of creative director Rob Rosenthal, copywriter Hart Rusen, art director Marc Sobier and producer Gina Bevilacqua.
Greenfield’s support team at Food Chain Films was headed by executive producer/producer David Cress. David Lankton was the production manager.
Kelly McClean and Jennifer Quinn of DownStream, Portland, served as offline and online editor, respectively. Other DownStream contributors were colorist Jim Barrett and sound engineer Rich Waritz. The field audio mixer was Terry Hoffman of Sonic Booms, Portland.
"Mr. T" began airing in Oregon last month.
