Academy Dir. Geoff Posner Recreates Vintage Look Of ’50s Product Demo Spots.
CLIENT
Timex Corporation.
PRODUCTION CO.
Academy Commercials, London. Geoff Posner, director; John Rosenburg, DP; Mark Whittow-Williams,
executive producer; Katherine Boone, production coordinator. Shot at Three Mills, London.
AGENCY
Fallon McElligott, Minneapolis. Bruce Bildsten, group creative director; Steve Sage, art director; Allon
Tatarka, copywriter; Brian DiLorenzo, producer.
EDITORIAL
Fischer Edit, Minneapolis. Charley Schwartz, editor.
POST
Company 3, Santa Monica. Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Fischer Edit. Mark Youngren, Flame artist; Scott Skaja, Smoke artist/online editor. Aldo Hertz, executive
producer.
AUDIO POST
Wow & Flutter, Minneapolis. Dale Goulett, mixer.
SOUND DESIGN
Wow & Flutter. Rick Meyer, sound designer.
BY KATHY DeSALVO
A spot for Timex’s new Turn ‘n’ Pull Alarm watch is a fond send-up of the client’s old ’50s live TV
commercials consisting of a spokesman and a product demonstration. "Chewing Gum" out of Fallon
McElligott, Minneapolis, and directed by Geoff Posner of London-based production house Academy
Commercials, sports a vintage look that recalls an earlier era of spots before slick computer graphics and
sophisticated production values.
Timex, in fact, was one of the pioneers of spokesperson advertising. Fallon group creative director Bruce
Bildsten explained that rarely has a spoof on vintage advertising been as appropriate as it is in this case.
"Timex is one of the manufacturers that practically invented the genre in the ’50s," said Bildsten, who
headed a creative team comprised of art director Steve Sage, copywriter Allon Tatarka and producer Brian
DiLorenzo.
"They were one of early television’s biggest advertisers in sponsored shows," continued Bildsten. "They
had John Cameron Swayze doing the torture tests [on Timex watches]. We found out that people—even
young people—are familiar with that advertising. And we had this product that is kind of a throwback in
how simple it is to use in this digital age. But it needed demonstration. So the product, and the company
that makes the product, kind of came together. It made a lot of sense to go back and do a Timex-like
demonstration of this watch."
The :30 spot, "Chewing Gum" (along with two other Timex spots, "Walking" and "Waving") is meant to
demonstrate how simple it is to use the Turn ‘n’ Pull Alarm watch and set it for long and short-term
reminders; it’s so easy that it can be compared to chewing gum, walking and waving.
The spot features spokesperson Michael Landrum (the actor’s real-life name) and a lab coat-wearing
assistant. In the opening shots, they are shown in what seems to be a sparse office setting (a nameplate on
the desk reads "Timex"). Their images are partially obscured by the white supered copy filling the screen:
"Timex presents Simplicity Made Easy!" as we hear whimsical stock music reminiscent of ’50s TV shows.
Suddenly the music cuts out as the super is wiped away and, with a glaring jump cut, the two men who
were initially facing each other are now instantly facing the camera.
"Hi there—Michael Landrum here for Timex," the suited character says in sonorous tones, a line delivered
completely out-of-sync, "bringing you Timex’s newest innovation, the Timex Turn ‘n’ Pull Alarm watch."
Visually, the art direction is simple; the set itself is dressed in washed-out pale colors that change
throughout the course of the spot. "Just turn the ring either way and pull the crown," he says, as we see a
close-up of the watch face, with white arrows helpfully illustrating the directions of the ring-turning and
crown-pulling.
"Let’s try setting it for 11 minutes," says Landrum, as his expressionless assistant dutifully follows
instructions. Cut ahead as the watch alarm goes off, with blinking Indigo blue colors and a super reading
"11 minutes later." Demo successfully completed, Landrum tells viewers to tune in next week when they
will discuss gum chewing, as we see an earnest-looking young boy chomping away—as a white arrow is
again used as a visual aid. It ends with a product shot, displaying a variety of Timex watches lined up. "The
Timex Turn ‘n’ Pull watch—so simple, we should have thought of it years ago."
To direct, Fallon tapped Posner, who is best known in the U.K. as a television director. Posner explained
that recreating period looks of old films is "an old hobby" of his; Posner’s credits include the ’90 British
documentary spoof Norbert Smith, which simulated the look of the ’30 and ’40s and some British spots for
Mercury Communications that recreate the ’30s.
"[Posner] is an absolute master of this," affirmed Bildsten. "He really knew all the nuances. When I first
told him we wanted to recreate the late ’50s, he asked, ‘Are you talking 1956 or 1958—because there’s a
big difference.’ He also has an eye for very understated comedy."
As Posner observed, this is the type of spot that stands or falls by the amount of details it has. The ’50s
colors were achieved by the choice of film stocks and by using bright primary colors which Posner said he
knew "would wash out on film in a very particular way."
In addition to such details of art direction, costume and makeup, Posner related that the key to recreating
the genre authentically was the choice of spokesperson. Part of the challenge of finding the right talent was
finding an actor neither too young nor too old, and good-looking without being matinee-idol quality.
"Spokesmen in those days were nearly always men," said Posner, "because you trusted men; if they looked
you straight in the eye and said ‘Use this product,’ you did. And they used the same guy every week to sell
these watches, and so he built up that kind of trust with the audience, which is what we wanted to do."
Posner said they auditioned every American actor in Britain—none of which were chosen since they
couldn’t quite recall the type of advertising the campaign spoofed. So casting went to New York, where
actors were shown some of the vintage Timex spots.
With regard to directing the performance, Posner related he tried to get Landrum to convey a stilted quality,
using awkward pauses and mannerisms. "A lot of these [spokespeople] were radio guys," said Posner.
"You saw them full-length and, when they had to walk across the set, there was an awkwardness about
them because they’re walking and talking at the same time. And it’s the little details like that you want to
build in: exactly where they stand—he might be looking for his mark or something like that."
The end result is a spot that is a little off with regard to its characters, its staging and how it was shot. "We
do a lot of humor with Timex," said Bildsten. "I hope these have humor."
STS Editorial Sees
Stars For Dodge Neon
CLIENT
Chrysler Corp./Dodge Neon.
PRODUCTION CO.
Rhythm & Hues Studios, Los Angeles. Randy Roberts, director; David Darby, DP; Michael Crapser,
executive producer; Lisa Nevius, producer; Bill Kroyer, animation director; Nicholas Titmarsh, CGI
supervisor; Jane Stephan, CGI producer; Debbie Pashkoff, lighting director; Colleen Brattesani, visual
effects supervisor; Ian Dawson, head of production, commercial digital; Melanie Cordan, Glen Ramos,
Keith Roberts and Kent Yoshida, animators; Joe Mancewicz, animation set-up/animator; Olivier Barbeau,
Mary Lynn Machado, Guillaume Niquet and Young Joo Paik, technical directors; Min Aung, texture
painter; Amy Christensen and Stephen Dobbs, match movers; Quintin King and Hans Rijpkema, animation
set-up; Keith Hunter, modeling manager; Yeen-Shi Chen, sculptor/modeler; Ian Hulbert, Nicolas Imhof,
Tex Kadonaga, Nancy Klimley and Bradley Sick, modelers; Eric Tsai, technical support; Stacy Burstin, art
department manager; David Weinberg, director of digital production; Prashant Buyyala, production
manager; Paul Newell, animation manager; Ken Roupenian, lighting manager; Jerome Solomon, effects
manager; Tom Leonard, post producer; Linda Martino, software manager; Keith Goldfarb, software
support. Shot on location in Australia and New Zealand.
AGENCY
BBDO Detroit, Southfield, Mich. Richard Johnson, president/chief creative officer; Chris Forrest, senior
producer; Mike Lowes, associate creative director/art director; Paul Stenquist, associate creative
director/copywriter.
EDITORIAL
STS Editorial, Southfield. Terry King, editor; Michele Ballard, assistant editor.
POST
Encore Santa Monica (now Riot). Jais Lamaire, colorist (Lamaire recently joined 525 Studios, Santa
Monica). GTN, Oak Park, Mich. Ron Moser, online editor.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Rhythm & Hues Studios. Colleen Brattesani, Dawn Bowery, Joe Brattesani, Mark Felt and Ali Laventhol,
Flame artists; Yuldko Ishiwata, Jeffrey Castel De Oro, Anita Cukurs, Hilary Sperling, Myles Murphy and
Nancy Evans, roto artists; Laura Ashford and Tony Barraza, Inferno operators.
AUDIO POST
GTN. Jay Scott, engineer.
MUSIC
Yessian Music, Farmington Hills, Mich. Brian Brill, arranger; Tony Campana and Dan Yessian, co-
producers.
THE SPOTS
In "Stars," a Dodge Neon sits on a lily pad in a pond, as fireflys and a frog dance around in the night sky.
"Amore" places a Dodge Neon in a field of sunflowers. A Neon drives through a field of flowers as
butterflies circle above in "Nice." The :30s feature a voiceover by George Carlin and end with the tag, "The
next Neon. A lot more to love."
Spots broke March 15.
Open Minds Finds
Lost Dog For Bud
CLIENT
Anheuser-Busch/Budweiser.
PRODUCTION CO.
Atlas Pictures, Santa Monica. Adam Massey, director; Barry Parrell, DP; Sharn Stinson, executive
producer; Denny Kennedy, producer. Shot on location in Toronto.
AGENCY
Open Minds, Laguna Beach, Calif. Mark Choate, creative director/copywriter; Kevin Van Fleet, executive
producer; Powell Michael, associate creative director/art director; Chris D’Amico, art director; Chris
Cruttenden, copywriter; Maile Giles, production assistant.
EDITORIAL
MWP Editorial, Santa Monica. Mike Miller, editor; Ed Borneman, assistant editor; Gary Le Vine,
executive producer.
POST
Mixin Pixls, Santa Monica. Mark Dennison, Henry online. Encore Santa Monica (now Riot). Bob Festa,
colorist.
AUDIO POST
Margarita Mix de Santa Mžnica. Rocko, mixer.
MUSIC
Ear to Ear, Santa Monica. Brian Banks, composer.
SOUND DESIGN
MWP Editorial. David Frame, sound designer.
THE SPOT
"Lost Dog" opens on a man walking an annoying poodle. He spies a poster advertising a reward to anyone
who can find the pictured lost dog—a spotted Dalmatian—with the reward being a Budweiser. Spurred on
by the free Bud, the man takes the poodle and decorates it with spots. He presents the canine to the owner
of the missing dog, and before the confused owner can protest, the reward-seeker grabs the Bud from the
man and exits the premises. In the :30’s final shot, the man with the lost dog opens his door to reveal a
crowd of people thirsty for the reward, each with a spotted hound in tow.
Spot broke May 1.
Mayhew Breen Tees
Off For Taylor Made
CLIENT
Taylor Made Golf Company/ InerGel.
PRODUCTION CO.
Mayhew Breen Productions, New York. Marc Mayhew, director; Jim LaBlanc, DP; Mary Anne O’Donnell,
producer. Shot on stage at Great Scott! Productions, Phoenix.
AGENCY
Mayhew Breen Productions. Charlie Breen, creative director/ copywriter; Marc Mayhew, art director; Mary
Anne O’Donnell, producer.
EDITORIAL
Full Circle Post, New York. Julie Sanker, editor.
POST
Full Circle Post. Scott Doniger, online editor.
AUDIO POST
Hot Wax Recording, New York. Jake Karlsmark, mixer.
THE SPOTS
Six :30s feature CBS golf analyst/Senior Tour player Gary McCord introducing Taylor Made’s InerGel
golf ball.
Spots broke April 10.
BDD Makes A Splash
With Coppertone
CLIENT
Schering-Plough Corp./Coppertone.
PRODUCTION CO.
Brian Diecks Design, New York. Brian Diecks, director/designer; Amanda Hayes, designer; Victoria
Michael, executive producer; Christopher O’Neil, animator. ARF & Co., Hoboken, N.J. Alex Fernbach,
DP. Shot at ARF & Co.
AGENCY
Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG, New York. Rich Roth and Phil Silvestri,
creative directors; Jamie Hariton, producer; John Tumelty, art director; Eric Abraham, copywriter.
STOCK FOOTAGE
The Image Bank, Energy Film Library, Action Sports Adventure, Hot Shots Cool Cuts and Re:Search, all
New York.
EDITORIAL
Manhattan Transfer, New York. Bill Denahy, editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Manhattan Transfer. Bill Denahy, online editor/visual effects supervisor; Dino Regas, colorist; Mark
French, graphics compositor/effects; Jennifer Hargreaves, producer.
AUDIO POST
Photomag, New York. Rex Recker, mixer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Big Foote Music, New York. Chris Jordan, composer; Matt Hauser, sound designer.
THE SPOTS
Two :30s combine live action, stock footage and graphics to showcase new Coppertone products. "History"
features footage of the original Coppertone product, a rotund man with a sunburned body, and a shot of a
mad scientist pouring liquid into a test tube, as a voiceover describes the history of Coppertone and the
advancements the company’s made, including the SPF rating system, UVA sunscreens and insect repellent
sunscreens. "Spray" introduces Coppertone’s new line of spray-on sunscreens—Coppertone to Go and
Sport spray. Footage includes a ’50s-style model demonstrating the new spray, french fries cooking in
grease and a pair of animated hands rubbing a genie’s lantern. Both spot end with the voiceover, "We make
America fun in the sun."
Spots broke in March.
Backyard Hooks Up
With Bud Light
CLIENT
Anheuser-Busch/Bud Light.
PRODUCTION CO.
Backyard Productions, Venice, Calif. Rob Pritts, director; Christophe Lanzenberg, DP; Blair Stribley,
executive producer; Kris Mathur, producer; Anton Maillie, production manager. Shot at Raleigh Studios,
Hollywood, and on location in Los Angeles and Hawaii.
AGENCY
DDB Needham, Chicago. John Immesoete, VP/group creative director; Barry Burdiak, VP/creative
director/copywriter; John Hays and Andy Anema, associate creative directors/art directors; Patrick Knoll
and Bill Cimino, associate creative directors/copywriters; Bryan Sweeney, executive producer.
EDITORIAL
Cosmo Street, Santa Monica. Bob Mori, editor, "River." The Lookinglass Company, Chicago. Mike
Coletta, editor, "No Shirt, No Shoes."
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
"No Shirt, No Shoes": Optimus, Chicago. Glen Noren, online editor/Flame artist; Craig Leffel, colorist.
"River": Planet Blue, Santa Monica. Pierre LaQuerre, online editor. Digital Magic, Santa Monica. Paul
Lear, colorist.
AUDIO POST
Chicago Recording Company. Dave Gerbosi, mixer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Elias Associates, bicoastal. Jonathan Elias, creative director; Michael Sherwood, composer, "No Shirt, No
Shoes"; Jimmy Haun, composer, "River."
THE SPOTS
In the :30 "River," a man runs through a jungle and enters a saloon hidden in the foliage. He announces,
"The river, I dropped my Bud Light in the river!" As the grizzled patrons get ready to take on the
waterway, it is revealed that the men all have hooks for hands as they’ve often fished for a Bud Light in the
piranha-infested waters. "No Shirt, No Shoes" opens on a male beachgoer, dressed only in his bathing
shorts and sandals. He approaches the beach bar and finds a "No shoes, no shirt, no service" sign. Thinking
quickly he puts his shorts on as though it were a shirt and enters the bar. The bartender asks him if he forgot
something and the half-nude man smacks his rear end and realizes he forgot his wallet.
Spots broke in mid-March.
Blue Sky Is Fishy
For Hostess Donuts
CLIENT
Interstate Bakeries/Hostess Donuts.
PRODUCTION CO.
Live action by Backyard Productions, Venice, Calif. Don Rase, director; Kevin Emmons, DP; Blair
Stribley, executive producer; Susan Rued, producer. CGI by Blue Sky VIFX, Harrison, N.Y. (now Blue
Sky Studios). Carlos Saldanha, animation director; Michael Feder, producer; Steve Talkowski, senior
animator; Mike Thurmier, animator; Lutz Muller, supervising technical director; Jodi Whitsel, senior
technical director; Alex Levinson and Mike DeFeo, modelers; Chris Burrows, technical assistant. Shot on
location in Los Angeles.
AGENCY
Campbell Mithun Esty, Minneapolis. John Hurst, executive creative director; Cathy Grisham, creative
director; Evan Petty, executive producer; Ben Fruehauf, executive VP/copywriter; Clark Tate, art director.
EDITORIAL
Blue Sky VIFX. Fritz Archer, editor. Invisible Dog, New York. Richard Rosenbaum, editor; Caryn
Elakman, producer.
POST
Invisible Dog. Richard Rosenbaum, online editor; Caryn Elakman, producer.
AUDIO POST
Admusic, Santa Monica. Julie Gardeski, mixer/engineer.
MUSIC
Admusic. John Adair, composer; Korbin Kraus, producer.
THE SPOT
In the :30 "The Last Donut," dad notices an empty box of Hostess chocolate donuts and turns an accusing
eye on his family. Each of the clan denies any knowledge of the missing goodies with, "Don’t look at me!"
Dad retorts with, "Well it didn’t just get up and walk away, now did it!" Suddenly he notices water
dripping from the box. The family follows a watery trail to the living room and a fish tank, where a
goldfish with chocolate smears around his mouth adds, "Don’t look at me!"
Spot broke in April.
The Cutting Vision Dials MCI Worldcom
CLIENT
MCI Worldcom/Telecom USA.
PRODUCTION CO.
Jay Thomas Inc., New York. Barbara Campbell, director; Gary Katz, DP; Bill Seiz, executive producer;
Heather Wallace, producer. Shot at CECO International Corp., New York.
AGENCY
Admerasia Inc., New York. Nobu Ikushima, art director/creative director; Joseph Alvaro, executive
producer; Caroline Fish, copywriter.
EDITORIAL/POST
The Cutting Vision, New York. Jeff Beckerman, offline/online editor; Susan Schulson, executive producer.
Manhattan Transfer, New York. Ron Brower, colorist.
VISUAL EFFECTS
The Cutting Vision. Oriol Puig, graphic artist.
AUDIO POST
The Cutting Vision. Joe Casalino, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
Fearless Music, New York. Jamie Lamm, composer/arranger.
THE SPOT
In the :30 "Baby," Asian babies, clad in pink and blue diapers, play with colorful toy phones as MCI
Worldcom’s 10-10321 service is explained in voiceover. The spot was completed in multiple languages,
including Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese.
Spot broke in April.
BBDO NY Adds Life
For Texaco/Havoline
CLIENT
Texaco/Havoline Formula3.
PRODUCTION CO.
RSA USA, bicoastal. David Dobkin, director; Barry Peterson, DP; Linda Ross and Margerie Abrahams,
executive producers; Gabrielle Yuro, line producer. "Dick Clark" shot on location in Los Angeles.
"Rockers" was on the Universal Studios backlot, Universal City, Calif.
AGENCY
BBDO New York. Ted Sann, chief creative officer; Dennis Berger, executive creative director; Mike
Campbell and Janet Lyons, senior creative directors; Janice DiMaggio, art director, "Dick Clark" and
creative supervisor/art director, "Rockers"; Scott Kaplan, art director, "Dick Clark"; Derek Shevel,
copywriter; Patti McConnell, executive producer; Lisa Cannel, producer.
EDITORIAL
MacKenzie Cutler, New York. Mike Douglas, editor.
POST
Nice Shoes, New York. Eric Gelgand, online editor, "Dick Clark"; Ed Skupeen, online editor, "Rockers."
Company 3, Santa Monica. Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist.
VISUAL EFFECTS
"Dick Clark" prosthetics by Lance Anderson Makeup FX Studio, Van Nuys, Calif.
AUDIO POST
Lower East Side, New York. Bobby Giammarco, engineer.
MUSIC
Rocket Music, New York. Steve Tubin, composer, "Dick Clark"; Phil Ashley and Jon Grindstaff,
composers, "Rockers."
THE SPOTS
Two humorous :30s—"Dick Clark" and "Rockers"—underscore the tagline, "Add more life to your car."
"Dick Clark" features the TV personality in a series of vignettes on the way out of his apartment building.
Each time he says, "good morning" to his doorman, Tommy, as he gets into his car and drives away. As the
years pass and the same scene is repeated, only Tommy seems to age. Finally after many more years, a
much older Tommy remarks, "Amazing. That car never ages." In "Rockers," a band exits the stage door of
a concert and address their fans on the way to a van. As the years go by and the band members age, the
crowds get smaller and smaller until, finally, the only fans chasing them are grandmotherly groupies.
"Dick Clark" broke April 26 and "Rockers" aired in
