2020 was one lemon of a year as this Super Bowl spot for Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade underscores. It’s literally raining lemons on life’s events from weddings to do-it-yourself haircuts and Major League Baseball games, creating what in this commercial is a special brand of comedic havoc.
Bud Light, though, has found the proverbial silver lining by making lemonade out of all those lemons with its new seltzer.
Mike Warzin of Arts & Sciences directed this “Last Year’s Lemons” commercial for Wieden+Kennedy New York, with visual effects by The Mill.
CreditsClient Anheuser-Busch/InBev, Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade Agency Wieden+Kennedy New York Karl Lieberman, chief creative officer; Gerard Caputo, group creative director; Stu Rubin, copywriter; Aimee Perrin, art director; Nick Setounski, head of integrated production; Jessica Griffeth, executive producer; Sam Kilbreth, sr. producer; Stephane Missier, global strategy director; Matt Hisamoto, sr. strategist; Connor Corr, digital strategist; Leah Greene, strategic planner. Production Arts & Sciences Mike Warzin, director; Marc Marrie, managing partner/exec producer; Mal Ward, partner/managing director; John Benson, exec producer, NY; Zoe Odlum, exec producer; Christa Skotland, exec producer/head of production; Casey Byron, producer (Arts & Sciences); Kristin Porter, producer; Ivy Jane, research and operations manager. Editorial Arcade Edit Jeff Ferruzzo, editor; Sila Soyer, exec producer/partner; Andrew Cravotta, sr. post producer; Sam Barden, assistant editor. VFX The Mill Clairellen Wallin, exec producer; Mandy Harris, sr. producer; Ajit Menon, 3D lead/shoot supervisor; Jimmy Bullard, 2D supervisor; Katharine Mulderry, production coordinator; Andrew Pellicer, Dhruv Shankar, Eric Sibley, James Cudahy, Kshitij Khanna, AVV Suresh, Mahesh Ravlia, Naga Praveen, Kumar Y, Rose Mathew, 2D team; Tyler Scheitlin, design; Fazal Khan, Indrajeet Kumar, Jadheer TP, Manoj Ravi, Rijo R, Showber Shadik, Swathi Balasubramaniam, Upasana Choudhary, Dongili Varaprsad, CG tracking; Alek Vacura, Krushna Ramrao Kuisange, Shahid Hussain, Kiran Prabhu, CG modeling; Daishi Takishima, CG rigging; Dave Barosin, Eban Byrne, Incheol Jeong, Pegah Naserifar, CG FX; Steve Parish, Arman Matin, Tom Bardwell, CG lighting. Telecine Company 3 Tom Poole, colorist; Alexandra Lubrano, color producer. Music Search Company Walker Sara Matarazzo, Stephanie Pigott, exec producers; Danielle Soury, music producer. Licensed Song: “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (I Love You)” as sung by Jo Stafford & Gordon MacRae, original from 1950. Sound Design Trinitite Inc. Brian Emrich, sound designer. Audio Post Sonic Union Brian Goodheart, mixer; Pat Sullivan, head of production.
Top Spot of the Week: Director Jake Scott, Paramount Brand Studios “Make Your Gameday Epic” In “Gladiator II”-Inspired Pepsi Spot
Nearly 20 years after Pepsi’s “Roman Empire” made its mark on pop culture, the brand is returning to the arena with a colossal Gladiator-themed campaign titled, “Make Your Gameday Epic™.” Celebrating the start of the 2024 NFL season and the highly anticipated release of Paramount Pictures’ Gladiator II in theaters on Nov. 22, this short film--directed by Jake Scott via RSA Films for Paramount Brand Studio features Megan Thee Stallion, as Empress Megan, leading a legion of NFL superstars turned Gridiron Gladiators, including Josh Allen, Derrick Henry, Justin Jefferson and Travis Kelce, locked in an epic battle with ice-cold Pepsi at the heart of the action. A brand-new gameday anthem from three-time, Grammy award-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion soundtracks the campaign. The unmistakable “boom, boom, clap” from Queen’s epic track “We Will Rock You” is featured on a fresh sample with cutting new lyrics from Megan. The new track became available on all major music streaming platforms, and ahead of Megan hosting the 2024 MTV VMAs last night (9.11), where the track and music-video inspired spot were heard and seen throughout the show. “I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of the legends who appeared in this Gladiator campaign 20 years ago and proud to have carved my own new legacy,” said Megan Thee Stallion. “Pepsi really brought the worlds of music, sports and entertainment together in a powerful way to set off the new NFL season.” The spot opens with Lamorne Morris and Jake Lacy peering into a can of Pepsi Zero Sugar as it transforms into a colosseum. Empress Megan calls the shots, and the royal roster of NFL players are at her command as they all vie for her favor and a sip of an ice-cold Pepsi... Read More