Arnold Communications, Director Nick Lewin Break Out In New Volkswagen Spot.
CLIENT
Volkswagen Jetta.
PRODUCTION CO.
X-1 Films, bicoastal. Nick Lewin, director; Giorgio Scali, DP; Cami Taylor, Charlie Curran and Lisa Bryer,
executive producers; Jennifer Davis, production designer.
Shot on location.
AGENCY
Arnold Communications Boston. Ron Lawner, chief creative officer; Alan Pafenbach and Lance Jensen,
executive VPs/creative directors; Don Shelford, art director; David Weist, copywriter; Bill Goodell,
producer.
EDITORIAL
BUG Editorial, New York. Andre Betz, editor.
POST
Nice Shoes, New York. Rich Schreck and Kevin Wade, online editors. Moving Images, New York. Tim
Masick,
colorist.
AUDIO POST
Soundtrack Studios, New York. Bill Bookheim and Rick Sweetser, engineers.
BY JEREMY LEHRER
What happens when Steve McQueen ends up in an old age home? If the actor lived long enough to become
familiar with the pasty walls and drab confines of the contemporary (and somewhat stereotyped) American
nursing home, he would have done his damndest to make a quick getaway—so long as Alzheimer’s hadn’t
claimed his infamous derring-do.
In Volkswagen’s "The Great Escape," director Nick Lewin and agency Arnold Communications, Boston,
realize just such a jail break. "We wanted to imagine what people on the periphery of the rat pack would
look like," said director Nick Lewin, represented by bicoastal X-1 Films. In this case, the protagonist is a
regal yet jazzy African-American gent played by actor Sunny Jim Jaines. The spot is set to the mellow tune
of a Charles Mingus song, which harkens to an earlier era as well as captures the irrepressible spirit of the
Jaines-portrayed character, one who just won’t fit in a home for the aged.
In the spot, the crafty old codger, dressed to the nines in wingtips and a fedora, leaves the sterile cubicle
that is his room after giving himself a quick look-see in the mirror. At the threshold of his door, he checks
his watch and scans the hallway. Beginning his saunter to freedom, he passes a pink-clad nurse, who shakes
her head disapprovingly at the old fella as he slyly glances backward for a prurient look at how young folk
are stacked out these days. The next obstacle is the day’s aerobics group—to avoid notice by that bunch, he
scats off to the side. The final part of the gauntlet is a Nurse Ratched-type at the nurse’s station who’s on
the phone with the day’s doses of mind-numbing pills at her side. She glances at him out of the corner of
her eye. Silence reigns for an instant as the gent checks his watch in the day’s bright light—is the gig off?
The escapee doesn’t worry for too long. In the next instant, a Volkswagen Jetta backs up into the parking
lot and comes to a halt. The Mingus tune resumes as the old guy slides into the car, where his partner-in-
crime is waiting with a knowing smile. "Grandpop," the younger gent announces. "Hello Booboo,"
grandpop responds in an affectionate reference to the younger fellow. "I’m glad you’re on time." As the
bass line in the jazz soundtrack begins to pick up tempo, the Jetta and its inhabitants slip across a desert
highway. A road sign for "Las Vegas" appears, and the image fades to the Volkswagen logo.
Lewin explained that the spot as shot was pretty much what the agency scripted, noting that other aesthetic
influences were added such as still photographs from the ’60s and the civil rights era. Lewin added that
Jaines had spent some time hanging out with Thelonius Monk, which gave his portrayal authenticity. Lewin
added that Jaines had oodles of character and knew plenty of other jazz greats. "You couldn’t mention a
name he didn’t actually know," Lewin recalled.
Lewin praised his acting ensemble and production people for achieving the tone of the spot. "We knew
what we wanted to get in terms of characterizations," he said, relating that his actors brought their own
touches to the spot, which was shot in an abandoned nursing home near Joshua Tree, Calif. Lewin’s
direction included subtle insights into the body language of familiarity. "When two people [the elderly man
and his grandson] know each other really well, they don’t need to look at each other to talk," he observed.
Lewin encouraged improvisation during the shoot, and after the two actors spent some quality time
together—mandated by the director—they developed a rapport that gave the spot its endearing end
segment. Lewin explained that "Booboo," the term of endearment the older man uses in the spot, was one
that Jaines used to refer to his real-life grandson.
That’s exactly what Ron Lawner, chief creative officer of Arnold Communications, wanted to achieve for
the Jetta campaign. "It’s a very human spot, and our best Volkswagen ads portray things that all of our
customers can relate to," he s
