By MILLIE TAKAKI
The Prisoner, a :60 directed by Bob Giraldi of bicoastal Giraldi Suarez Productions, serves as a testament to the resiliency and perseverance of the human spirit no matter what the odds. And in the process of showcasing such extraordinary qualities, the spot also manages to tickle the funny bone and sell Dr Pepper to audiences in the U.K. and Holland.
The ad opens on a man being mercilessly grilled in an interrogation room. He holds his own, not giving into his antagonists. We then witness his attempted, albeit ill-fated flights to freedom. First, hes seen shimmying down a rope where a group of soldiers, guns drawn, are waiting. Then, hes outfitted with makeshift bird-like wings and begins to flap his way across the penitentiary. In full ascent and being cheered on by fellow inmates in the labor camp, he appears well on his way to escape when flightus interruptus occursahe hits a stone wall of a prison building face-first.
Back in the interrogation room, his adversariesaincluding a heavyset womanainsist that he drink from a metal cup. In an act of defiance, he grabs the cup and throws it across the room.
He then embarks on additional would-be escapes; disguised as a soldier, he makes his way past one checkpoint only to run into the woman interrogator who recognizes him and sends him back to confinement. Undaunted, he tries again, burrowing an underground tunnel for himself. Emerging from the tunnel into daylight, he jumps on a fence that turns out to be electrified.
Finallyaagain during interrogationahe gives in and drinks from a cup at the womans behest. It turns out to be Dr Pepper and his taste buds come alive. Dr Pepper: To try it is to love it reads the translated message as a chorus of Dr Pepper, So Misunderstood is heard. The woman kisses him and he winces. While realizing that trying to escape from Dr Pepper was a mistake, the inmate still knows full well that a flight to freedom from the woman and the prison is well advised. The spot ends with a scene of him floating on a life raft buoyed by empty aluminum cans of Dr Pepper.
Giraldis support team at Giraldi Suarez included executive producer Debbie Merlin and producer J.P. Greaney. Shot in Marseille as well as at Chateau DIfawhich is on an island off the coast of FranceaPrisoner was also facilitated by French liaison Jean Patrick Costantini of Paris-headquartered Tanit Productions. The DP was Patrick Duroux.
For Dr Pepper International, the creative contingent from Young & Rubicam, New York, consisted of exec VP/exec creative director Manny Perez, exec. VP/group creative director Chris Grabenstein, senior VP/ creative director John Lucci, senior art director Leonard Peters-Smith, senior copywriter Jon Tell and VP/senior producer Deborah Perra.
Barry Stilwell of Jump, New York, edited Prisoner. Richard Schreck and Chris Ryan of Nice Shoes, New York, served as online editor and colorist, respectively. Audio mixer was Joe Miuccio at The Mix Place, New York. Sound design was done by Brian Klumpp at Jump. Music was composed by Nicholas Pike of Groove Addicts, Los Angeles. Veteran Hunter Murtaugh served as music director. The music was recorded with the Munich Symphony Orchestra at Bavarian Music Studios.
“Memoir of a Snail” Takes Top Prize At London Film Festival
The Official Competition jury said: “Our jury was incredibly moved by Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail, which is a singular achievement in filmmaking. Emotionally resonant and constantly surprising, Memoir tackles pertinent issues such as bullying, loneliness and grief head-on, creating a crucial and universal dialogue in a way that only animation can. The jury is delighted to recognize an animated film alongside its live-action peers.”
Rounding out the winners of this year’s films screening In Competition are:
- Winner of the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition – On Falling (Dir. Laura Carreira)
- Winner of the Grierson Award in the Documentary Competition – Mother Vera (Dirs. Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson)
- Winner of the Short Film Award in the Short Film Competition – Vibrations from Gaza (Dir. Rehab Nazzal)