Eating food can be sensual. And this young, amorous couple undeniably has sex on the menu. Lounging among large throw pillows, the man dangles a strand of spaghetti above the head of his attractive female companion. She puts her mouth around the strand and slowly sucks it up.
Now lying prone on the floor, she suggestively slurps up another strand from a bowl full of tomato sauce-covered pasta.
Next, with one end of a spaghetti strand in her mouth, she places the other between her male partner’s lips. They meet mid-strand and kiss. On the television screen before them, two oversized vehicles rumble down parallel paths in a monster truck rally.
The woman sucks another strand from the plate. The camera moves in on her lips as she teasingly savors the pasta. The man looks at her longingly, clearly turned on by her passion-filled gustatory style.
The camera looks down on the woman as she slowly draws up yet another strand, offering the man’s perspective as he awaits what now seems to be an inevitable hot-and-heavy romantic interlude.
But that mood abruptly breaks when the woman starts to gag—this last strand of "spaghetti" isn’t edible. Turns out she has been sucking on a shoelace from a dirty old sneaker that the guy had left on the floor.
A simple two-word message is supered over a white background: "Straighten Up."
A rapid-fire series of images of stylish Ikea furniture fills the screen. Then the Ikea logo appears above a message: "If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for others."
Titled "Spaghetti," this :30 was one of four spots in a European campaign for Ikea furniture stores. The commercials were directed by Brian Beletic of the recently closed Satellite, for Leagas Delaney, Paris. (At press time, Beletic had not yet decided on a new spot production house roost.) The Ikea campaign was co-produced by Satellite and Les Telecreateurs, Paris. Charles Wolford and Phillip Detchmendy executive produced for Satellite. (Detchmendy has since become managing director at bicoastal Tool of North America—SHOOT, 11/30, p. 1.) Line producer was Eric Liekefet. Arnold Moriz served as executive producer for Les Telecreateurs. The campaign was shot in Los Angeles by DP Joaquin Baca-Asay. The agency team included creatives Aude Mee Vosgin and Sylvain Thirache, and head of TV/producer Marie Massis.
The spots were edited by the mono-monikered Katz of Cosmo Street, Santa Monica. Other Cosmo Street contributors were assistant editor Brian Freundlich, executive producer Yvette Cobarrubias and senior producer Tatiana Derovanessian.
Phil Brennen and Darcie Tang of Asylum Visual Effects, Santa Monica, served as Inferno artist and executive producer, respectively. Colorist was Beau Leon of R!OT Santa Monica. Audio mixer was Lorin Silber of POP Sound, Santa Monica. Sam Londe of Stimmung, Santa Monica, was the sound designer on "Spaghetti."
