Even war heroes admit to having been afraid. But sometimes fear can be paralyzing, and a well-chosen word of encouragement from a commanding officer can make all the difference in the world to a soldier about to be thrust into battle. That is certainly the case in "Beach Landing," a tongue-in-cheek approach to a serious, albeit unexpected, subject.
Opening on cannons firing rounds of mortar, the black-and-white :30 throws us into a beachhead invasion reminiscent of World War II’s famed D-Day. Troops rush from ocean carriers, storming the beach through knee-high waves.
The next scene reduces the massive invasion to the story unfolding in a single boat carrier. As his comrades pour out to launch the offensive, one soldier huddles in a corner. Exhorting his men to "move it," the carrier commander spots the reluctant lad. "What are you waiting for, soldier?" demands the officer.
Their exchange proceeds at a rapid-fire pace, in staccato yells over relentless mortar fire.
"I’m scared, Sarge!" trembles the young man.
"We’re all scared, son," shouts his commander.
"But Sarge," returns the soldier, "some beaches in this area have unusually high levels of fecal coliform in the water!"
The commander eases the young man’s mind. "Nothin’ to be afraid of, soldier. I checked it out on the beach report card." The sergeant pulls out a laptop computer: "See that."
"It got an ‘A,’ " reads the soldier off the laptop screen.
"The water’s clean, son," affirms the officer reassuringly.
"What a relief," breathes the soldier, stalwartly rising to his feet, then bolting out of the carrier towards the sand.
A super appears against the ocean backdrop, advising us to, "Check the beach report card." Beneath that are Heal the Bay’s logo and Web site address (healthebay. org). Just log onto that site to find out what the beach conditions are—as the parting super urges, "Know what you’re getting into."
Designed to educate people about water pollution on Southern California beaches, the spot has aired in the Los Angeles market on KCAL, Channel 9. Heal the Bay is a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to making the Santa Monica Bay and Southern California coastal waters safe and healthy again for people and marine life.
"Beach Landing" was directed and lensed by Sam Jones of Fusion Films, Santa Monica, for DDB Los Angeles. The DDB team consisted of creative director Mark Monteiro, art director Kevin McCarthy, copywriter Ed Cole and producer Dave Muraca.
Peter Abraham and D.J. Ford of Fusion Films served as executive producer and producer, respectively. The spot combined stock footage from Image Bank West, Santa Monica, and original black-and-white 16mm newsreel-style live action, shot by Jones on location in Cabrillo Beach, Calif.
The commercial was edited by Paul Blenderman of Brass Knuckles Editorial, Venice, Calif. Bond Schoeffel produced for Brass Knuckles. Colorist was Steve Behar of Pacific Data Post, Santa Monica. The audio post was completed by mixer Jimmy Hite of Margarita Mix de Santa Monica.
