Brian Belefant Directs Cheesy Flick For Kirin.
CLIENT
Kirin Brewery of America
PRODUCTION CO.
WildLife Management, bicoastal. Brian Belefant, director; Kevin Ward, DP; Brian Donnelly, executive producer; Janet Ferrari, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Houston Helm & Company, Los Angeles. Dan Mountain, creative director; Jeff Jenks, copywriter; Dave Gassman, art director; Jeff Yee, producer.
STOCK FOOTAGE
TriStar Pictures, Culver City, Calif.
EDITORIAL
Hank’s Editorial, Santa Monica. Gavin Tatro, editor.
POST
Rushes, Los Angeles. Chaz Tucker, colorist; POP Television, Santa Monica. Jim Bohn, online editor.
AUDIO POST
AudioBanks, Santa Monica. Donna Richardson, engineer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Ear to Ear, Santa Monica. Brian Banks, composer/arranger/sound designer.
BY REGINALD OBERLAG
How’s this for a reversal: An agency with a pittance to spend on what it hopes will be an eye-catching commercial asks not for champagne on a beer budget, but for cheesier than cheap.
That, at least, was the strategy behind Kirin beer’s “Godzilla Vs. Kirin,” and director Brian Belefant of bicoastal WildLife Management rose to the B-movie challenge dreamed up by Los Angeles agency Houston Helm & Company. The brainchild of Houston Helm’s creative team–led by creative director Dan Mountain–was born of a small production budget (well under $50,000) and the need to compete with other, higher-priced movie tie-in commercials being made by Taco Bell, Swatch and KFC.
“Necessity is the mother of invention and we didn’t have a whole bunch of money,” said Mountain. “So while everybody else is doing the elaborate million dollar deals, we couldn’t hope to do a spot equally grandiose. [We] went in the opposite direction, which is how we’ve been handling Kirin’s [print campaign].”
To make the parody, Belefant said, he rummaged through his closet for a half-century old wind-up Bolex 16mm, and then had DP Kevin Ward light the spot as badly as possible in order to get that “monster-movie-made-in-the-basement feel.”
The :30 “Godzilla Vs. Kirin” begins with hand-drawn title cards, a model cityscape with model trains, and a B-movie soundtrack complete with Godzilla’s trademark screech. As the rambunctious reptile–which was actually a toy figure from the 1960s–torches a truck with his flaming breath, he is confronted by his opponent, a giant bottle of Kirin.
A voiceover then delivers the deadpan lines found in the earlier English-dubbed Japanese movies: “Look! Godzilla! … Over there! It’s Kirin! Kirin is doing the twist off!” as two bottle caps boomerang off Godzilla, who precedes to stomp the yeast out of Kirin. “Mighty Godzilla has defeated Kirin!” the voiceover announces after the monster has wrestled the bottle to the ground and we see a final drop of beer drip from the defeated Kirin bottle. “Coming Soon, Godzilla Vs. Mega Kirin” is then announced as a bigger bottle of Kirin takes the stage, only to be cowed with a little “Uh-oh” as a clip from TriStar Pictures’ Godzilla shows the huge high-priced lizard created by Sony Pictures Imageworks rampaging down the street. (Because of the secrecy surrounding the release of the movie, Belefant noted, he was unable to view the completed commercial until Godzilla hit the screens last month.)
Cheap, Not Easy
The spot features such homey touches as the fingers of the person holding the Godzilla model by its tail, and another hand with a lighter igniting the propane torch that provides Godzilla’s fire-breathing breath.
In general, explained Belefant, “it really is a challenge to make the spot look that cheap. I had to force the DP to light it badly with more than one key light and bad shadows … but he ended up thinking it was fun. I’m not sure, [though that] either of us would want it to head up our showreels.”
In order to keep costs down, the crew cleared out space in a warehouse jointly owned by WildLife and its parent company OneSuch Films in L.A., where they built the mock-basement set complete with bad paneling and old team pennants. A malfunctioning record-player turntable was used to fly a model plane in circles over the miniature cityscape. For bargain-basement special effects, the fire-rigger, Craig Osler, used a common sparkler to serve as a halo behind the Kirin bottle. He was, however, reluctant. “He’s licensed to blow-up cars but not to light a kid’s sparkler,” joked Belefant.
The director added that many of the low-budget nuances he liked the most never made the final cut, such as Godzilla stomping on Broccoli sprout “trees” and a radiating halo made from gold pipe cleaners.
The Bolex Belefant fished from his attic was one he bought through the classified ads for his first spec spots. For “Godzilla Vs. Kirin” he used the original lenses for the camera because of their “bad optical quality.”
The one concession to quality, he added, was the use of a high-end tripod. “[Ward] convinced me we were better off with the control allowed with the good tripod, even though we would jostle it once in a while [to] get jerks in the stop-action stuff.”
But while every effort was made to keep things cheap, Belefant found out that the trademarked Godzilla toys are pricey items. One plastic Godzilla, he said with a moan, “costs something like 40 bucks.”
***
Shapiro Music Goes To Battle For adidas
CLIENT
adidas America.
PRODUCTION CO.
Ritts/Hayden, Los Angeles. Stuart Douglas, director/cameraman; Bill Hayden, executive producer; Lance Anderson, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Leagas Delaney, San Francisco. Harry Cocciolo and Sean Ehringer, creative directors; Adrienne Cummins, producer; Scott Wild, copywriter; Peter Nicholson, art director.
EDITORIAL
FilmCore, San Francisco. Doug Walker, editor; Jon Ettinger, executive producer; Peter Jarit, producer.
POST
Western Images, San Francisco. Jimi Simmons, online/conform/ compositing; Scott Harris and Orin Green, compositing/title graphics. Company 3, Santa Monica. Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist.
AUDIO POST
One Union Recording Studios, San Francisco. Eric Eckstein and Andy Greenberg, engineers.
MUSIC
Shapiro Music, Boston. David Shapiro and Andrew Sherman, composers.
SOUND DESIGN
earwax productions, San Francisco. Andy Newell, sound designer.
THE SPOT
In the :30 “Battlefield,” American goalie Eddie Pope shows the world he’s not intimidated by World Cup action as he prepares to defend the American goal against an onslaught of soccer players from around the world.
Spot broke May 16.
***
Sight Efx, Groove Addicts For Taco Bell
CLIENT
PepsiCo./Taco Bell.
PRODUCTION CO.
Morton Jankel Zander, Hollywood. Rocky Morton, director; Stefan Czapsky, DP; David Zander, executive producer; Lisa Rich, producer. Shot at Silvercup Studios, Long Island City, N.Y.
AGENCY
TBWA Chiat/Day, Venice, Calif. Chuck Bennett and Clay Williams, creative directors; Richard O’Neill, executive producer; Brigette Whisnant, producer; Scott Bailey, art director; Brian Wimer, copywriter.
EDITORIAL
Nomad Editing Company, Santa Monica. Glenn Martin, editor.
POST
Company 3, Santa Monica. Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist. Sight Effects, Venice. Chris Stevens, online editor.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Sight Effects. Melissa Davies, visual effects supervisor; Darcie Tang, visual effects producer; Chris Stevens, visual effects artist. Chihuahua animation by Post Logic Studios, Hollywood. Michael Killen, animator. Godzilla animation for “Everything To Go” by Sony Pictures Imageworks, Culver City, Calif. Alex Sokoloff, animator. Godzilla animation for “Trap” by Digiscope, Santa Monica. Laurel Schulman, producer. Tail animation for “Everything To Go” by Centropolis Effects, Santa Monica. Steffen Wild, CG supervisor.
AUDIO POST
Soundelux, Los Angeles. Dutch Hill, mixer.
MUSIC
Groove Addicts, Los Angeles. Nicholas Pike, composer; Dain Blair, executive creative director.
THE SPOT
In the :30 “Trap,” the Taco Bell chihuahua tries to entrap Godzilla with a Taco Bell taco set under a box, by signs that read “Free Tacos,” and calling out, “Here lizard, lizard.” As Godzilla’s shadow looms over him, the dog says, “I think I need a bigger box.” The :30 “Everything To Go” takes place at a Taco Bell drive-thru window. The chihuahua places a huge food order while riding on Godzilla’s tail.
“Trap’ broke May 7 and “Everything To Go” began airing May 16.
***
Primal Scream Checks Out An Accord
CLIENT
Honda Regional Marketing/Honda Accord.
PRODUCTION CO.
Ocean Park Pictures, Venice, Calif. Tom DeNolf, director; John Mentzer, DP; Tim Goldberg, executive producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
RP alpha, Santa Monica. Jonathan Yarbrough, creative director; Marcie Bolivar, producer; Theresa Aycock, copywriter; Lynn Crosswaite, art director.
EDITORIAL
The Reel Thing, Santa Monica. Mutalib “Moody” Glasgow, editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
POP Television, Santa Monica. Wayne Hampton, colorist. Encore Santa Monica. Vikki North, Henry artist.
AUDIO POST
POP Sound, Santa Monica. Jeff Payne, mixer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Primal Scream, Santa Monica. Jason Johnson, composer; Mark DeCew, sound designer; Nicole Dionne, executive producer; Trish Bugitzedes, producer.
THE SPOT
In the :30 “Coming Home,” neighbors count the minutes until a Honda Accord owner returns from work. They gather to admire the car, after which one neighbor says to another, “Same time tomorrow?”
Spot broke April 13.
***
The Cutting Vision Shops At Best Buy
CLIENT
Best Buy.
PRODUCTION CO.
Moving Image, West Hollywood. Luis Aira, director; Will Van Hazel, DP; Tammy Franklin, executive producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Best Buy, Eden Prairie, Minn. Al Oltman, creative director; Mollie Weston, executive producer; Vicki Mager, producer; Bill Nordin, art director; Johnny Mackin, copywriter.
EDITORIAL
The Cutting Vision, New York. Hernan Menendez, editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Tele Edit, Minneapolis. Paul Laskey, online editor; Jim Wilson, colorist; Mark Youngren, Flame artist.
AUDIO POST
Mark & Dave Music & Sound Design, Edina, Minn. Mark Henderson, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
Mark & Dave Music & Sound Design. Mark Henderson and Dave Karr, composers.
THE SPOT
The :30 “Best Buy House” for the Hispanic market focuses on a consumer who has bought so much merchandise from Best Buy, she says, that her house should be an official “Best Buy House.” With that, a Best Buy team marches into her house to check out her Best Buy appliances. Satisfied, they award her a plaque and a certificate. As she initials the document, she hears the words, “optional sign.” “Optional what?” she asks as they walk outside to find a huge Best Buy sign being put up on her lawn. She pleads, “Do you have one that’s smaller?”
Spot broke May 31.
***
RK Music Scores For Summer Of Goodwill
CLIENT
Summer of Goodwill.
PRODUCTION CO.
Time Warner CityCable, New York. Glen Hoffman, director/producer; Oliver Bokelberg, DP; Elaine Gold, executive producer. Shot at City Stages, New York.
AGENCY
Time Warner CityCable. Glen Hoffman, creative director/producer/copywriter; Jeff Young, art director.
STOCK FOOTAGE
Time Warner CityCable and Goodwill Games.
EDITORIAL
Creative Group Editorial, New York. Craig Lamson, editor.
POST
Creative Group Editorial. Craig Lamson, online editor. Image Group Post, New York. Gary Scarpulli, colorist.
AUDIO POST
RK Music, New York. Andy Heermans, engineer; Rob Kahn, mixer.
MUSIC
RK Music. Stephen Graziano, composer; Rob Kahn, executive producer.
THE SPOT
In the :30 “It’s All Good,” the squares of an “electronic grid” fuse sports and events highlighting the Summer of Goodwill.
Spot broke in June.
***
Shadowrock Eats A Big Boy At Frisch’s
CLIENT
Frisch’s Restaurants.
PRODUCTION CO.
Shadowrock Productions, Beverly Hills, Calif. Oscar Bassinson, director; Michael Terry and Kathryn Bishop, executive producers. Aviator Pictures, Vancouver, B.C. Jason Hunt, executive producer; Victoria Frodsham, producer; Ron Williams, DP. Shot at BCTV Production Studios, Vancouver.
AGENCY
Sive/Young & Rubicam, Cincinnati. Mike Kitei, creative director; Clifton Lin, art director; Andy Conroy, copywriter; Doug Bergheger, producer.
EDITORIAL
Coast Mountain Post, Vancouver. Ian Jenkins, editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Northwest Imaging & FX, Vancouver. Rob Appleby, online editor; Brian Moylan, Inferno artist; Randy Egan, Flame artist. Post Haste, Vancouver. Gary Shaw, colorist.
AUDIO POST
Wave Productions, Vancouver. Craig Zarazun, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Wave Productions. Bob Smart, composer/arranger/sound designer.
THE SPOT
Three :15s pose the question, “Frisch’s Big Boy, what’s your favorite thing?” In “Onion Rings,” a woman lounges in the midst of gigantic onion rings. The ecstasy she finds in eating the fried food is interrupted by an alarm. The woman finds herself wide awake–and without the onion rings–in bed. In “Big Boy,” a man is about to dive into an 8-foot-tall hamburger when he’s awakened by car horns, having nodded off at the wheel. “Hot Fudge Cake” shows a student filling his mouth with gobs of hot fudge cake. He turns out to be daydreaming at the school chalkboard.
Spots broke in April.
***
FilmCore Shoots Hoops For adidas
CLIENT
adidas America.
PRODUCTION CO.
“Agent” produced by Bassett Productions, Burlingame, Calif. Joe Ward, DP; Debra Bassett, executive producer/producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Leagas Delaney, San Francisco. Harry Cocciolo, creative director/copywriter; Sean Ehringer, creative director/art director; Adrienne Cummins, executive producer.
STOCK FOOTAGE
“Thank-you” footage supplied by the NBA.
EDITORIAL
FilmCore, San Francisco. Kim Bica, editor, “Thank-you”; Paul Bertino, editor, “Agent”; Jon Ettinger, executive producer.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Western Images, San Francisco. Orin Green, editor/compositor; Gary Coates, colorist.
AUDIO POST
One Union Recording Studios, San Francisco. Eric Eckstein, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
“Thank-you” music by DV8, Los Angeles. David Livingston, composer.
THE SPOT
“Thank-you” consists of NBA game footage of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant executing a series of slam dunks. Each time he puts the ball through the hoop flashbulbs pop and an ephemeral image appears in the air next to him. As Bryant descends to the floor, the spectral image disappears. In a voiceover, Bryant expresses his gratitude to fans for “putting me on the same floor with the best.” “Agent” focuses on Boston Celtics forward Antoine Walker’s telephone answering machine. In a series of close-ups, the machine fields calls from Walker’s agent, who is apparently working on an important business deal. The agent grows increasingly frustrated with the player’s outgoing message that explains “I’m at practice,” where he is working out all day, every day to become a great player.
Spots broke in April.
***
Kondor Passes The Dove Acid Test
CLIENT
Lever Brothers Company/Dove Ultra Moisturizing Body Wash.
PRODUCTION CO.
The A+R Group, bicoastal. Michael Cuesta, director/DP; Roberto Cecchini, executive producer; Mike Downey, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Ogilvy & Mather, New York. Mylene Pollack and Ross Sutherland, creative directors; Deb Rosenberg, copywriter; Annie Loring, producer; Kate Blackwell, art director; Lisa Kirchener, music producer.
EDITORIAL
Editing Concepts, New York. Owen Plotkin, editor.
POST
Nice Shoes, New York. Scott Burch, colorist. The Tape House Editorial Company, New York. Jay Tilen, online editor.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Tape House Digital, New York. Patrick Ferguson and Alan Neidorf, FX artists.
AUDIO POST
East Side Audio, New York. Tom Jucarone, mixer. Recorded at The Edison, New York.
MUSIC
Robbie Kondor Music, New York. Robbie Kondor, composer; Bob Montero, producer.
THE SPOT
In the :30 “Late Night Acid Test,” a young woman who enjoys the nightlife extols the virtues of Dove Ultra Moisturizing Body Wash.
Spot broke April
