The camera moves through a doorway into a cavernous college lecture hall that’s filled to the rafters. All is quiet and the tension is palpable. It’s exam time and students are putting their pens to paper; some confident of their answers because they studied diligently, others perhaps a tad hung over from a night of fraternity excess.
Our focus turns to a young man who seems stumped. His eyes start to wander in hopes of picking up a little "guidance" from a neighbor’s test paper. It’s a situation that calls for the most delicate tact and discretion. But instead, he screams out at the top of his lungs: "Hey, what did you get for number seven?"
Seated next to him is a buddy who yells: "1870. The Franco-Prussian War."
Other students look around in disbelief, stunned by the outburst. Grateful for the help, the young man bellows out, "Thanks."
But his pal issues a warning for everyone to hear: "Yeah, but that’s it. I don’t want to get busted."
A supered message appears, offering a partial explanation for this bizarre behavior. It turns out that the lads can’t help themselves because they’re naturally loud—being rabid fans of the University of California at Berkeley’s Golden Bears basketball team.
The spot cuts back to a professor who looks up at the crowded lecture hall. He’s dumbfounded by what’s transpired. A voiceover then chimes in: "The new Haas Pavilion [home of the Golden Bears]. Twice the seats means twice the noise."
This bit of collegiate insanity—simply entitled "Exam"—was conceived by a San Francisco-based Black Rocket creative team of creative directors Bob Kerstetter and Steve Stone, copywriter Joe Stevens, art director Trevor Oldershaw and producer Stacy McClain.
The :30 was directed by Kevin Donovan of bicoastal Bedford Falls. James Pluta served as producer. Julian Whatley was the DP.
San Francisco-based Phoenix Editorial played a key role with a contingent comprised of editor Jonathan Hinman, producer Cathy Stonehill and online Smoke editor John Crossley. Colorist was Stefan Sonnenfeld of Company 3, Santa Monica. Andy Newhall of Earwax, San Francisco, was the sound designer. Jay Shilladay of Crescendo, San Francisco, served as audio mixer.
"Exam" debuted in the Bay Area earlier this week (10/18).
