The prospect of a bank spot with no people, only furniture, hardly sounds creatively stimulating. But in a gestalt that is far greater than the sum of its parts, this Regions Bank commercial tells the story of a young law student, his rise professionally and the progression of his personal life, creating a portrait not only of him but his family over the years.
Directed by Steve Beck of Rhythm + Hues Commercial Studios (R+H), Los Angeles, the :30 entitled “Chairs,” part of a seven-spot campaign, simply consists of stop motion animation of furniture, primarily chairs, that fill up and empty various rooms to signify stages in life.
A law student, Clarence, starts investing early with Regions Bank as the spot opens on his modestly furnished, somewhat unkempt law school dorm room. From there, the furniture changes to an office, which reflects the first job he landed at a top law firm. After his office, we see the seating arrangement at a wedding reception as Clarence has married Rebecca. Next is the living room of the happy couple’s first house, a nursery signifying the birth of a baby–actually, twins, as the nursery fills up a bit more before our eyes. The spot then takes us through time to see the dining room of their home, with more seats being added one by one to signify a growing extended family, grandkids and so on. An executive suite conveys that our attorney has indeed moved up the ranks to partner status at the firm. Finally the furniture clutter diminishes as we see a retired, married couple’s living room with easy chairs for two.
At no time do we ever see Clarence, Rebecca or any other person for that matter. All we see is their “Chairs.” An end tag carries the Regions Bank logo, accompanied by the slogan, “Personalized service for every stage of your life.”
The agency for Regions Bank-Miami (with headquarters in Birmingham, Ala.) is Coral Gables, Fla.-based Creative On Demand. The ad shop creative team included partners/creative directors Priscilla Cortizas and Daniel Marrero, senior copywriter Andres Arlia, producer Patty Rodriguez, executive director of marketing Emmie Vazquez and integrated marketing manager Jose Quijano.
“‘Chairs’ was a unique opportunity to tell very typical portrait-style stories in a very atypical way,” said director Beck. The spot was shot by Al “Tiko” Pavoni in Hollywood, Fla., and combined green screen, digital stills and Flame compositing.
Paul Babb executive produced for R+H. Kat Dillon was head of production, live action, with Joel Zimmerman serving as producer.
The spot was edited by Diego Enriquez of Miami Edit, Miami, and Jay Lizarraga of R+H. Online editor was R+H’s Steve Wellington.
The R+H team on the post/effects side included: Lisa White, head of production, commercial digital; post producer Jon Derovan, lead Flame artist Eric DeHaven, Flame artist Hilary Sperling, roto artist Sheri Cruz, and 2D artisans Nathan Brunskill and Jenny McGee.
Audio engineer was Steve Johnston of Outpost Audio, Miami.
Directors Amy+Pilar and Jose Antonio Prat Join Reform School
Boutique content production company Reform has added comedy directing duo Amy+Pilar (Amy York Rubin and Pilar Boehm) and award-winning multicultural director Jose Antonio Prat to its roster for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded entertainment.
Partners in both life and art, Amy+Pilar are know for their sharp wit and comedic timing. Their synchronicity is evident in a body of work across TV, film and commercials. Prior to joining Reform School, Amy+Pilar had been repped in the ad market by production company Knucklehead.
Amy has directed high-profile comedy sketches featuring stars like Amy Schumer, Kate McKinnon, and Sarah Silverman. On the episodic front, Amy has helmed for series such as Fresh Off the Boat, Casual, Superstore and Angie Tribeca--as well as the pilot for the hit Netflix comedy Dead to Me.
Before joining forces with Amy behind the camera, Pilar was a psychotherapist, a background that informs her ability to create fascinating characters and stage irresistible, nuanced performances. Amy and Pilar’s shared passion for comedy brought them together. Their collaboration began with a Synchrony Bank campaign, starring cult-comedy favorite Maribeth Monroe (Workaholics), and they went on to direct the pilot of the Hulu series Love, Victor. Amy+Pilar’s ad fare also includes spots for Uber’s “Go-Get” campaign and “Shift,” starring Martin Starr.
“We have been fans of Amy and Pilar for a long time,” said Ryan Ennis, executive director at Reform School. “They excel at capturing comedic performances and dialogue. Coming from the TV and L.A. comedy scenes, they’ve built a strong following and collaborated with some of our favorite funny people.... Read More