This offbeat spot employs comedy to tackle a serious subject while giving us a taste of genres ranging from man-in-the-street interview to infomercial-style pitch to slice-of-life fare.
At first we’re subjected to a guerrilla hand-held camera feel as an interviewer, with microphone in hand, comes up to an unsuspecting jogger, asking her, “What’s the first thing you notice about a man?”
Her immediate response: “I notice his eyes.”
Next an older couple is seen, with the man recollecting to the interviewer, “I fell in love with her eyes.”
Lastly the microphone is thrust in front of two women, one of whom says, “Definitely his eyes.”
These testimonials for the captivating prowess of eyes then segues into a hard pitch as we’re taken inside a medical lab where a female ad spokesperson affirms, “Forget about those abs and glutes. It’s your eyes.” Towards that end, she relates, “You need the iGym, the revolutionary device that keeps America looking good.”
A product shot appears of a bizarre looking contraption with electrodes that are placed around the eyes and a propeller-like crest that rests atop the user’s head. The comical “some assembly required” proviso appears below a shot of a complex array of tinkertoy-like components.
The spokeswoman continues her pitch, urging us to wear the iGym on the go (as we see a woman on her cell phone), during cardio (with another female on a gym exercise cycle) or just relaxing (as we see a man on the couch, digging into a takeout box of Chinese food). In each scenario, electrical pulses zap the iGym wearer who quickly and happily recovers from the jolting buzz.
Next we’re treated to a side-by-side comparison with photos of a woman before and after using the iGym. The before pic highlights the bags and dark circles under her eyes while the after snapshot has her looking young, refreshed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. “Take your face to a whole new place,” says an assuring female voiceover.
At this point, the tongue-in-cheek spot takes a serious turn, still juxtaposed for the most part with inane images of people subjecting themselves to the iGym. A male voiceover relates, “Taking care of your eyes is no joke. In fact, one in three Americans over 40 has a vision problem and they might not even know it.
“An eye exam can spot the early stages of vision-threatening conditions like glaucoma and can reveal other serious problems like diabetes and high blood pressure. Do not fool with your eyes.”
We then see a man undergoing an eye exam. “If you’re over 40,” continues the male voiceover, remember an eye doctor can see things you can’t. ” An end tag informs us that this public service message is being brought to us by The Vision Council of America and the AARP (American Association of Retired People).
Titled “Eye Gym,” this PSA was directed by Matthew Pittroff of Workingstiff, Baltimore, for agency August, Lang & Husak, Bethesda, Maryland.
Pittroff also executive produced the job via Workingstiff, with Kurt Uebersax serving as producer. The DP was Andy Lilien.
Chuck Husak of August, Lang & Husak was creative director/copywriter. Pittroff noted that his relationship with Husak is “very collaborative,” which explains why “like many of the boards I get from August, Lang and Husak, this was a work in progress. We are often trying to fit a big spot into a tight budget. It started off as a more Tony Robbins in-your-face approach but we wanted to try to do a ‘mock-u-mercial’ that hadn’t been done so we pushed for a slicker Euro approach….The physical comedy was a blast to hone in on. I think ultimately this very broad comedic concept took itself pretty seriously. It was a pleasure to work on.”
Steve Bell of bicoastal Cosmo Street edited the PSA. Baltimore-based storyboard artist Jim Neally helped with the design of the iGym product and Brooklyn Modelworks brought it to life.
Review: Director Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked”
It's the ultimate celebrity redemption tour, two decades in the making. In the annals of pop culture, few characters have undergone an image makeover quite like the Wicked Witch of the West.
Oh, she may have been vengeful and scary in "The Wizard of Oz." But something changed — like, REALLY changed — on the way from the yellow brick road to the Great White Way. Since 2003, crowds have packed nightly into "Wicked" at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre to cheer as the green-skinned, misunderstood Elphaba rises up on her broomstick to belt "Defying Gravity," that enduring girl-power anthem.
How many people have seen "Wicked"? Rudimentary math suggests more than 15 million on Broadway alone. And now we have "Wicked" the movie, director Jon M. Chu's lavish, faithful, impeccably crafted (and nearly three-hour) ode to this origin story of Elphaba and her (eventual) bestie — Glinda, the very good and very blonde. Welcome to Hollywood, ladies.
Before we get to what this movie does well (Those big numbers! Those costumes!), just a couple thornier issues to ponder. Will this "Wicked," powered by a soulful Cynthia Erivo (owner of one of the best singing voices on the planet) and a sprightly, comedic, hair-tossing Ariana Grande, turn even musical theater haters into lovers?
Tricky question. Some people just don't buy into the musical thing, and they should be allowed to live freely amongst us. But if people breaking into song delights rather than flummoxes you, if elaborate dance numbers in village squares and fantastical nightclubs and emerald-hued cities make perfect sense to you, and especially if you already love "Wicked," well then, you will likely love this film. If it feels like they made the best "Wicked" movie money could buy — well, it's... Read More