Americans spend a lot of time in their cars. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, car owners log an average of 11,850 miles a year. Regardless of how fast you drive, that amounts to many hours spent behind the wheel—during which time a lot can happen.
Such is the premise of "For The Journey," an ad introducing Mitsubishi’s new Outlander SUV. Part of the carmaker’s ongoing "Wake Up And Drive" campaign, the ad was created by Deutsch LA, and helmed by Erick Ifergan via bicoastal/international Believe Media. (Ifergan now directs via bicoastal RSA USA.) The spot chronicles five years in the life of an Outlander owner, with all the action taking place within the confines of his sporty SUV. In the ad, we glimpse the proverbial twists and turns the man’s life takes, as he matures from swinging bachelor to husband and father. Sixty and 30-second versions of the spot broke Oct. 14.
"For The Journey" opens on a cityscape at night. Timelapse photography reveals car head- and taillights racing down a thruway. The soundtrack—"Breathe" from the CD Genetic World by French techno-group Télépopmusik—begins as we first see the lead actor driving in his SUV. He’s casually dressed yet stylish, and as he looks into the rearview mirror his mind wanders.
Cut to a series of snapshot scenarios. First we see a buddy laughing in the front seat while an attractive woman strokes the driver’s head from her seat in back. Next, a different group of friends ride along in the vehicle, each rocking along to the music on the radio. Cut to a black screen with the text, "Outlander Is Here." And then the screen reads, "For The Journey."
Back in the car, several friends again accompany the driver as he pulls up to a red light near a Chinese restaurant. Timelapse photography shows the blur of pedestrians crossing the street. Then a hand—belonging to one of two cocktail dress-clad women in the rear of the Outlander—reaches playfully up from the backseat. The driver wears a chic suit.
Scenes that follow find the driver in the company of a dreadlocked hippie; a mariachi player; and a couple who is making out in the backseat. We also see him dressed up in drag with several friends; dressed up as a cowboy for a costume or Halloween party; and dressed up for a fancy evening out with a beautiful woman. Later, we see him with the same woman, the back of his SUV full of long stem roses, and the two of them laughing as a flurry of rose pedals are swept out the sun roof.
As the saying goes, first comes love, then comes marriage. The next scenario shows their wedding day. Then we see them racing to the hospital, the woman pregnant and in labor, the driver visibly anxious at the impending birth of his child. Finally, we see the driver with his young daughter sitting in the back seat, her teddy bear taking up the front passenger seat.
Returning to the original scene of the guy driving alone in his car, he smiles. On a black screen, text asks, "Are You In?" Then the Mitsubishi logo appears with the "Wake Up And Drive" tag supered over timelapse footage of the original cityscape.
"For The Journey" is more story-driven than past installments of the "Wake Up And Drive" campaign, which has garnered attention—if not always acclaim—for its reliance on style and music. Why the change? "We wanted to tell more of a story because the person we’re talking to has more of a story to tell," explained Deutsch senior VP/associate creative director Vincent Picardi. "The people we were talking to, Gen-Y, have grown up and are thinking, ‘God, I don’t want to grow old, but I need more room than I have in my Eclipse.’ Maybe they’re thinking about marriage, and… having kids. But they still want to throw a snowboard on the back of their car, or hang out with their buds and be cool."
Which is not to say that "For the Journey" is not music and fashion oriented. "Music is integral to the Mitsubishi vibe and brand," Picardi noted. Which is why the agency hired music supervisor/KCRW DJ Jason Bentley (who is now affiliated with Machine Head, Venice) to assist with the score. At the time, Bentley said, "Télépopmusic had just come out and I was really buzzing on it. The [Mitsubishi] animatics I saw detailed a person through the days and his experiences over time" Bentley pointed out. Given the song’s lyrics—"Another day. Just believe. Another day. Just breathe. I’m used to it by now"—which repeat again and again over a sultry techno score, Bentley saw a good fit. Though alternatives were explored, "Breathe" was an immediate hit with the agency and eventually won out.
When it came to creating the style of the spot—which had to be integrated into the storyline—Deutsch turned to Ifergan. Agency producer Jennifer Pearse said the director emerged as a top choice early on. "From the treatment he wrote on, he really grasped the humanity we were trying to capture. He always shoots cars beautifully, and he gave us a range of crucial vignettes, and he has a great style in terms of people and wardrobe."
Both the story-driven script and the opportunity to work with actors appealed to Ifergan. "I liked the fact that it was not a lot of car footage and abstract images of cities and suburbs, [but rather] based more on people and also trying to tell a little bit of a story in a simple and efficient way. I enjoyed the fact that I had to work with people, which is a bit more fun to direct."
Preproduction meetings meant brainstorming a long list of scenarios that could demonstrate the lead character’s life story. "I pushed for the most edgy ones," Ifergan said, such as the scene which finds the driver and pals dressed in drag. "The agency really went with me. At first it was more nice and family [oriented], but since the target was younger people, early 30s or late 20s, the client allowed us to take it further. I think it paid off in the end."
Other questions that arose before the shoot included, according to Picardi, "How exactly do we show five years of this guys life in 30 or 60 seconds? Do we use special effects, or concentrate on the [real life] scenarios, which is where we wound up steering. Originally we thought about marrying film and a CGI look—of sort of flying through time—but where we ended up was a better place. We needed to see this guy, to see all the things he’s doing in the car, and how the car can fit his life."
The commercial was shot by DP Toby Irwin over three days in Toronto, both on location and at Handmade Studios, Toronto. The exterior car shots and timelapse footage were lensed at three or four different locations at night, while the action taking place inside the vehicle was shot inside the studio. Ifergan said the controlled environment allowed for better performances. As well, it meant the rainy weather was of little consequence. Two cameras attached to the hood of the car rolled simultaneously on the actors. Shadows and reflections on the automobile, which give the impression that the vehicle is moving, were then created in postproduction by A52, Los Angeles.
Adam Pertofsky of Rock Paper Scissors, Los Angeles, cut the spot. Picardi said the edit was critical to the story they were trying to tell, both in terms of content and time frame. Initially, there were concerns that, because of the scope of the storyline, the ad would only work as a :60.
"That’s the main reason we picked Adam. We knew we had great photography, a great song, and a great effects place, but we needed someone to tell a story [in the allotted time]. Adam was the perfect fit," said Picardi. "He had a lot of options—we made sure we shot more than needed to give him options—but from the first time we saw his thirty-second edit, we knew he was the right choice for this spot."
