Lowe & Partners/SMS Finds Humor In The Boundaries Of Plausibility.
CLIENT
Mercedes-Benz of North America.
PRODUCTION CO.
Propaganda Films, bicoastal/international.
Simon West, director; Andy Traines, executive producer; Rob McKinney, line producer; David Tattersall, DP. Shot at Raleigh Studios, Hollywood, and on location.
AGENCY
Lowe & Partners/SMS, New York. Martin Sloves, chairman; Lee Garfinkel, chairman/chief creative officer; Marty Orzio, executive VP/creative group head/copywriter; Randy Saitta and Andy Hirsch, executive VPs/creative group heads/art directors; Rachel Novak, senior VP/producer; Alex Gellert, executive VP/group account director; Cynthia Davis, VP/account supervisor.
EDITORIAL
Mojo/L.A., Santa Monica, Calif. T.G. Herrington, editor; Chris Gernon, assistant editor; Colleen McLean, executive producer; Mindy Strauss, producer.
POST
Conformed and composited at The Finish Line, Santa Monica. James Bygrave, Henry artist. Film-to-tape transfer at Encore Santa Monica.
Jais Thierry Lamaire, colorist.
AUDIO POST
POP Sound, Santa Monica. Jeff Payne, mixer.
MUSIC
Music Forever, Hollywood. Anthony Marinelli, composer/arranger.
SOUND DESIGN
Mojo/L.A. Chris Gernon, sound designer.
BY CAROLYN GIARDINA
At the start of “Smooth Ride,” a :30 for Mercedes-Benz of North America via Lowe & Partners/ SMS, New York, viewers see the automaker’s M-Class ML320 vehicle driving through rough outdoor terrain, a straightforward-enough start to a car ad. But what occurs inside the vehicle is, well, unbelievable.
A mother paints her nails in the front seat, demonstrating the smoothness of the ride. In the backseat, her daughter builds an elaborate house of cards, while her son offers his grandmother a china teacup, saying, “Here’s your scalding hot cup of tea.” Meanwhile, the family dog balances a ball on his nose—and several more china teacups on his paw.
“Smooth Ride” marks a return to commercials for director Simon West of bicoastal/international Propaganda Films, following the release of his feature Con Air. The director said the spot’s humor comes from its use of contrast, beginning with the “fairly plausible” mother and getting more ridiculous as the spot goes on. West worked to compare the harsh conditions outside with the family comfortably nestled inside its “cocoon.”
“We like the writing very much,” noted Propaganda executive producer Andy Traines. “[Lowe & Partners has] an excellent creative team.”
When casting, West went with “straight-looking” people, as he put it. He explained that he wanted to create humor out of the situation, not the characters.
But one cast member did stand out to the director–the trained terrier, who stood on his hind legs balancing the ball and teacups with some assistance from a rod and some wires. “The dog was probably the best behaved actor I’ve ever had,” West laughed.
“Smooth Ride” was shot at Hollywood-based Raleigh Studios, and on location north of San Francisco at Mt. Tamalpais. Making the combination of elements shot on the stage and outdoors seamless presented something of a challenge in post.
In some instances, the characters inside the vehicle were shot in front of a rotating background, which had been painted to include some motion blur. The post schedule was very tight, West noted, so the in-camera effects saved compositing time, and in turn helped the team control the post budget.
For shots where a wide scene was required as a background, the characters were shot in front of a bluescreen. The final compositing and conforming was completed by James Bygrave on a Henry at The Finish Line, Santa Monica, Calif.
Creative editing and compositing was handled by T.G. Herrington of Santa Monica-based Mojo/L.A. “It was pretty straightforward,” Herrington said. “The film was beautiful; it was shot great. It was just getting [the cut that had] the most impact.
“We played with it for days to get the right feel for it,” Herrington said, adding that he and the Lowe & Partners creatives rearranged the order of the gags and experimented with different timing in the spot. “We left no stone unturned.”
“Smooth Ride” is one of three spots in a Mercedes M-Class launch campaign that breaks this month. The other spots are “My Dad,” also directed by West, and “Big Show,” directed by Propaganda’s David Kellogg.
***
Red Car Flexes For Schick Tracer FX
CLIENT
Warner-Lambert Co./Schick Tracer FX.
PRODUCTION CO.
RSA-USA, Los Angeles. Marcus Nispel, director; Thomas Kloss, DP; Linda Ross, executive producer; Oliver Fuselier, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
J. Walter Thompson, New York. J.J. Jordan, creative director; Susan Smitman, producer; Frank Costantini, art director; Brian Sitts, copywriter.
EDITORIAL
Red Car, Hollywood. Jonathan Del Gatto, editor; Justin Stolo, assistant editor; Janet Bell, producer.
POST
Post Logic Studios, Hollywood. Chris Devlin, telecine. Sight Effects, Venice, Calif. Philip Brennan, composite and conform.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Sight Effects. Philip Brennan, Flame artist.
AUDIO POST
RavensWork, Venice. Eric Ryan, mixer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Machine Head, Venice. Stuard Grant, composer; Stephen Dewey, sound designer.
THE SPOT
The :30 “Flex” highlights the flexibility of Schick’s Tracer FX razors via a montage of men participating in various sporting events, intercut with scenes of the razor at work.
Spot broke in June.
***
Cyclotron, PP Mouse Around For EverFresh
CLIENT
EverFresh With Activated Charcoal Cat Litter.
PRODUCTION CO.
Tom Ryan & Company, Chicago. Tom Ryan, director/DP; Elliot Cutler, DP; Patrick McBride, executive producer. Shot at Blackhawk Studio, Chicago.
AGENCY
McCann-Erickson New York. Chris Quillen, senior creative director/art director; Linda Kramer, senior producer; Dan Cohen, copywriter; Joyce Pedretti, senior art director.
EDITORIAL
Progressive Image Group, New York. Eric Horowitz, editor.
POST
Post Perfect, New York. Victor Mulholland, colorist; Amy Davis, Henry artist; Joanne Ungar, Inferno/Flame artist; David Blizard and Tim Heath, 3-D animators.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Cyclotron, New York. Tom Barham, live-action/visual effects supervisor; Ruthie Rosenfeld, animation director; Paul Schneider, producer; Yael Kruman, associate producer; Angela Bowen, managing director; Suzanne Potashnick, account executive.
AUDIO POST
East Side Audio and Video, New York. Tom Jucarone, mixer.
MUSIC
Eve Nelson Music, New York. Eve Nelson, composer; Sue Cirillo, producer.
THE SPOT
“Mice” opens with a mouse peeking out of a mouse hole, trying to catch a whiff of the family cat. Thanks to EverFresh With Activated Charcoal Cat Litter, the mouse is unable to detect his feline nemesis. He leads some of his pals to the middle of the floor, where they dance to a rocking tune. Just as they start to whoop it up, the shadow of the cat appears, and the mice scurry to safety. The spot ends with the cat’s shadow lurking over its territory.
Spot broke August 14.
***
S&S Cleans Up For Coastal Comm.
CLIENT
California Coastal Commission.
PRODUCTION CO.
Tool of North America, Santa Monica, Calif. Chris Hooper, director; Mike Trim, DP; Kathy McLaughlin, executive producer; Gordon Gushee, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising, San Francisco. Steve Silver and Curtis Melville, creative directors; Kevin Dailor, art director; Andy Sohn, copywriter; Carol McCarty, producer; Anthony Cain, account director; Lorri Mansker, account executive.
EDITORIAL
Bob ‘n Sheila’s Edit World, San Francisco. Sheila Sweeney, editor; Tim Fender, assistant editor; Gina LoCurcio, executive producer.
POST
Western Images, San Francisco. David Cortsher, colorist; Greg Gilmore, online editor/Henry artist.
AUDIO POST
Crescendo! Studios, San Francisco. Jay Shilliday, mixer; Dave Baker, assistant.
MUSIC
HUM, Los Angeles. Jeff Koz, composer; Ceinwyn Clark, executive producer.
THE SPOT
Shot in the style of the open for the TV series Baywatch, “Beach Patrol” features lifeguards tripping over garbage as they run across a beach. A Pamela Lee lookalike stumbles over an empty bottle and gets her foot caught in a six-pack plastic ring, while a male lifeguard trips over an old sofa and winds up face-to-face with a crab. The :30 promotes California Coastal Commission’s “Coastal Cleaup Day.”
Spot broke August 25.
***
Sacred Noise Is Classical For D&T
CLIENT
Deloitte & Touche.
PRODUCTION CO.
G.M.S. Productions, West Hollywood. Peter Nydrle, director/DP; Robin Benson, executive producer; John Marshall, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Keiler & Co., Farmington, Conn. David Haskell, creative director/copywriter; Wayne Waaramaa, senior art director; Meegan Hanrahan, producer.
EDITORIAL
Lost Planet, New York. Adam Schwartz and Paul Kelly, editors; Steven Pilgrim, assistant editor.
POST
Pacific Ocean Post, Santa Monica, Calif. Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist. Nice Shoes, New York. Russ Bigby, online editor.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Nice Shoes. Eric Gelgand, effects compositing. Manhattan Transfer/Edit, New York. Tami Feldman, visual effects coordinator.
AUDIO POST
East Side Audio and Video, New York. Tom Jucarone, engineer.
MUSIC
Sacred Noise, New York. Robert Miller, composer; Jeff Rosner, executive producer.
THE SPOT
“Big” spotlights the many Fortune 500 companies that use the financial services of Deloitte & Touche. Actor Richard Crenna provides the voiceover.
Spot broke in June.
***
Zander’s Gets The Red Out With Visine
CLIENT
Pfizer/Visine Eye Drops.
PRODUCTION CO.
Zander’s Animation Parlour, New York. Alexander Andranikian, director; Mark Zander, executive producer; Valery Konoplev, principal animator; Sergei Martirosvo, production coordinator; Hamlet Khoudaverdian, designer.
AGENCY
Partners & Shevack, New York. Jeff Williamson, group creative director/copywriter; Alyson Kurnit, executive producer; Tony LaPetri, art director/creative supervisor; Steve McKee, account supervisor.
EDITORIAL
Zander’s Animation Parlour. Sergei Martirosvo, editor.
POST
Manhattan Transfer/Edit, New York. Ron Brower, colorist. djm Post Production, New York. Danny Breen, online editor.
AUDIO POST
djm Post Production. Peter Senerita, engineer/mixer.
THE SPOT
In the animated “Talking Eyes,” a dazzling pair of female eyes advise their irritated partner on how to resolve his visual dilemma by using Visine.
Spot broke July 1.
***
Invisible Dog, Spin Color Canon Copiers
CLIENT
Canon USA/Canon Copiers.
PRODUCTION CO.
RSA-USA, Los Angeles. Marcus Nispel, director; John Stanier, DP; Vincent Oster, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
DCA Advertising, New York. Paul Morphos, executive producer; Steve Penchina, executive creative director; Bob Crantz, creative director; Seymon Ostilly, associate creative director; Chris Conte, writer; Sandi McGuirk, art director; Richard Gamer, creative supervisor/writer.
STOCK FOOTAGE
Energy Film Library, New York. Tim Heap, contact.
EDITORIAL
Invisible Dog, New York. Dave Smalheiser, editor; Geoff Hounsell, assistant editor.
POST
Post Logic Studios, Hollywood. Chris Devlin, colorist; Mario Barrera, video technician.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Spin Productions, Toronto. Marc-Andre Bourgoin, producer; Keith Adams and Steven Lewis, Inferno artists; Tina McGill, Henry artist; Sara Newman, Houdini artist.
AUDIO POST
Random Bus, New York. Joe Miuccio, mixer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Pink Noise, New York. Michael Maxwell, composer/executive producer; Marshall Grupp, sound designer.
THE SPOT
“Blues,” “Morning” and “Smoke” feature stylish portraits of blues musicians, a young family and baseball players to highlight the “colors between the colors created by Canon.”
Spots broke in June.
***
Duck Soup Wins Hoosier Millions
CLIENT
Hoosier Lottery.
PRODUCTION CO.
Duck Soup Produckions, Los Angeles. Stephen Lawes, director; Mark Medernach, executive producer; Carolyn Bates, producer; Charlotte DeBlock, Alex Warner, Todd Ingalls and Lane Nakamura, animators.
AGENCY
Montgomery, Zukerman, Davis, Indianapolis. Mike Soper, creative director; Amy Sterner, producer; Steve White, copywriter; Sheryl Sackett, art director; Margo Dworkus, account supervisor.
EDITORIAL
Duck Soup Produckions. Danny Newbro, editor.
POST
Editel/Los Angeles, Hollywood. Michael Eugenio, film-to-tape. Digital Magic, Los Angeles. Gary Williamson, film-to-tape. Indy Teleproductions, Indianapolis. Chris Disselkamp, online editor.
AUDIO POST
ASA Productions, Indianapolis. Jason Rowland, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
ASA Productions. Rich Airis and Scott Kemper, composers/arrangers.
THE SPOT
A :30, :20 and two :10s promote the Hoosier Lottery’s new game, Daily Millions. “Animotion I/ Education” and “Animotion II/ Sustaining” demonstrate how to play the game and maintain the game’s awareness, respectively.
“Animotion I/Education” broke in June. “Animotion II/Sustaining” began airing in August.
***
DDB Needham Speeds To Foot-Action
CLIENT
Foot-Action USA.
PRODUCTION CO.
The End, Los Angeles. George Jecel, director/DP; Luke Thornton, executive producer; Julia Roberson, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
DDB Needham Dallas. Carl Warner, creative director/art director; Jim Hord, copywriter; Chelle McDonald, producer; Stefany Strah, assistant producer.
EDITORIAL
charlieuniformtango, Dallas. Jack Waldrip, editor.
POST
The Filmworkers Club, Dallas. Drew Marsh, colorist. Reel FX, Dallas. Dale Carman, Flame artist.
AUDIO POST
charlieuniformtango. Russell Smith, audio mixer.
MUSIC
tomandandy, New York. Drazen Bosnjak and Andy Milburn, composers.
SOUND DESIGN
tomandandy. Josh Rabinowitz, sound designer. charlieuniformtango. Mark Boardman, sound designer.
THE SPOT
Olympic Gold Medal-sprinter Donovan Bailey is featured in the :30 “Cameras,” which promotes the new Universe running shoe from adidas. “People say I’ve got so much foot action, once I leave the blocks, my feet never touch the ground,” says Bailey. He then sprints down a tunnel lined with high-speed cameras, bright lights and lasers trying to capture him in action. Emerging from the tunnel, Bailey looks at a series of blurred photographs, smiles and says, “I guess we’ll never know,” as he looks at a close-up shot from the cameras, which reveals no sight of his feet.
Spot broke in June.
***
Primary Pics Wants It All For Hawks
CLIENT
Atlanta Hawks.
PRODUCTION CO.
Primary Pictures, Atlanta. Rod Paul, director/DP; Widdi Turner, executive producer. Shot at Primary Pictures.
AGENCY
Fitzgerald & Co., Atlanta. Jim Paddock, creative director; Eddie Snyder, art director; Dave Nelson, copywriter; Christine Sigety, director of broadcast production.
STOCK FOOTAGE
SportsSouth (FOX), Atlanta. Darren Woley, contact.
EDITORIAL
Todd-AO/Editworks, Atlanta. Rick Dascher, editor.
POST
The Film Group, Atlanta. Richard Parker, colorist. Click 3XS, Atlanta. Terry Boyer, online editor.
AUDIO POST
AcousTech Music Productions, Atlanta. Matt Still, mixer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
AcousTech Music Productions. Wayne Dykes and Danny Stern, composers/sound designers.
THE SPOT
In the :30 “We Want It All,” Steve Smith, Mookie Blaylock and Christian Laettner of the Atlanta Hawks tell fans they want it all–from full stands to championship rings.
Spot broke August 11.
***
Omaha Flies American Airlines
CLIENT
American Airlines.
PRODUCTION CO.
Omaha Pictures, New York. Peter Goldschmidt, director; Stefan Czapsky, DP; Steven Michael Harris, second-unit photography; Diane McArter and Phillip Detchmendy, executive producers; Greg Ferguson, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Temerlin McClain, Irving, Texas. Bill Oakley, creative director; Barry Lisee, producer; Dave Wilgus, art director; Diane Seimetz, copywriter.
EDITORIAL
charlieuniformtango, Dallas. Jack Waldrip, editor.
POST
Encore Santa Monica, Santa Monica, Calif. Bob Festa, colorist; Dave Laird, online editor.
AUDIO POST
charlieuniformtango. Russell Smith, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
Steve Ford Music, Chicago. David Blamires, Steve Ford and Steve Mullen, composers.
THE SPOT
“Mecca” opens on a group of international travelers converging upon Chicago’s O’Hare airport. With images of individuals in transit and transactions in negotiation, Chicago is revealed to be a hub of business activity. The :60 positions American Airlines as the primary carrier for business meccas around the globe.
Spot broke June 2.
***
Morrison For N.O. Police And Bauerlein
CLIENT
New Orleans Police Foundation.
PRODUCTION CO.
Morrison Productions, New Orleans. Ken Morrison, director/DP; Holly Vega, executive producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Bauerlein Inc., New Orleans. Robbie Vitrano, president/creative director; Yvonne Bush, producer. Yes Man, Milwaukee. Joe Locher, art director/copywriter.
EDITORIAL
Coupe Inc., New Orleans. Kyle Curry, editor.
POST
Video Post & Transfer, Dallas. Steve Franco, colorist. Video Park, Baton Rouge, La. Jim Land, online editor.
AUDIO POST
Ultrasonic Inc., New Orleans. Jay Gallagher, engineer.
SOUND DESIGN
Ultrasonic Inc. Jay Gallagher, sound designer.
THE SPOT
“Thin Shoes,” funded by the New Orleans Police Foundation, a private sector organization, reflects changes within the city’s police department. Black-and-white images of a policeman’s shadow, a POV from below a manhole as an officer takes a step and the crash of a mounted officer’s horse’s hoof through a puddle define a new sensitivity–the “thin shoes” of a New Orleans policeman.
Spot broke in Ju
