Leagas Delaney’s “Liquid Loofah” Mixes Baseball And Cosmetics.
Top Spot Credits
CLIENT
adidas.
PRODUCTION CO.
Shelter Films, New York. Jonathan David, director; Ron Fortunato, DP; Steven Shore, executive producer, Maribeth Phillips, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Leagas Delaney, San Francisco. Harry Cocciolo, creative director; Sean Ehrlinger, head of art; Scott Wild, copywriter; Peter Nicholson, art director; Adrienne Cummins, executive producer; Ben Latimer, producer.
EDITORIAL
Bob ‘n Sheila’s Edit World, San Francisco. Bob Spector, editor.
POST
Western Images, San Francisco. Greg Gilmore, online editor; Gary Coates, film-to-tape editor; Orin Green; Henry operator.
AUDIO POST
Crescendo! Studios, San Francisco. Tim Claman, engineer/mixer.
Only in New York could a pair of smart-talking cosmetics sellers and five Yankee fans come together onscreen to effectively promote a German tennis shoe company. But that’s exactly what happens in “Liquid Loofah,” the second in a four-spot adidas campaign directed by Jonathan David of New York-based Shelter Films via Leagas Delaney, San Francisco.
The campaign, which is airing on the East Coast, follows five super-Yankee fans who come together ritually, paint their chests with oversized letters–collectively spelling “Y-A-N-K-S”–and parade to Yankee Stadium.
In “Liquid Loofah,” the fivesome is found in New York’s chic SoHo district, consulting with a pair of cosmeticians to find the best possible makeup for creating their letters. A quasi-consultation results, as each saleswoman competes for the men’s attention, alerting them to the various properties and luxuries associated with specific cosmetics.
Myriad potions, lotions and motions for application are given demos, until a “liquid loofah” is suggested–a soft abrasive that will prepare the skin for the paint, leaving it soft, dry and “dewy.” The men, all ears and stares, take in the information with true team spirit, devoted to their Yankee passion as well as the female attention. The company’s merchandise is not shown in the spot, which ends simply with the adidas icon.
“These are guys who take things very seriously,” said Leagas Delaney art director Peter Nicholson. “They are thinking about the letters, and are willing to go all out to get the best, most professional makeup they [can].”
To create the spots, Nicholson, director David and Leagas Delaney creative director Harry Cocciolo needed to get the right mix of sincerity and silliness from both the male and female characters. To achieve a heightened level of reality from the saleswomen, the two actresses contributed to their own dialogue. “It was a very collaborative process coming up with the right language,” David recalled.
“Both actresses had pretty extensive knowledge of makeup,” Nicholson added, describing his own cosmetics acumen as lacking. David and Nicholson added that they scoured cosmetics counters at New York’s Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s to get a feel for the culture.
The duo also coached the actresses to create their own character dichotomies, so the relationship between the two women would be fully defined on camera. “We wanted the women to be really over-the-top,” Nicholson said of the two heavily made-up and processed-looking characters. “These are guys who know nothing [about makeup], dream clients who can be sold anything.”
Indeed, according to David, the male characters were created with fantasy in mind–through them, he said, the spot’s creators hoped to capture the true spirit of baseball fanhood, to “return sports and sports equipment to the fans.” The idea, he added, is that not everyone can be a sports superstar, but everyone can act outrageously to demonstrate their loyalty.
But the fans did have to be believable, to remind viewers of people they might actually see at sports stadiums. “We had to endlessly refine the relationship between the men–which one is the leader, which one imagined himself second-in-charge, which one is usually quiet, but loud at the stadium–the ritual of it all,” David said.
Stock music was used in the spot and David chose to shoot in black and white, partially out of cost constraints. “[But] black and white was the right look for New York and these spots,” David stated, noting that the lack of color kept the focus on the characters. “We wanted to avoid the the big, superstar sneakers kind of spots.”
According to Cocciolo, the “five fans” idea itself came from a print campaign that debuted a few weeks prior to the spots, in which a series of images and characters were billboarded throughout New York City, one featuring the fab five. “The idea was for [audiences] to become very familiar with the characters, and the most familar and rich aspects of fandom,” Cocciolo said.
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Will Vinton Studios Drums For Doritos
CLIENT
Frito-Lay/Doritos.
PRODUCTION CO.
Will Vinton Studios, Portland, Ore. David Daniels, director; Kine Arnold and Denver Wood, assistant cameramen; David Altschul, executive producer; Sara Mullock, producer; Jeff Jerome, line producer; Robin Ator, storyboard artist; Mark Eifert, lighting cameraman; Octavia Hunter, stage manager; Tom Sepe, photoshop artist; Shell Hickel, Todd Kurtzman and Gairy Bialke, animators; Wes Johnson, production assistant; Mike Menlow, gaffer; Jim Dunn, best boy/swing; Roy Bellow, grip; Trina Fairchild, video playback/continuity; Mike Praiger, sound playback; Doug Hout, art director/costume designer; Michelle Greco, makeup; Meredith Gill, production assistant; Lori Kingston, craft service. Shot at Will Vinton Studios.
AGENCY
BBDO New York. Dennis Berger and Janet Lyons, executive creative directors; Chris Lenz, producer; Mike Campbell, senior VP/senior creative director; Kevin Moehlenkamp and Tom Giavagnoli, VPs/associate creative directors.
EDITORIAL
Will Vinton Studios. Scott Sundholm, editor; Tom Sheft and Justin Calloway, assistant editors.
POST
DownStream Editorial Services, Portland. Mike Nichols, Flame artist; Chris Jones, live-action Avid editor.
AUDIO POST
Crushing Enterprises, New York. John Altschiller, mixer/engineer.
MUSIC
Crushing Underground, New York. Greg Ives, sound strategist.
THE SPOT
The :15 “Drum Solo” features a boy practicing his drums in a garage while continually laughing, hooting and screaming at the top of his lungs. As he bangs away, the instrument turns into Doritos, which pop into his mouth.
Spot broke in June.
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Open Frame, Hackett Visit Dorney Park
CLIENT
Dorney Park & Wildlife Kingdom.
PRODUCTION CO.
Open Frame Productions, New York. Randy Hackett, director; Ed Stephenson, DP; Andrew Swee and Nan Swoyer, executive producers; Alice Haynsworth, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Tierney & Partners, Philadelphia. Chuck Borghese, creative director; Lee Brosnan, producer; David Heise, art director; Chris Grenier, copywriter; Ann Riddell, management director; Brian Riordan, account executive.
EDITORIAL
Seventh Art, Philadelphia. Burke Moody, editor; Patrick Murphy, assistant editor.
POST
Modern Video Productions, Philadelphia. Billy Wood, videotape editor; Rob Giglio, colorist.
AUDIO POST
Modern Audio Productions, Philadelphia. Bob Schachner, mixer.
THE SPOT
In the :30 “Family,” vacationers pull up to a tollbooth, where two guys in suits appear; one man is dripping wet, while the other is completely dry. The men ask the family where they are headed, to which they reply “Taxidermy exhibit.” Pulling out a portable television, the duo show footage of some of the attractions at Dorney Park, convincing the family to change their plans.
Spot broke May 26
