Demonstrating the accuracy of a golf club is the stuff of which ho-hum product demos are made. But that unappetizing creative scenario proves tasty in the hands of Phoenix-based agency E.B. Lane & Associates for client Royal Precision, a golf shaft manufacturer.
In a :30 entitled "Monk," directed by Denny Carlson via Trengove Films, Phoenix, a monk is seen pulling a golf club bag across church grounds. A nun keeps a vigilant eye on the monk as he looks at his watch, then finds a suitable patch of terra firma and places three golf balls—neatly lined in a row—on the green grass.
The monk pulls a Royal Precision Rifle club out of his bag and looks up to the heavens for guidance. He swings and hits the first ball; a few seconds later, we hear the gong of a bell. He showcases his fluid swing once again; this time we see the second ball hit the bell, which is perched atop a lofty church tower. The impact sends a flock of doves flying out from the tower structure. The monk’s third swing also hits the mark, thus letting all those in earshot know it’s 3 o’clock.
Then a single word fills the screen: "Accuracy." It gives way to supered graphics that advise serious golfers to order Rifle shafts as part of their next set of clubs.
The spot then returns to the monk as he enters the bell tower structure, with his bag of golf clubs in tow. The door closes behind him, revealing a Gothic-lettered sign that reads: "Bell Tower Closed For Repairs."
E.B. Lane’s creative team consisted of creative directors/art directors Bruce Nilsson and Jeff Miraglia, copywriters Jenny Moss and Jeff Valentine, and executive producer Pam Parsons. They came up with a concept that, this side of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, is arguably the most memorable in terms of bells ringing in a church tower.
Trengove Films’ support ensemble included DP Mark Trengove and producer Denise Hagerman. Trengove lensed the spot on location at a church in Litchfield Park, Ariz., about 12 miles west of Phoenix.
Barbi Harner of Downtown Digital Post, Phoenix, was offline editor/Editbox artist. Steven P. Arkel—a.k.a. Sparkle—of Complete Post, Hollywood, served as colorist. Composer/arranger/audio mixer was Cliff Sarde of CE Productions, Phoenix.
The spot—which began airing on cable’s The Golf Channel on Jan. 17—is the first TV work for Royal Precision. E.B. Lane won the account last year and began conceptualizing television spots in November.
Parsons noted that the final spot came in on a relatively tight budget—in the $80,000 range. This, she noted, made it difficult to afford some of the Los Angeles- and New York-based directors the agency had initially sought out. But after Trengove turned Parsons on to Carlson, Parsons found him to be "a perfect match" for the job. "Some of the stuff on his reel was gut-wrenchingly funny," said Parsons, "and he brought the perfect touch to our project."
That project included a second commercial, "Driving Range," which broke concurrently with "Monk."
