To promote the Professional Bull Riders World Finals coverage on the Versus Channel, ad agency Taxi New York turned to director Enda McCallion of bicoastal Epoch Films and Vision Research’s Phantom HD camera for a gut wrenching campaign that gives viewers a taste and feel of what it’s like to ride a bucking bull.
Each spot takes us into the mind of a professional rider. For instance, in “Coleman–Ragdoll,” rider Ross Coleman relates how it feels to win and how it feels to lose. With victory, a successful mount just builds confidence for the next ride, he says. But on the losing end, Coleman concedes, “That bull makes me feel like I’m about an inch tall…bucked me off like a rag doll… I made that bull look even better than he is, as we see Coleman’s body in slo-mo flip end over end at the hand, or hoof, of a monstrous bull.
The spot then segues to the tag, “Every Single Second Is Tough,” followed by the World Finals and Versus Channel logos and a message informing us that the championship competition will air live from Las Vegas starting on Oct. 26 at 9 p.m. Versus coverage ran from Oct. 26-28 and then Nov. 1-4.
“Herman–Whatever” opens on pro bull rider Brian Herman falling from a bucking bull.
The wind tunnel-like sound and grace of movement zeroes us in, and Herman’s voiceover begins, “There’s been so many times you get bucked off a bull at 7.2, 7.5– you should be able to ride 8– you do the best you can do– sometimes it works out, sometimes it don’t, it’s just– whatever.”
At this point in the ride, the bull and Herman literally butt heads: a raw and powerful image that shows without words that these guys are tough as nails. The spot concludes with the same tag slogan and logos.
“McBride–Sweetheart” rider Justin McBride explains that you don’t ride against other riders, you ride against the bull. “If you start trying to beat the other guy, you’ve already lost because you’ve got to beat this animal first,” he says. “The bulls don’t care how much you’ve won, or what you’re name is– how good-looking your sweetheart is– they really don’t give a damn. They’re here to buck.”
McBride miraculously stays on the massive bull’s back, taming the beast if only for a second.
The other two similarly themed :30s in the campaign profile other riders of note, namely Adriano Moraes and Matt Bohon.
All the commercials were shot on site at a Professional Bull Riders tour stop in Greensboro, N.C. Director McCallion worked with DP Stephen McGehee.
The slo-mo accentuates both the thrill and danger of riding. To outsiders, eight seconds is nothing. But anyone who’s familiar with bull riding–as a first-hand observer or a rider–knows the grim possibilities each second holds.
Phantom x 3 A split-second move, by rider or bull, can make or break a ride. The best way to understand a ride is to dissect it, second by second. That’s what Taxi New York, McCallion and McGehee have done, using three Phantom HD cameras shooting from different vantage points.
The Phantoms rolled up to 1,500 frames per second to capture, in stunning detail, the physical strength and emotional stamina required to remain on a bucking bull. Creative teams, also on site, interviewed riders immediately after a ride when they were still pumped with adrenalin and emotion. These unscripted audio tracks were then paired with the extreme slow motion footage.
“We shot at a live event that we couldn’t control,” said Wayne Best, executive creative director for Taxi New York. “But with the new tech nology [Phantom HD] and raw narrative of riders just off the bull, we were able to capture the intensity of the sport.”
Part of the creative challenge of the project was to maintain appeal with bull riding’s core rural audience while engaging a fast growing subset of new viewers to help extend not only the sport’s reach but also that of Versus.
Agency ensemble
The agency team consisted of chief creative officer Paul Lavoie, exec creative director Best, creative director Tom Christmann, art director Jim Wood, copywriter Jeff Yonteff, executive producer Erika Best and producer Cheri Anderson.
Jerry Solomon and Doug Halbert executive produced for Epoch, with Pat Harris serving as producer.
Editor was Stephane Dumonceau of Mad River Post, New York. Amy Lazarus produced for Mad River.
Colorist was Billy Gabor of bicoastal Company 3.
Orion Tate of Buck New York was creative director on the titles. Audio post mixer was Philip Loeb of Sound Lounge, New York.
The Greensboro shoot was of professional riders during pre-finals competition. The ads shift between regular and slow motion, which serve to give heightened weight to the slo-mo sequences, underscoring the riveting nature of the sport.
The Versus team, based at the channel’s headquarters in Stamford, CT, included Bill Bergofin, VP, marketing, and Heather Thomas, director of marketing.
