Consider being called to the great hereafter before it’s truly your time. While the situation seems serious, this fast-moving :45 (with a :30 lift) tells the tale with a wonderful sense of purpose—and tongue-in-cheek humor.
In just the first :02, a 30-something driver suddenly hits the brakes when disaster strikes: an enormous steel truss collapses across the road, directly in his path.
Suddenly, he’s left terra firma, moving skyward on an escalator rising into the clouds. In this white-and-gold heaven he breaks out of a long line of fellow initiates, getting the attention of the winged gentleman who appears to be in charge. Though we hear no dialogue, it’s clear that our Everyman is pleading his case: He’s not ready for the pearly gates.
Seems there’s bureaucracy even in heaven, as he is sent to another authority figure—a woman who seems to be in the complaints department. Her body language and facial expression tell us she’s not buying the man’s contention that a mistake has been made. So he is sent off to the next divine destination: a hall of records with countless file drawers containing people’s life—and death—stories.
Golden cherubim flit from drawer to drawer. One pulls out the file of our protesting mortal and gives it to the overseer of the archives. The cover of the file boasts a picture of the alleged dearly departed—Bertrand Janny. Matching the photo to the man before him, the astonished record-keeper notes the year of death: 2051. Clearly, this grave mistake must be rectified.
Next the man begins his trek downwards, as several divine officials wave goodbye and wish him well. His return to earth, though, is a bit jarring, as he’s dropped right back into that earlier life-threatening predicament: in the driver’s seat, about to be crushed by falling steel. But he hits the brakes and the Audi he’s driving stops on a dime, sparing his life for another 50 years.
Through the car’s windshield he looks heavenward. The divine authorities gaze down upon him knowingly, then they are seen reading brochures about Audi’s many safety features. A parting super simply reads, "The new Audi A4. New Security."
Jens Jonsson of Stink, London, directed the Audi commercial, titled "Heaven," for Paris agency Louis XIV. Daniel Bergmann and Lucinda Wallop served as executive producer and producer, respectively, for Stink. "Heaven" was shot by DP Tim Maurice Jones on location in Prague, with production services provided by Prague-based company Stillking. Petr Kunc was the production designer.
The spot was edited by Jean Malcor of Paris facility Mikros. CGI and 3-D compositing was done at Buf Compagnie, Paris.
The Louis XIV creative team included art director Herve Plumet, copywriter Jean Villaume and producer Florence Pottiee-Sperry. The name of the agency account director, incidentally, is Bertrand Janny.
