Complete Pandemonium’s Mark Dipp Directs :30 For Rubin Postaer and Associates.
CLIENT
Honda Accord Coupe.
PRODUCTION CO.
Complete Pandemonium, San Francisco. Mark Dipp , director; Allen Daviau, DP; Stelio Kitrilakis, executive
producer; Clint Goldman, executive producer/producer; Betsy Chin, production manager; Josh Koral, production designer; John McCleod, special effects supervisor.
Shot on location.
AGENCY
Rubin Postaer and Associates, Santa Monica. Larry Postaer, executive VP/director of creative services; Gary Paticoff, VP/executive producer; Richard Bess, VP/associate creative director/art director; Todd Carey, associate creative director/copywriter.
EDITORIAL
Western Images, San Francisco. Alan Chimenti, editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Western Images. Matthew Fassberg and Lisa McNamara, producers; Chris Hamilton, CG supervisor/technical director; Jerry Castro, technical director; Mark Nonnenmacher, designer/Mac artist; Greg Gladstone, Rich McBride, Peter deLappe, John Vehger, Mike Schmidt, Peter Oberdorfer and Rich Cohen, CG animators; Jimi Simmons and Bob Roesler, Inferno artists; Gary Coates, colorist; Lee Gardner and Josh Johnson, postproduction supervisors; Chris Green and Nicole MacMath, Mac artists. M5, San Francisco. Jamie Hyneman, practical robot supervisor/puppeteer.
AUDIO POST
POP Sound, Santa Monica. Loren Silber, audio mixer; Noah Lifschey, assistant mixer.
MUSIC
Elias Associates, bicoastal. Jonathan Elias, orchestration/arranger.
SOUND DESIGN
Ren Klyce Sound Design, Sausalito, Calif. Ren Klyce, sound designer.
BY CAROLYN GIARDINA
A robot working on an assembly line falls for a Honda Accord Coupe in "Robot," a :30 produced by Complete Pandemonium, San Francisco, for Santa Monica agency Rubin Postaer and Associates.
In the spot, the love-struck robot tries to approach the shiny new automobile, but another robot-a jealous, less than understanding mate-steps in the way.
"Robot" is the first commercial assignment for director Mark Dipp since 1996, when he departed Los Angeles and San Rafael, Calif.-based Industrial Light+Magic Commercial Productions to direct Spawn for New Line Cinema. Also coming off Spawn and a stay at ILM is "Robot" executive producer/producer Clint Goldman of Complete Pandemonium.
In discussing "Robot," Dipp said, "I wanted [the robot] to feel very realistic and industrial and mechanical, and then change when he sees the car-and out comes this inner spirit." He likened the opening shot to the beginning of ’70s sitcom Laverne & Shirley, during which the title characters are in a similar situation in a bottling plant.
"Then he sees this magical machine," Dipp continued. "He is entranced by it and leaves the factory life. … The female [robot] sees him leaving the work line and checking out this sexy machine. She is jealous and a little angry with him."
Adding to the tragic-romantic mood is music from Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, orchestrated and arranged by Jonathan Elias of bicoastal Elias Associates.
Dipp said the team used music for expression rather than actions-such as eyes popping out of the robot’s head-because he didn’t want the spot to appear "too cartoony." He describes the ending as "sweetly sad," as the robot never approaches the Honda.
The strategy was "to convey the message that the Accord, while known for quality and ability, is a very good-looking car," said Todd Carey, associate creative director/copywriter at Rubin Postaer. He said the agency wanted to position the car as something not that you need but that you desire. The concept of "machine beauty" triggered the story. "We wanted to tell this in a fun and interesting way," he added.
The biggest challenge, Goldman said, was to "make the elements come together in an incredibly short period of time." He noted that the spot went from prepro to completion in just under eight weeks." The complex production-whose budget hovered around $1 million-featured robots created with a combination of CGI, hand-puppet models and some mechanics.
The tight shots of the robot are the models, which were built and supervised by San Francisco-based M5. The live action was shot in-camera over four days at Mare Island, just outside of San Francisco, in a decommissioned pipe factory. Goldman said the team searched for a place "that could have been a widget factory. … We got lucky and found this location." He said they applied for clearance to shoot even before the job had been assigned.
For the wide shots, the robots were CGI-created at San Francisco-based Western Images. Western Mac artist Mark Nonnenmacher was the primary robot designer. "Some of the biggest challenges were making photoreal robots-in a very short amount of time-that had to match the plates and match the practical robot," explained Chris Hamilton, Western Images CG supervisor/technical director.
Hamilton explained that the light conditions changed on a frame-by-frame basis, yet another challenge for the team at Western. Using Inferno, the team added smoke and other atmospheric elements. In some of the tight shots of the male robot, the expressions in its eyes were also enhanced in Inferno.
The CGI robots were modeled and animated in Softimage 3D and rendered using Mental Ray. Mac artists painted in textures. "They needed to feel mechanical but have personalities akin to human beings," explained Hamilton, adding that the team worked closely with Dipp . "We had complete head-to-toe CG robots and module parts that we could swap if we needed to enhance the composition or make something more visually interesting. … It made the process very fluid."
Dipp was in San Francisco 80% of the time the spot was in production, but when he was out of town, the project didn’t miss a beat. The team stayed in close contact, sending work in progress back and forth over the Internet. Dipp also used this system while Spawn was in production.
The director complimented the entire team on the production. Carey, too, praised the participants, as well as the client, for "letting us experiment. … They had to trust that this was going to work."
O&M Is On The Scene
For Shell Oil
CLIENT
Shell Oil Co.
PRODUCTION CO.
RSA USA, Los Angeles. Thom Higgins, director; John Stanier, DP; Lynne Pateman, executive producer; Roger Pugliese, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Ogilvy & Mather, Houston. Joe Kilgore, executive creative director; Claudia Henderson, associate creative director/art director; David Eastman, copywriter; Leigh Anne Smith, producer.
EDITORIAL
Us 2 Editorial, Venice, Calif. David Brooks, editor; Ben Darling, assistant editor.
POST
Encore Santa Monica. Jais Lamaire, colorist. Cutters, Santa Monica. Mary Beth Emigh, online editor.
AUDIO POST
RavensWork, Venice. Eric Ryan, engineer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
DV8, Los Angeles. David Livingston, composer; John Carlson, sound designer.
THE SPOT
"Take the Keys" opens with an automobile careening out of control and down an urban street. A teenager witnesses the mishap and races to help. When the car stops, he calms the shaken driver, sends his friend for help and shuts off the car’s ignition. The :30 ends with an offer for a book that explains more ways to help when you arrive on the scene of an accident.
Spot broke Aug. 10.
Pfeifer Music Is On
Key For Master Lock
CLIENT
Master Lock.
PRODUCTION CO.
Morrison Productions, New Orleans. Hobby Morrison, director/ cameraman; Holly Vega, executive producer; Debbie Koppman, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Cramer-Krasselt, Milwaukee. Neil Casey, creative director; Dave Hoffmann, art director/ producer; Pat Pritchard, copywriter/producer.
EDITORIAL
Cutters Inc., Chicago. Steve Morrison, editor; Janne Nicosia and Greg Kulhanek, assistant editors.
POST
Cutters Inc. Steve Morrison, online editor; Oscar Oboza, Jr., colorist.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Cutters Inc. Greg Souers, compositor/graphic artist.
AUDIO POST
Cutters Inc. Sean Richards, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
Pfeifer Music Partners, Los Angeles. David Grow and Nick Brown, composers; Brad Colerick, executive producer; Marit Burch, producer.
SOUND DESIGN
Cutters Inc. Pat Yacono, sound designer.
THE SPOT
The :30 "Taunting Lock" features Gilbert Gottfried as the voice of a lock who ridicules a series of would-be thieves. One burglar approaches the lock and delivers a succession of vicious blows to which Gottfried replies, "That tickles." Even a bullet fired through the center of the lock engenders only Gottfried’s disdain.
Spot broke in August.
Ebel Is Lucky
For Oscar Mayer
CLIENT
Oscar Mayer Foods/Oscar Mayer Lunchables.
PRODUCTION CO.
Ebel Productions, Chicago. Bob Ebel, director; Rob Blatman, DP; Larry Byrne, executive producer; Kathy Foley, producer; Ellen DeVine, production manager. Shot on location.
AGENCY
J. Walter Thompson, Chicago. Marcee Nelson, group creative director; Corrine Serritella, producer; Bobby Garland, senior art director; Carol Gold-Lande, senior copywriter.
EDITORIAL
Cutters Inc., Chicago. Ruth Epstein, editor; John Dingfield, assistant editor.
POST
Cutters Inc. Doug Johansen, online editor; Oscar Oboza, Jr., colorist.
AUDIO POST
Cutters Inc. John Binder, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
Steve Ford Music, Chicago. Steve Ford, composer.
THE SPOT
In the :30 "Lucky," three boys on their way to school check their lunchbags to see what mom gave them. Two kids find the same old thing, while the third discovers that his Mom put Oscar Mayer Lunchables in his bag. In the :30 "Wishin’ & Hopin’," a young boy goes through a daily ritual of anticipation and disappointment with his lunch. He becomes disillusioned, but when he finally finds Oscar Mayer Lunchables in his lunch bag, he celebrates big-time.
Spot broke Aug. 19.
Wild Brain Fishes
For Hershey’s Kisses
CLIENT
Hershey Foods Corp./Hershey’s Kisses.
PRODUCTION CO.
Wild Brain, San Francisco. Carl Willat, director; Paul Golden, executive producer; Bill Weir, producer. "Drag Racing": D. Matthew Smith, DP/lighting; Pete Kozachik, DP/technical director. "Fishing": Imagination Plantation (now Wild Brain), San Francisco. Kelly Chang and Nicholas Weigel, animators; Chris Gwynn, technical director. "Fishing" shot at Custer Avenue Stages, San Francisco.
AGENCY
Ogilvy & Mather, New York. David Apicella, creative director; Fred Lind, associate creative director; Gary Steiner, executive producer; Robert Braden, producer.
EDITORIAL
Wild Brain. Mike Cavanaugh, editor.
POST
Western Images, San Francisco. Gary Coates and Lisa Cogan, colorists. SpyPost, San Francisco. Darren Orr, Flint composite artist. Wild Brain. Jason Porter, post effects technical director.
AUDIO POST
Russian Hill Recording, San Francisco. Sam Lehmer, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
Kulberg-Michie Music, Marin County, Calif. Andy Kulberg and Chris Michie, composers.
SOUND DESIGN
Russian Hill Recording. Sam Lehmer, sound designer.
THE SPOT
The :15 "Fishing" tells the story of how the almond gets into a Hershey’s Kiss. A Kiss casts its line into a white background. When the hook hits the surface, a splash reveals it to be liquid. An almond takes the bait, and after a struggle, the nut succumbs to the Kiss. In the :15 "Drag Racing," two Kisses race for a bag of Hershey’s Kisses. At the start line, two Kisses "rev" their engines. With their Hershey’s tags flying, the Kisses race toward the finish line. Their foil wrappers pop off and unfold into braking parachutes. The Kisses end the race in a tie as they both jump into the sack of Hershey’s Kisses waiting for them at the finish line.
Spots broke Aug. 31.
In Your Ear Wins
In Pennzoil Contest
CLIENT
Pennzoil.
PRODUCTION CO.
Crash Films, Santa Monica. Gerald Casale, director; Anghel Decca, DP; Bill Fortney, executive producer; Raub Shapiro, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
GSD&M, Austin, Texas. Daniel Russ, creative director/copywriter; Gay Venable, producer; Scott McAfee, art director.
EDITORIAL
Avenue Edit, Santa Monica. Jay Nelson, editor.
POST
Match Frame, Austin. Jeff Franklin, online editor. 525 Post Production, Hollywood. Paul Bronkar, colorist.
AUDIO POST/MUSIC
In Your Ear Music & Recording Services, Richmond, Va. Joe Sheets, engineer; Carlos Chafin and Butch Taylor, composers.
THE SPOT
The :30 "Handprints" highlights Pennzoil’s "Under the Cap" sweepstakes. A man working under the hood of his car discovers that he is a winner in the contest. Excited, he heads down the street, leaving his oily "mark" on everyone he passes.
Spot broke Aug. 21.
Generator Industries
For Newport Bay
CLIENT
Newport Bay Restaurants.
PRODUCTION CO.
Generator Industries, Portland, Ore. Todd Korgan, director; C.B. Harding, DP; Allan Lemley, executive producer; Denny Anderson, line producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
JohnsonSheen Advertising, Portland. Mike Sheen, creative director; Todd Munn, art director; Jim Carrey, copywriter; Megan Hadely-Cooper, producer.
EDITORIAL
DownStream, Portland. David Massachi, Avid editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
DownStream. George Mitchell, online editor; Michael Mintz, Spirit colorist; Michael Nicolas, Flame effects artist.
AUDIO POST/SOUND DESIGN
DownStream. Rick Waritz, audio sweetening/sound designer.
THE SPOT
Three spots humorously show to what extent the chefs at Newport Bay will go to obtain the freshest food for their clientele. In "Marionberry," "Crab" and "Salmon," the chefs are shown in a picturesque Oregon Marionberry field, underwater fishing for Dungeoness Crab and off the coast of Alaska on a commercial salmon boat.
Spots broke Aug. 31.
jmcp Reminisces
For Tagamet HB
CLIENT
SmithKline Beecham/Tagamet HB 200.
PRODUCTION CO.
MacGuffin Films, New York. Ed Bianchi, director; Andrzej Bartkowiak, DP; Marty Gillen, executive producer; Sonja Webster, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
jordanmcgrathcase&partners, New York. Ilon Specht, executive VP/executive creative director; Sarah DeCamello, executive VP/creative director/copywriter; Reinhold Schwenk, senior VP/ creative director/art director; Wende Sasse, VP/senior producer.
EDITORIAL
earth2mars, New York. Jeff Cahn and Eddie Del Pizzo, editors.
POST
Manhattan Transfer, New York. John Bonta, colorist. Empire Video, New York. Todd Matthews, online editor.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Work in Progress, Brooklyn, N.Y. Stephen Ray, graphic designer.
AUDIO POST
Howard Schwartz Recording, New York. Roy Latham, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
Bang Music, New York. Stephen Cullo and Christopher Joannou, composers/arrangers; Lyle Greenfield, executive producer.
THE SPOT
The :30 "Mindy" centers on a pair of middle-aged men who happen on a drive-in restaurant from the good old days. As they pull in, the spot flashes back to a scene of the two as teenagers ordering from a waitress named Mindy. Back in the present, one of the guys complains to the other that he can’t eat like he used to. His friend explains that with Tagamet HB 200 he can. As they bite into their hot dogs they do a double take when they spot Mindy in the sideview mirror. She recognizes them as well, and the spot ends with the tag, "Eat like a kid again."
Spot broke Oct. 1
