Volkswagen Makes A Splash With Arnold Communications And HSI Productions.
CLIENT
Volkswagen.
PRODUCTION CO.
HSI Productions, bicoastal. Gerard de Thame, director; Steve Keith Roach, DP; Bill Sandwick, executive
producer; Fabyan Daw, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Arnold Communications, Boston. Ron Lawner, chief creative officer; Lance Jensen and Alan Pafenbach,
creative directors; Shane Hutton, copywriter; Tim Vaccarino, art director; Bill Goodell, producer.
EDITORIAL
BUG Editorial, New York. Andre Betz, editor; Geoff Hounsell, assistant editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Pisces Productions, Boston. Dave Waller, Flame artist. Nice Shoes, New York. Russ Bigsby and Kevin
Wade, Henry artists. Moving Images, New York. Tim Masick, colorist.
AUDIO POST
Sound Lounge, New York.
Tom Jucarone, mixer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Master Cylinder, Summerville, Mass. Peter Ducharme, composer/sound designer.
BY CAROLYN GIARDINA
Boston-based Arnold Communications is introducing Volkswagen’s redesigned 1999 Jetta in a new :60
driven by a memorable tune—one that ends entirely too soon.
"Synchronicity," directed by Gerard de Thame via bicoastal HSI Productions, features a couple driving a
new black Jetta during light drizzle. The woman pops a cassette in the stereo and on comes a rainy-day
indie pop tune with a strong rhythm. From that point on, everything around the car—the windshield wipers,
a flashing walk signal, a man on the sidewalk snapping open his newspaper—moves in time with the
music. The rhythm breaks only at the end, when a van crosses the Jetta’s path and sprays the Jetta’s
windshield with water from a puddle.
The sedate Jetta driver remarks, "That was interesting," and a voiceover reminds us: "Sometimes
everything just comes together." The Volkswagen "drivers wanted" logo follows, along with another
voiceover: "On the road of life, there are passengers and there are drivers."
"Unlike many traditional car ads, this new campaign doesn’t brag about how fast or luxurious our cars are,"
said Liz Vanzura, Volkswagen director of marketing/advertising. "Instead, it is intended to show how the
new Jetta fits into some people’s lifestyle and how some things in life just happen to come together in
perfect harmony."
Ron Lawner, Arnold’s chief creative officer, added, "You know when something truly special happens and
people say that all the stars must have been aligned just right? Well, that’s how we feel about the new Jetta.
While the new Jetta’s been completely redesigned, the core values of the Volkswagen brand have remained
the same. Volkswagen is simple, honest, confident and fun."
The spot was shot in three days on location in New Orleans. De Thame said he selected the French Quarter
because there is "a lot happening on the streets" and it has "a good look." Arnold co-creative director Lance
Jensen added that the location "gives a great texture to the spot." De Thame also shot a second Volkswagen
spot for Arnold while in New Orleans.
For the shoot, the street was closed and a rig used to provide rain. (Additional rain was added in post.) DP
Steve Keith Roach shot the car interior images handheld, and a click track helped keep the actors in sync.
"The idea was: You’re driving and you notice everything is coming together," Jensen commented.
He also explained that de Thame was selected to direct because he is "an amazing director" and "very
passionate about the project." De Thame said he wanted to create a "freshness" and give viewers the
feeling of being in the car. The splash, he said, was a sort of "wake-up" from the world that exists within
the Volkswagen.
Music plays an integral part in the spot’s success. Jensen said Arnold considered existing tunes but "never
found one we thought would work. We needed something that had the right beat, was upbeat and positive,
and built to the splash."
In the end, Peter Ducharme of Master Cylinder, Summerville, Mass., composed the music and added some
sound design. Ducharme explained that he received a rough cut of the spot with the click track. "The key
was it had to be dreamy. Odd things are happening," he said. "It also had to be a song these people would
be listening to."
earth2mars Unmasks Mom For Campbell’s
CLIENT
Campbell’s Baked Potato Chunky Soups.
PRODUCTION CO.
Celsius Films, New York. Mark Tiedemann, director; John Stanier, DP; Bob Fisher and Stephanie Oakley,
executive producers; Dirk Detweiler, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Young & Rubicam, New York. Eric Glickman, senior VP/creative director/art director; Stephen Hersh,
senior VP/creative director/copywriter; Jessica Millington, VP/producer.
EDITORIAL
earth2mars, New York. Vinny Pisciotta, editor; Gary Friedman, assistant editor.
POST
Nice Shoes, New York. Scott Burch, colorist. Empire Video, New York. Lenny Davidowitz, online editor.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Animahaus, New York. Mike Bianchi, Flame artist.
AUDIO POST
East Side Audio, New York. Tom Jucarone, mixer (now with Sound Lounge, New York).
SOUND DESIGN
Marshall Grupp Sound Design, New York. Marshall Grupp, sound designer; April Jaffe, producer.
THE SPOT
Terrell Davis approaches teammate John Elway with a bowl of Campbell’s Soup after a football game in
the :30 "Quarterback Sneak." Elway tries the soup as Davis calls him "Sweetypie" and "Johnny Bear." The
quarterback reaches for Davis’ face and literally pulls it off, revealing the running back to be Elway’s
plucky mom. Elway asks his mother, "How long have you been wearing this?" She responds, "Since the
half."
Spot broke Oct. 5.
ROR Is In Motion
For Toyota Cresta
CLIENT
Toyota Cresta.
PRODUCTION CO.
ROR, Burbank, Calif. Ken Wiatrak, director/cameraman; Misato Shinohara, executive producer; Brian
Rogers, line producer; Neil Allen, production supervisor. Shot at Universal Studios, Universal City, Calif.
AGENCY
Dentsu Inc., Tokyo. Ichiro Kamata, creative director; Toshihiro Miyashita, associate creative director.
EDITORIAL
HMA Video, Burbank. Rob Kirsner, freelance editor.
POST
Rainmaker/Los Angeles, Burbank. Kelly Scott, online editor. POP Television, Santa Monica. Wayne
Smith, colorist.
AUDIO POST/MUSIC
HUM Music+Sound Design, Santa Monica. Rob Hart and Aaron Kaplan, mixers; Jeff Koz, composer.
THE SPOT
In the :30 "Toyota Cresta," a man casually reads the morning paper while a city street becomes a motion
blur of activity. After sharing a moment with an older gentleman, he drives away in his new Toyota Cresta.
Spot broke in December.
Holiday And Bowden
Party With Fanta
CLIENT
The Coca-Cola Company/Fanta.
PRODUCTION CO.
Holiday, Los Angeles. Gavin Bowden, director; Max Malkin, DP; Bruce Mellon, executive producer; Carol
Case, managing director; Line Postmyr, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York. David Angelo, executive creative director and creative director/art
director, "Bull"; Eric Silver, creative director/copywriter, "Bull"; Adam Chasnow, copywriter, "Reverse";
Dan Kelleher and Mark Schruntek, art directors, "Reverse"; Maresa Wickham and David Verhoef,
producers.
EDITORIAL
Mad River Post/New York. Lucas Eskin, editor for "Reverse"; Dick Gordon, editor for "Bull."
POST
Nice Shoes, New York. Rich Schreck, online editor. Company 3, Santa Monica. Michael Pethel, colorist.
AUDIO POST
East Side Audio, New York. Tom Goldblatt, engineer.
MUSIC
"Reverse" composed by Andy Bloch and Ray Loewy at JSM Music, New York.
THE SPOT
In the :30 "Reverse," a band of rowdy musicians leaves a gig in Manchester, England, playing on in their
time-worn van, so involved in their music that they drive right past a store selling Fanta. When they realize
their mistake, they reverse back down the road to buy the soda. In the :30 "Bull," a young man afraid of a
bull takes a roll in the mud to cover up his bright red shirt, not realizing that the animal is color blind.
Spots broke in November.
Bedlam, Moxie Flirt
With BP Gasoline
CLIENT
BP Gasoline.
PRODUCTION CO.
Moxie Pictures, bicoastal. Bob Purman, director/DP; Glen Hettinger, assistant director; Gary Rose,
executive producer; Leah Sleischman, producer/line producer; Geoff Spencer, art director. Shot on
location.
AGENCY
Dailey & Associates, Los Angeles. Denny Kur, senior VP/creative director; Tony Osiecki, producer; Bob
Del Sol, copywriter; Bruce Logan, art director.
EDITORIAL
Bedlam, Santa Monica. Steve Armstrong, editor; Michael Waters, executive producer.
POST
Encore Santa Monica. Mark Wilkins, colorist. Colorado, Santa Monica. Dean Chu, online editor.
AUDIO POST
Margarita Mix, Hollywood. Timothy Rock, mixer/engineer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
HUM Music+Sound Design, Santa Monica. Jeff Koz, composer/sound designer.
THE SPOT
In the :30 "Flirting," a guy in a convertible pulls up alongside an attractive woman riding with her dad on
the highway. She flirts with him when her dad isn’t looking, but the opportunity to meet the young lady
vanishes when they arrive at a hill: His sports car dawdles, while dad’s BP-fueled car leaves him in the
dust.
Spot broke in November.
Charlex Goes Online
With Excite, L&P/SMS
CLIENT
Excite.
PRODUCTION CO.
Chelsea Pictures, New York. Nicholas Barker, director; Stefan Czapsky, DP; Steve Wax, president; Maddi
Carlton, executive producer; Jeff Arnold, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Lowe & Partners/SMS, New York. Marvin Sloves, chairman; Lee Garfinkel, chairman/chief creative
officer; Gary Goldsmith, vice chairman/executive creative director; John Brockenbrough, senior VP/senior
copywriter; Jim Carroll, art director; Liz Hodge, VP/producer.
EDITORIAL
Consulate, New York. Tom Scherma, editor; Maria Davila, producer.
POST
Nice Shoes, New York. Chris Ryan, colorist. Post Perfect, New York. Mark Tyler, online editor; Tim
Farrell, Inferno artist; Benjamin Rodriguez, Henry artist; Jason Mayo, producer.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Charlex, New York. Alex Weil, director of visual effects; Amy Kindred, executive producer; Robert
Appelblatt, producer; Greg Oyen, Flame/effects artist.
AUDIO POST
Sound Lounge, New York. Tom Jucarone, mixer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Marshall Grupp Sound Design, New York. Marshall Grupp, composer/sound designer.
THE SPOT
Six :30s in Excite’s "You Can Too" campaign—"Air Conditioner," "Screen Door," "Power Saw,"
"Executive," "Bus" and "Hatchback"—each focus on a person botching a simple, common activity in an
embarrassing, human way. The scenarios include an air conditioner falling out of an apartment window, a
woman walking through a screen door, a man sawing through a table, an executive with ink all over his
face, a pair of underwear in a man’s pants leg and the shattering of a hatchback’s back window. Each spot
mentions a task that the individual in the scene does online (e.g., check e-mail, purchase airline tickets),
pointing out that even those who aren’t perfect can use Excite to execute daily tasks.
Spots broke Dec
