Talk about devotion: A college kid named Chad loves SEGA of America’s Super Monkey Ball Deluxe so much that he decides to live his life inside a clear ball–just like a monkey does in his favorite video game. This is the premise behind a series of humorously offbeat short films–a.k.a. Webisodes–that San Francisco-based Mekanism created and produced for SEGA. The Webisodes can be viewed at the Web site www.mybigball.com, also created and produced by Mekanism.
According to Tommy Means, who conceptualized the project and directed the Webisodes, the goal was to reach 18 to 24-year-old game players who tend not to pay much attention to television commercials. More specifically, SEGA VP of entertainment marketing Scott A. Steinberg instructed Mekanism to create “something that would be very underground, cultish and viral,” Means said.
With that directive in mind, Means came up with the aforementioned premise, which he predicted would appeal to the target demographic due to its physical, “Jackass-style humor.”
As we see in the Webisodes, which Means wrote with Pete Caban and Kevin Frank, living inside a ball presents many physical challenges that make for lots of laughs. For example, in the first installment entitled “Waking Up,” Chad literally rolls out of bed. Subsequent episodes–there are six in all–show him attempting to find a seat in class and taking part in swim practice.
By the way, Chad is apparently unfazed by the difficulties posed when one chooses to live inside a ball.
HAVING A BALL
Before presenting the concept to SEGA, Means had to find out whether it was even feasible. The big question was: Could he find a giant ball in which he could place an actor? “I did some research, and I found a company that makes these gigantic sports balls, including soccer balls. So I called them up, and said, ‘Can you get inside those balls?’ They were like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ Then I was like, ‘Can you make a clear one?’ And they were like, ‘No problem.’ Then I asked, ‘Can you make one where you can jump into a swimming pool in it and run around?’ And they were like, ‘Oh yeah, no problem,’ ” Means recounted laughing.
Constructed out of a strong synthetic material much like that used to make inflatable furniture, Means’ custom-made ball had a zipper on it so that actor could get in and out and was inflated using a leaf blower.
Once he got the ball rolling so to speak, Means shot the six Webisodes on location at a community college campus in Oakland, Calif. Mean said that he and DP Andy Lillian strove to give the films a “homegrown, low production-value look.”
Mekanism’s Ian Kovalik edited the resulting footage, fashioning films that averaged about a minute and a half in length. “The length was really determined by the humor. We could just make the joke the king and not worry about the length,” Means remarked, adding, “That’s the beauty of doing something online–the length doesn’t matter.”
CHECK OUT CHAD
To lure game players to www.mybigball.com to view the Webisodes, Mekanism produced an online viral campaign that included video banner ads placed on gaming and lifestyle Web sites. Mekanism also spread the word through SEGA’s email database of 500,000 game players–all of whom have signed up to receive information from the company, Means stressed, noting, “We don’t believe in spamming.”
Rating the success of the campaign, Means termed it phenomenal and pointed out that Mekanism is able to acquire in-depth results–“We track everything,” he said–for its clients who embark on Internet-based efforts.
According to Means, SEGA got a lot of bang for its buck with this project. “It was a tight budget, and we did the entire campaign–that’s all six Webisodes and the Web site and the online viral campaign–for the cost of your average commercial,” Means revealed.
Additional credit goes to Mekanism’s Conor McCann, who served as art director and site designer; and Stef Smith, Meredith Preble and the aforementioned Caban, who were producers.
Kovalik, who edited the Webisodes, also should be credited as colorist.
J Bowman of San Francisco composed the happy ditty–both music and lyrics–that accompany the Webisodes, and freelancer Jeremiah Moore did both the sound design and audio mix.
