Goodby, Silverstein And radical.media Prove A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Bucks.
CLIENT
Polaroid.
PRODUCTION CO.
radical.media, bicoastal/
international. Frank Todaro, director; Paul Laufer, DP; Frank Scherma, executive producer, Gregg Carlessimo, producer. Shot on location in Pasadena and Los Angeles.
AGENCY
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco. Rich Silverstein, creative director; Steve Payonzeck, copywriter; Margaret Johnson, art director; Khrisana Mayfield, producer.
EDITORIAL
Phoenix Editorial, San Francisco. Bob Frisk, editor; Jonathan Hinman, producer.
POST
Phoenix Editorial. John Crossley, Smoke artist. Company 3, Santa Monica. Noel Castley-Wright, Henry artist; Stephen Sonnenfeld,
colorist.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Phoenix Editorial. Brian Rulapaugh, graphic artist.
AUDIO POST
Crescendo! Studios,
San Francisco. Jay Shilladay, engineer.
MUSIC
Trivers/Myers Music, Manhattan Beach, Calif. John Trivers and Elizabeth Myers, composers.
SOUND DESIGN
earwax productions, San Francisco. Andy Newell,
sound designer.
BY SARAH WOODWARD
Poor Great Aunt Edith. She doesn’t know it but she’s just been had. So has Uncle Lenny and Cousin Beth. In "Camp," a :30 introducing Polaroid Greeting Cards, which broke April 19, a 10-year-old camper named Billy takes his rich relatives to the cleaners.
Created by San Francisco-based Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and directed by Frank Todaro of bicoastal/international radical.media, "Camp" opens on a series of interior shots featuring various wealthy people opening a photo greeting card. A voiceover begins, "Dear Great Aunt Edith, camp is fun." It sounds like your typical please-send-cookies letter, but it isn’t. The voiceover continues, "But I need money for arts and crafts. I miss you. Love, Billy. P.S. I made this candle just for you."
"It ended up," said art director Margaret Johnson, "as a dark spin on a Hallmark spot."
After the establishing shots, the setting changes to reveal a group of campers in a cabin where a sophisticated extortion ring is in full swing. Billy, posing with his candle, is being photographed with a Polaroid camera by a girl who is coaching her subject to look as sad as possible. "More pathetic," she demands. After each snapshot, she puts the instant photo into a pile. Another camper assembles the photo in the greeting card, puts it in an envelope, and so on. Boxes of cash clutter the cabin. Behind the photographer, a chalkboard lists the names of campers, organized by geographic region (West, for instance). After several photos have been snapped of Billy, a girl with a clipboard says, "Okay, that’s all of Billy’s relatives. Who’s next?"
As this is going on, a bewildered delivery man shows up and asks where he should put the television set. Another camper instructs him to put it "out back near the hot tub." The final shot in the spot-following the tag "Polaroid: See what develops"-has the young photographer planting a kiss on a photo and saying, "Smells like money."
The second in a three-spot assignment for Polaroid (the other two include a branding piece, "UFO," and another product introduction, "Transplant" which showcases the Pop-Shot disposable camera), "Camp" was shot on location over two days. The first location was a house in Pasadena, Calif., which served as the setting for the various relatives’ homes. Johnson said they shot several people in what appeared to be different locations because they "wanted to get across the idea that this kid was screwing over a lot of his relatives, not just one." Great Aunt Edith, for example, is being attended to by her butler inside a posh living room. Uncle Lenny, on the other hand, is wearing a silk robe and appears to be passing a leisurely day on the terrace of what could be a Mediterranean-style villa. The third relative, who isn’t actually identified by name, is also outside, sitting on a bench in a yard. Properly dressed and younger than Edith, she looks as though she’s about to receive some lady-friends for tea.
The camp sequence was filmed at Disneyland in Los Angeles, during what Johnson called "a monsoon." In spite of the foul weather, there were no major complications. "When it rains, things just go slower," Todaro said. "The lights take longer to move, you have less daylight and you only have a limited amount of time with the kids [because of child labor laws]. It just makes everything that much more difficult."
According to Johnson, the spot hinged on the fact that "it’s [for] a product that no one’s seen before, so you have to spend a lot of time explaining what the product is and do it in an interesting way." Added copywriter Steve Payonzek: "We were trying [not to be] too straightforward, to sort of subvert the idea behind it." Payonzek also explained that Polaroid expects the greeting cards to be popular with mothers and kids. Given that, he said, "We knew that we could very easily go down the road of making a heartwarming commercial, but we wanted to let people think that maybe that was what they were seeing, and sort of slip the knife into them at the end. We wanted to acknowledge the intelligence not only of the [adult] viewers but of kids."
Payonzek said the creative team, which also included creative director Rich Silverstein and producer Khrisana Mayfield, looked at several directors’ reels, but ultimately felt Todaro’s storytelling style was the right match. Specifically, he cited the director’s "ability to tell a joke without overwhelming it with visual gags or adding too much to it. He has a very clear, linear way of getting you to where you want to go."
Todaro said his first impression of the boards was that "the whole package was funny and I thought I could at least do a serviceable job." Regarding "Camp," he added, "It was a clever product introduction, and it took the whole idea that it’s heartwarming and sweet and spun it a little bit [which kept] it from being [too sweet]. The whole take on the kids was real business-like. It’s as if they’re not even there for camp. [Polaroid] really got it and that’s always helpful."
The major challenge Todaro anticipated was working with kids. "Casting is always the hardest part," he said, "and finding the right kids was kind of tricky." However the director, who had experience working with young actors, said when they were casting they tried to avoid kids who might potentially cause problems or be difficult during the shoot. "We found some really good kids, real pros," he said. "It’s kind of astounding the level that some of these kids are at. They’re able to understand what’s going on and deliver the goods on demand."
Zap Edit, Edge Films
For Children’s Place
CLIENT
The Children’s Place.
PRODUCTION CO.
Edge Films, New York. Teddy Borsen, director; Chris Bierlein, DP; Ken Licata Jr., executive producer/producer. Shot at CECO International Corp., New York.
AGENCY
Della Femina/Jeary & Partners, New York. Jerry Della Femina, CEO; Michael Jeary, president; Teddy Borsen, creative director/ art director; Karen Mallia, copywriter; Linda Tesa, producer.
EDITORIAL
Zap Edit, New York. John Zieman, editor; Maury Loeb, assistant editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Zap Edit. John Zieman, online editor/title design. Image Group Post, New York. Gary Scarpullo, colorist.
AUDIO POST
Mixed Nuts, New York. Peter Buccellato and Joe Vagnoni, engineers.
MUSIC
alchemy, New York. John Petersen and Nandi Johannes, composers/arrangers.
THE SPOT
Three :15s-"Watermelons," "Peaches" and "Apples"-feature kids, outfitted with Children’s Place clothing, playfully frolicking with fruit in front of a stark white background.
Spots broke in March.
Hungry Man Is All
Ears For Snickers
CLIENT
M&M/Mars/Snickers.
PRODUCTION CO.
Hungry Man, New York. Hank Perlman, director; Russell Carpenter, DP; Stephen Orent, executive producer; Cathy Cooper, producer; Jill Austin, production manager. Shot on location.
AGENCY
BBDO New York. Charlie Miesmer, vice chairman/senior executive creative director; Wil Boudreau, senior VP/creative director; Rick Midler, VP/associate creative director; Deidre Henchy, producer; Loren Parkins, senior producer/music; Jeff Griffith, art director; Bryan Black, copywriter.
EDITORIAL
MacKenzie Cutler, New York. Mike Douglas, editor; Lucas Spaulding, assistant editor; Vicki Koppel, producer.
POST
The Tape House Editorial Company, New York. Jay Tilin, online editor; Milan Boncich, colorist.
AUDIO POST
The Mix Place, New York. Bobby Elder, mixer.
THE SPOT
The Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield ear-biting incident is spoofed in the :30 "Boxer." A fighter sits locked in his dressing room with his trainer, as a promoter (a Don King-type) attempts to talk him into coming out and fighting the challenger. The boxer refuses, all the while holding his gloves up by his head, obscuring any view of his ears. Finally he puts his gloved hands down, revealing huge ears and still refusing to leave his room, as he grabs a Snickers.
Spot broke Jan. 4.
Brass Knuckles Goes
To Gap Country
CLIENT
The Gap.
PRODUCTION CO.
A Band Apart Commercials/Los Angeles. McG, director; Matty Libatique, DP; Michael Bodnarchek and Lawrence Bender, executive producer; Adam Bloom, producer; Jennifer Silver Nieman, head of production. Shot at Hayvenhurst Studios, Van Nuys, Calif.
AGENCY
Gap Advertising, San Francisco. Lisa Prisco, creative director; Carl Byrd, senior art director; Leigh Donaldson, producer.
EDITORIAL
Brass Knuckles Editorial, Venice, Calif. Chris Hafner, editor; David Beekman, assistant editor; Ruth Schiller, executive producer; Bond Schoeffel, producer.
POST
Company 3, Santa Monica. Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist. Brass Knuckles Editorial. Marco Bacich and Alex Brodie, Henry artists; Jeff Skinner, Henry assistant.
AUDIO POST
Margarita Mix de Santa Monica. Jeff Levy, mixer.
THE SPOT
The :30 "Khaki Country" features dancers kicking up their heels, outfitted in Gap country fashion, to Dwight Yoakam crooning Queen’s "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."
Spot broke March 21.
The A+R Group
Tests A Ford SUV
CLIENT
Ford Motor Company.
PRODUCTION CO.
The A+R Group, bicoastal. Michael Cuesta, director/DP; Roberto Cecchini, executive producer; Mike Downey, producer. Shot on location in Denver.
AGENCY
Ogilvy & Mather, New York. Ross Sutherland, creative director; Danny Gregory, associate creative director/copywriter; Grant Parrish, art director; David Cohen, producer.
EDITORIAL
Ohio Edit, New York. Frank Snyder, editor; David Blake, assistant editor.
POST
Nice Shoes, New York. Chris Ryan, colorist. Charlex, New York. Marc Goldfine and Greg Oyen, online editors.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Charlex. Alex Weil, director of visual effects; Marc Goldfine and Greg Oyen, Flame/effects artists; Caroline Kaufman, designer; Amy Kindred and Steve Chiarello, producers.
AUDIO POST
Howard Schwartz Recording, New York. Roy Latham, mixer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
What’s The Score, Johnny?, New York. Johnny Alters, composer/sound designer.
THE SPOT
The :60 "SUV-Lev" showcases the natural beauty of the Colorado mountains and the dedication of Ford Motor Co. admissions tester Steve Kirby, who inspects every Ford SUV to ensure that the environment is protected.
Spot broke Jan. 13.
Curious Turns On
The Light For Qwest
CLIENT
Qwest Communications International.
PRODUCTION CO.
Curious Pictures, New York. Simon Taylor (Tomato), director; Denis Crossan, DP; Richard Winkler, executive producer; Meridith Brown, executive producer/line producer; Stephen Plesniak, production manager. Shot at Park Royal Studios, London.
AGENCY
J. Walter Thompson, New York. Bill Hamilton, creative director; Susan Smitman, producer; George Parker, copywriter; Joe Massaro, art director.
EDITORIAL
Red Square Editing, London. Alex Hagon, editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Smoke & Mirrors Productions, London. Jon Hollis, online editor/Flame artist. The Mill, London. Adam Scott, colorist. Models created by special effects supervisor Simon Tayler at Artem Visual Effects, Perivale, Middlesex.
AUDIO POST
Photomag, New York. Rex Recker, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
Amber Music, New York. Ross Gregory, composer/arranger.
THE SPOT
The :30 "Ride the Light" opens on a white screen and a series of binary codes that eventually form a light bulb. As the voiceover intones, "The promise of the internet is not in the future. It is now," a hammer appears and strikes the bulb. Instead of shattering the sphere, the tool itself bursts apart. "The bandwidth to change everything," continues the voiceover, as the Qwest logo appears.
Spot broke March 1.
Crossroads Is Honest For Tracfone, B/H
CLIENT
Topp Telecom/Tracfone.
PRODUCTION CO.
Crossroads Films, Los Angeles. Mark Story, director; John Lindley, DP; Cami Taylor, executive producer; Norman Reiss, producer. Shot at Raleigh Studios, Hollywood.
AGENCY
Blum/Herbstreith, New York. Alan Blum, president/creative director/copywriter/art director; Scott Weitz, producer.
STOCK FOOTAGE
Presidential footage from ABCNews VideoSource, New York.
EDITORIAL
MacKenzie Cutler, New York. Mike Douglas, editor.
POST
MacKenzie Cutler. Lucas Spaulding, online editor. The Tape House Editorial Company, New York. Milan Boncich, colorist.
AUDIO POST
MacKenzie Cutler. Chuck Smith, mixer.
MUSIC
Big Foote Music, New York. Sherman Foote, composer.
THE SPOT
Tracfone’s "pay as you go" promotion is highlighted in humorous scenarios spoofing hidden costs, risk of personal rejection and presidential honesty. The :30s include "Know What You Pay," "Can’t Be Rejected," "Pay As You Go," "No Bills," "No Age Limits" and "Presidents."
Spots broke in January.
Jon Francis Films
Phone Sprint PCS
CLIENT
Sprint PCS.
PRODUCTION CO.
Jon Francis Films, San Francisco. Jon Francis, director; Jack Donnelly, DP; Griff Marshall, executive producer; Jeff Vibes, producer. Shot at Custer Avenue Stages, San Francisco.
AGENCY
Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco. Dave O’Hare and John Doyle, executive creative directors; Elissa Singstock, senior producer; Erin Alvo, creative director/art director; David Stolberg, creative director/writer.
EDITORIAL
The Lookinglass Company, Santa Monica. Livio Sanchez, editor; Sue Dawson, executive producer.
POST
Encore Santa Monica (recently renamed Riot). Bob Festa, colorist. The Finish Line, Santa Monica. James Bygrave, Henry artist.
AUDIO POST
48 Windows, Santa Monica. Jeff Payne, mixer.
MUSIC
Michael Carroll, composer, New York.
THE SPOTS
The :30s "Maps," "Calling Guide" and "Bell" show customers who find clarity and simplicity in their wireless service at Sprint, after being frustrated in humorous scenarios with less direct sales people.
Spots broke Jan.
