Director Brad Silberling, whose feature film credits include City of Angels and Casper, has signed an agreement for exclusive spot representation with Dark Light Pictures, West Hollywood. Silberling recently wrapped a pair of Coca-Cola spots via Dark Light prior to formally coming aboard the company. The ads, "Parrot" and "Bounce," mix live action, visual effects and comedic elements and are part of Coke’s current "Enjoy" campaign out of Leo Burnett Co., Chicago.
The Coca-Cola package showcased Silberling’s prowess in meshing live action and effects. "Parrot" centers on a bird who has learned to nudge restaurant patrons into ordering Cokes by mimicking the sound of a bottle being opened, the soft drink being poured and then consumed. The popping, fizzling, gulping bird was realized through combining images of a real parrot with computer animation.
In "Bounce," fans attending a rock concert turn out to be the effervescence in a bottle of Coke. The spot opens with an establishing shot of the concert hall scene. As the camera begins its upward arc, the fans transform into bubbles. The camera emerges from the bottle to reveal a new scene on a rooftop. The opening sequence was lensed in an airplane hangar, and a custom-made motion-control rig was used to create the sweeping camera move that begins near ground level and ends 55 feet in the air.
Silberling’s commercial experience also includes spots for Pepsi and Alliance Capital Management. The former was done in ’95 for BBDO New York; Silberling helmed the ad while working on the aforementioned Casper. Produced by Industrial Light+ Magic Commercial Productions, San Rafael and Los Angeles, the commercial involved a tie-in between Pepsi and the movie. Last year’s Alliance project entailed four comedic spots conceived by FerrellCalvillo Communications, New York. Silberling directed the package via Creative Film Management International, a New York-based house that had been handling him for spots.
The commercial medium appeals to Silberling as another opportunity to apply his filmmaking talent. "I live to shoot, and the time between features was frustrating to me," he related. "That is what made me very excited and serious about commercials." Silberling added that Dark Light’s experience in working on spots with other feature directors made it a natural home for him. "What struck me from my experience on the Coke spot was Dark Light’s knowledge of the actual nuts and bolts of film production—especially live action and effects combinations."
The feature directors at Dark Light alluded to by Silberling include company principal, director/cameraman Caleb Deschanel, and Michael Lehmann. Other directors on Dark Light’s roster are Vincent Paterson, Leslie Smith and Tony Cruz. Executive producer is Vincent Arcaro.
After earning a master’s degree in fine arts from UCLA, Silberling was signed by Universal Pictures and began working in episodic television. He directed numerous shows for Steven Bochco Productions, Los Angeles, including several episodes of the first season of NYPD Blue. His credits also included L.A. Law, Civil Wars and, more recently, Brooklyn Bridge, Felicity and the pilot for Judging Amy.
Casper marked Silberling’s feature debut. He followed that three years later with City of Angels, which starred Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. Susan Sarandon is slated to star in Silberling’s next feature project, Baby’s in Black.
