Via bicoastal production house Villains, noted filmmaker Albert Brooks (e.g., The Muse, Mother, Lost in America) has made a silent entry into the ad arena with "The Fan," a U.S. cinema spot for Coca-Cola, out of Wieden+Kennedy, New York. The charmingly comedic black-and-white commercial pays homage to the classic silent movie, focusing on a fan’s repeated efforts to see a football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The project also proves to be an effective cross-promotional vehicle, pairing Coke with the National Football League (NFL) and cable sports network ESPN.
Sprightly go-getter music and an opening title card—"The Fan"—mimic those of silent films, and the action begins as we iris in on our poor protagonist. Full of anticipation, he waits in a stadium ticket line, watching others buy coveted tickets for the NFL game. When it’s his turn, he reaches into his pants and shirt pockets for money, but instead finds only a wisp of paper—or perhaps a liberated moth—that briskly flies skyward. His pleading expression elicits no pity from the ticket booth attendant, who efficiently shoos him away.
Undaunted, he turns to Plan B: a makeshift ticket. Close-ups reveal those ahead of him in line surrendering their official NFL tickets with logos of the Vikings and Buccaneers. But our smiling hero turns in a plain white piece of ticket-sized paper, labeled merely "My Ticket"; the attendant stares at it curiously, then brusquely gestures as if exiling the Fan from the stadium.
But ingenuity again rears its humorous head. This time, our portagonist has hitched a ride on the back of an ESPN van, attempting to get into the stadium through the media entrance. ESPN reporters/personalities Chris Berman and Chris Mortensen emerge from the back doors of the van, conversing animatedly. Berman, still talking, spies the Fan, who is clutching a van door for dear life. A second card appears on screen, quoting Berman’s spoken words: "These new interns are really getting pushy." Losing his grip on the door, the desperate Fan sinks out of sight.
Next he tries the players’ entrance, which is surrounded by cheering fans. Last in the parade of arriving athletes is our faithful-yet-ticketless hero, who’s decked out in an authentic-looking football uniform. But details give him away: his uniform number, 01; and the name stretched across the back of his jersey, "Nobody." A vigilant security guard spots the imposter, lifts him up and carries him off.
Finally, it seems, the Fan has given up. He’s seated on a bench, wiping away his tears. But inspiration takes many forms, and in this case, a boy drinking a cup of Coca-Cola leads to the birth of a notion. You can almost see a brightening light bulb over the head of our briefly discouraged protagonist.
Indeed, Coke proves to be "The Real Thing" as the Fan assumes the identity of a mobile soda jerk. Carrying a tray laden with cups of Coca-Cola, he makes his way through the vendors’ entrance. For a moment, we fear he’ll be discovered again as he looks nervously back at a suspicious clipboard-holding sentry. But—victory—our would-be vendor scampers into the stadium.
Next, we see the Fan seated, enjoying the game. On his lap is the tray full of Cokes. The woman beside him casually takes one, and he sips through a straw from another. We iris out on the silent escapade, which concludes with a title card declaring "The End" and displaying the Coca-Cola signature.
Brooks was backed by a Villains support team that included executive producer Richard Goldstein and producer Ron Neter. The spot was shot on location at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., by DP Daniel Hainey.
The Wieden creative ensemble on "The Fan" consisted of creative directors Amy Nicholson (who’s since left the agency) and Ty Montague, copywriter Robert Heishfield, art director Wayne Best, head of production Gary Krieg and producer Brian Cooper.
"The Fan" was edited by Travis Aitken of Mad River Post/Santa Monica. Assistant editors were Julie Liebman and Chris Angelodakis. Mindy Strauss produced for Mad River. Judd Parson and Milan Boncich of The Tape House, New York, served as online editor and colorist, respectively. Audio mixer was Glen Landrum of Lower East Side, New York.
The agency licensed a piece of music, "Our Hospitality," from a film preservation association for the spot. The music deftly accompanied and helped to propel the fan’s adventure.
