Headquarters’ Joe Public And Deutsch Keep Fruit From Going Bad In "Sponsor."
CLIENT
Triarc/Snapple.
PRODUCTION CO.
Headquarters, bicoastal. Joe Public, director; Larry Fong, DP; Alex Blum,
executive producer; Kati Haberstock, producer; Andrew Denyer, head of
production. Shot on location in San Marino, Calif.
AGENCY
Deutsch Inc., New York. Jim Frame, executive VP/head of production; Cheryl Van
Ooyen, senior VP/group creative director/copywriter, Craig Markus, senior
VP/group creative director/art director; Susan Curbow, producer.
EDITORIAL
Mad River Post, New York. Dick Gordon, editor.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Black Logic, New York. Kevin Brown, online editor; Tim Crean, visual effects
artist. Post Perfect, New York. Victor Mulholland, colorist. Costumes created by
Total Fabrication, Los Angeles. Ken Hall, modelmaker.
AUDIO POST
East Side Audio, New York. Tom Goldblatt, mixer/engineer.
BY SANDRA GARCIA
In the tradition of serious minded corporate testimonials, Deutsch Inc., New
York, recently took a not-so-serious approach to proving that the fruit in
Snapple is groomed, skilled and well-adjusted for the beverage industry.
"Sponsor," the :30 that started airing nationally in April, takes the viewer
inside a Snapple bottle where we meet a casually-dressed man identified as Jay
"Andy" Anderson of the Snapple Beverage Corporation. The man, who is standing
outdoors in front of a beautiful estate, begins talking about the pressures
facing young fruit today with all the nauseating sincerity of a typical
corporate sponsor. But before you have time to get frustrated, a huge banana
toddles into the shot alerting the viewer that this is not your average
testimonial.
As the sponsor relates how easy it is for fruit to start hanging with the bad
elements and preservatives, we are shown Cops-like footage of a moldy peach with
legs and arms vandalizing a car and fighting with a curious atom-like creature.
To solve the bad fruit dilemma, the sponsor says Snapple has created a place
where "good fruit can come together and get even better."
As "Andy" walks through the gardens of Snapple’s Betty Ford-esque facility
talking about the importance of learning skills and interacting with other
fruit, a series of gags can be spotted in the background, humorously
undercutting the over-the-top sincerity of the sponsor. For instance, a
pineapple in a woodwork shop completely misses the nail he is trying to hit into
a piece of wood (it’s no wonder considering none of the fruit has eyes). In
another scene, the sponsor plays on a seesaw with a raspberry, while behind him,
a man in a white lab coat detains a runaway lemon. Every scene is beautifully
shot and the fruit looks delicious.
Deutsch senior VP/group creative director/copywriter Cheryl Van Ooyen said that
part of Snapple’s campaign was to create a surreal world that existed inside the
Snapple bottle while highlighting the fact that Snapple beverages were made with
real fruit. A second spot in the campaign, "Reincarnation," puts the viewer
inside the head of a Snapple lover who is told that when he dies he will return
in the form of the thing he most desires. Soon after, he is hit by a wrecking
ball and is reincarnated into the form of a Snapple Ice Tea. With "Sponsor," the
focus is entirely on the fruit.
"We thought a lot of corporations make serious statements about what they’re all
about and Snapple is kind of that way too, but we wanted to do something bizarre
all the same," said Van Ooyen. Together with senior VP/group creative
director/art director Craig Markus, Van Ooyen decided that presenting a serious
corporate message juxtaposed with the absurdity of walking fruit was the way to
go.
Deutsch tapped bicoastal Headquarters directing duo Joe Public (Adam Cameron and
Simon Cole) to bring the script-and fruit-to life. "The overall concept was
right there. What we brought to it was the conscious decision to make the
commercial as believable and as visually striking as possible and I think the
combination of great visuals with a good comedy performance made it work," said
Cameron.
According to Cameron, the biggest point of debate on the production was with the
making of the fruit. "We wanted the fruit to look as real as possible because we
didn’t want people to look at it and think ‘Disney on Ice,’ " said Cameron, who
explained they spent vast amounts of time crowded around a table studying pieces
of fruit.
It took L.A.-based Total Fabrication modelmaker Ken Hall three weeks to make the
costumes look as realistic as fruit with legs can look. For the shots where a
fruit was engaged in an activity that required arms, the costumes were given one
arm hole, which Van Ooyen rationalized as "fruit evolution."
A wrench was thrown into the project when it became apparent that the materials
needed to achieve that realistic fruit look meant that the final costumes would
be too heavy and dangerous to put youngsters in. "We realized that if we went
with children, then the costumes would have to be made with lighter materials
and it would tend to look like pantomime and we definitely didn’t want that,"
said Cameron.
The solution was to hire midgets or "little people" as they were called during
the production. "The whole shoot was really crazy because we were trying to
create this gorgeous scene and then in the break there would be a midget in his
underwear smoking a cigarette," said Van Ooyen.
Shot on location at Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif., Joe
Public used swing and tilt lenses and filters to make every frame look like a
beautiful picture. By way of contrast, the scenes depicting the "bad fruit" were
shot to look like an episode of Emergency! Between the debates over the fruit,
logistical problems with using children and a lot of unpredictable weather,
Cameron admitted that it was a fun shoot that "all made horrible sense in the
end."
Bang Goes To The
Movies For Kodak
CLIENT
Eastman Kodak Co.
AGENCY
Ogilvy & Mather, New York. David Apicella, creative director; Lynn Roer,
executive producer; Carrie Simon, producer; Jim Jenkins, copywriter; Joe
Johnson, art director.
STOCK FOOTAGE
Movie title footage obtained from MCA/Universal Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures,
Hemdale Film Corporation, Paramount Pictures, Miramax Films, United Artists and
Universal International Pictures.
EDITORIAL
Big Sky Editorial, New York. Chris Franklin, editor.
POST
Big Sky Editorial. Chris Franklin, online editor.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Cinesite Digital Studios, New York. Chris Franklin, effects artist.
AUDIO POST
East Side Audio, New York. Bob Giammarco, engineer.
MUSIC
Bang music + sound design, bicoastal. Joe Hudson, composer; Lyle Greenfield,
executive producer.
THE SPOT
Set to a sentimental orchestral score, the :30 "Same Ending" flashes the classic
movie titles All Quiet On The Western Front, The Deer Hunter, It’s A Wonderful
Life, Platoon, Good Will Hunting, Rocky, The Godfather, Jaws, Shane, American
Graffiti, Forrest Gump, The Sting, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Pulp Fiction. As
the voiceover states, "The most original movies ever made all have the same
ending," the final title shows ‘Shot on Kodak film.’ "
Spot broke March 21.
Western Images Goes Deep For EA
CLIENT
EA Sports/Triple Play 2000.
PRODUCTION CO.
Western Images, San Francisco. Greg Gladstone, animation director; Chris
Hamilton, technical director; Zane Rutledge and Peter Oberdorfer, animators;
Mike Schmidt, 3-D artist; Josh Johnson, rotoscoping/technical support; Jimi
Simmons, Inferno artist; Susanna Richards, producer.
AGENCY
Odiorne Wilde Narraway & Partners, San Francisco. Jeff Odiorne and Michael
Wilde, creative directors; Mike Lewis, art director; Pete Crosby, copywriter;
Chris Weldon, producer.
STOCK FOOTAGE
Chicago Cubs.
EDITORIAL
Mad River Post, San Francisco. Peter Odiorne, editor; Steve Nemsick, assistant
editor; Janie Ford, executive producer; Heather Gibbons, producer.
AUDIO POST
One Union Recording Studios, San Francisco. Eric Eckstein, engineer.
SOUND DESIGN
One Union Recording Studios. Eric Eckstein, sound designer.
THE SPOT
In the :30 "Cyber Sammy," Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs is shown as a CG-
animated character, hitting a home run and interacting with teammates, to
promote EA Sports’ Triple Play 2000 game.
Spot broke in April.
Radium Chases After
Juicy Fruit For BBDO
CLIENT
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co./Juicy Fruit.
PRODUCTION CO.
Visitor, Santa Monica. James Wahlberg, director; Tony McNamara, DP; Olivier
Katz, executive producer; Grayson Bithell, producer. Shot at Sunset-Gower
Studios, Hollywood, and on location in Ladera Heights, Calif.
AGENCY
BBDO Chicago. Gail Pollack, group creative director/art director; Jim Hyman,
senior VP/ group creative director/copywriter; Chuck Sheldon, senior
VP/executive producer; Vincent Geraghty, producer.
EDITORIAL
Cosmo Street, Santa Monica. Katz, editor; David Sowell, as-sistant editor;
Tatiana Derovanessian, producer.
POST
Company 3, Santa Monica. Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Radium, San Francisco. William Opdyke, director of computer graphics; Debora
Santosa, Jongbo Kim and Joel Hornsby, computer graphics artists; Simon Mowbray,
Davi Stein and Danielle Ciccarelli, digital artists/ compositors; Dana Townsend,
executive producer; Kelly Gibbs, producer. Cel animation by Celluloid Studios,
Denver. Jeff Jurich, director of animation; Jan Johnson, executive producer/
producer. Toy models built and supplied by Ritvik Toys, Montreal.
AUDIO POST
Swell Pictures, Chicago. Jim Hoffman, engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
Com/track, Chicago. Manny Mendelson, composer/arranger.
SOUND DESIGN
Swell Pictures. Jim Hoffman, sound designer.
THE SPOT
The :30 "Toys" takes place on a suburban front lawn where two children are
playing with a pile of Mega Bloks. As soon as the kids turn their heads, the
tiny plastic characters rise up and mount an effort to capture a pack of Juicy
Fruit gum which is sitting atop a picnic table. The toys form a miniature
construction team, hoisting Bloks and raising a wall, tower and elevator to lead
them to the treat. Just as they are about to claim their prize, a plastic bird
swoops in and flies off with the gum. Undaunted, the toys hop into a Blok-
constructed helicopter and take off after their feathered friend.
Spot broke in mid-February.
ABAC Finds The
Power Of Zyrtec
CLIENT
Pfizer/Zyrtec.
PRODUCTION CO.
A Band Apart Commercials/Los Angeles. Terry Windell, director; Guillermo
Navarro, DP; Michael Bodnarchek and Lawrence Bender, executive producers; Lisa
McClelland, producer. Shot at Raleigh Studios Manhattan Beach, Manhattan Beach,
Calif.
AGENCY
HMC/LLNS, New York. Bobbie Caplan, creative director/copywriter; Steve DuPont,
creative director/art director; Suzanne Yost, producer.
EDITORIAL
Jigsaw, Santa Monica. Lance Pereira, editor; Hayley Man, assistant editor.
POST
Sight Effects, Venice, Calif. Mike Cosola, colorist; Doug Spilatro, online
editor.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Sight Effects. Alan Barnett, visual effects supervisor; Doug Spilatro and Scott
Polen, Flame artists; David Neuberger, Henry artist. In Sight Pix, Venice.
Nicole Tidwell, producer; Rick Sevy, Andrew Orloff, Jessi Sevy, Kia Dail and
Stephen McClure, CGI artists.
AUDIO POST
RavensWork, Venice. Robert Feist, engineer; Chris Canning, assistant engineer.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Admusic, Santa Monica. John Adair, composer; Steve Sauber, sound designer; Pat
Weaver, executive producer.
THE SPOT
In the :60 "Apartment," a woman heads to work on a beautiful day. Her day takes
a complete turnaround when the elevator doors open and she finds herself face-
to-face with a woman carrying a poodle. With a sneeze, the woman’s allergy
nightmare begins. She does an about-face and hightails it down the corridor as
she is pursued by every allergen imaginable: dogs, cats, flowers, and more.
Still being stalked by the allergens, she finally arrives home where she takes
Zyrtec. Through the "Power of Zyrtec," the nightmare recedes allowing the woman
to resume her day. The next day, breathing freely, she encounters the poodle and
this time it’s the dog’s turn to sneeze.
Spot broke April 12.
BBDO NY Waits On
Gilligan For Snickers
CLIENT
Mars Inc./Snickers.
PRODUCTION CO.
Hungry Man, New York. Hank Perlman, director; Russell Carpenter, DP; Stephen
Orent, executive producer; Cathy Cooper, producer. Shot on location in Cape
Elizabeth, Maine.
AGENCY
BBDO New York. Charlie Miesmer, vice chairman/senior executive creative
director; Wil Boudreau, senior VP/creative director; Rick Midler, VP/associate
creative director; Michael Aimette, creative supervisor/copywriter; Deidre
Henchy, producer; Phil Jungmann, creative supervisor/art director; Cabot Norton,
copywriter; Loren Parkins, senior music producer.
EDITORIAL
MacKenzie Cutler, New York. Mike Douglas, Gavin Cutler and Ian MacKenzie,
editors; Vicki Koppel, producer.
POST
Manhattan Transfer, New York. Ron Brower, colorist. Nice Shoes, New York. Russ
Bigsby, online editor.
AUDIO POST
Sound Lounge, New York. Peter Holcomb, mixer.
MUSIC
David Horowitz Music Associates, New York. David Horowitz, composer.
THE SPOT
In the latest execution in the long-running "Hungry? Why wait?" campaign, an
older forlorn lover awaits the return of her beau-who turns out to be Gilligan
from the ’60s TV show Gilligan’s Island-who was presumably only going to be away
for a "three-hour tour," in the :30 "Lost at Sea."
Spot broke April 5.
Editing Concepts Kick Saves MasterCard
CLIENT
MasterCard.
AGENCY
McCann-Erickson, New York. Joyce King-Thomas, creative director; Marc Sachs,
copywriter; Tim Bain, art director; Julie Andariese, producer.
STOCK FOOTAGE
NHL Films, Old Tappan, N.Y.
EDITORIAL
Editing Concepts, New York. Michael Schwartz, editor; Peter Schmuhl and Gala
Verdugo, assistant editors; Nancy Finn, producer.
POST
The Tape House Editorial Company, New York. Jay Tilen, online editor; John
Crowley, colorist.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Black Logic, New York. Alan Neidorf, Flame artist.
AUDIO POST
The Mix Place, New York. Joe Miuccio, mixer.
MUSIC
Elias Associates, New York. Alex Lasarenko, creative director; Todd Schietroma,
composer; Keith Haluska, producer.
THE SPOT
The :30 "Hasek" continues MasterCard’s "Priceless" campaign. Buffalo Sabres
goaltender Dominic Hasek is shown making a series of great saves, while supers
appear onscreen to report the monetary value of his hockey equipment: "Pads for
legs, $1,500." "Gloves for hands, $400." "Mask for face, $150." Finally, "Having
a Slinky for a spine, priceless," as Hasek is shown sprawled out on the ice in
front of his net, making one of his trademark unbelievable saves.
Spot broke Jan. 25.
Plum Prodns. Rides
A Budget Ranger
CLIENT
Budget Ranger.
PRODUCTION CO.
Plum Productions, Santa Monica. Nick Piper, director; Dana Christiaansen, DP;
Thom Tyson, executive producer; Cara Tapper, producer. Shot on location.
AGENCY
Publicis & Hal Riney, Chicago. Ted Barton, executive creative director; Joel
Machak, creative director/art director; Molly Flynn, producer; Scott Brown,
copywriter.
EDITORIAL
Anchor Editorial, Santa Monica. Buzz Wein, editor; Virgine Strub, assistant
editor.
POST
Avenue Edit, Chicago. Tom Durnick, online editor; Tom Shegich, supervising
editor; Kelly Armstrong, colorist.
VISUAL EFFECTS
Avenue Edit. Paul Rosche, Flame artist.
AUDIO POST
Avenue Edit. Dan McClelland, audio engineer/mixer.
MUSIC
Chameleon Music, Chicago. Larry Pecorella, composer.
SOUND DESIGN
Avenue Edit. Dan McClelland, sound designer.
THE SPOT
In the :30 "Ranger Re-Launch," a man takes a ride on a child’s storefront horse
as a pair of beautiful women pass by extremely unimpressed. He then spots a
grown-up ride-the Budget Ranger. He drives away past the same two females, only
this time he elicits a smile from the duo.
Spot broke Jan. 17
