This computer animation spot done in the style of a video game offers a tongue-in-cheek twist on the gaming medium, which is often criticized for excessive violence. The commercial centers on Ray, who at first blush appears to be your standard street smart video game tough guy. Following a quick swig of Coca-Cola, Ray hits the ground running. Though his behavior initially appears to be a threatening prelude to a crime, each random act turns out to be one of love and kindness, helping to transform a seedy neighborhood into a Shangri-la.
We open on a speeding car dodging oncoming traffic, swerving around corners and wreaking havoc. The vehicle comes to a screeching halt and its driver, Ray, emerges. He walks into a convenience mart. The guy behind the counter surrenders immediately, assuming that Ray is about to hold up the store. Instead, Ray grabs a bunch of Cokes from the fridge and pays for them, dropping some coins in front of the shopkeeper.
Walking through town, Ray stops a yuppie type who’s driving a fancy automobile. The assumption is that a car jacking is in the offing. Ray pulls the preppie out of the car, seemingly on the verge of doing him bodily harm. But instead, Ray hands the guy a bottle of Coke, they have a drink and toast one another. Ray then continues to strut through the city, spreading good cheer. He throws money into a street musician’s guitar case, trips up a purse snatcher and returns the bag to its elderly woman owner. He grabs a mislaid bag of cash and tosses it to an armored car’s security guard attendant who had unknowingly dropped it.
Suddenly the whole neighborhood is in musical do-gooder step with Ray, enjoying life and exuding positive vibes. Hotdog vendors twirl their umbrellas, police dance in formation, fire hydrants explode, from which spurt cleansing arcs of water that sprinkle city sidewalks and streets. All the citizenry joins in for a choreographed sing and dance along. We end on a nearby billboard atop a building, which carries the Coca-Cola bottle logo along with a slogan, “The Coke side of life.”
The animated spot was directed by Smith & Foulkes of Nexus Productions, London, for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Key to the spot’s storyline was the creation of an urban landscape true to those seen in today’s computer games. But at the same time, the characters in that environment exhibited a greater range of emotion and expression, underscoring a breaking away from standard video game behavior.
The agency team included creative directors Hal Curtis and Mark Fitzloff, copywriter Sheena Brady, art director Shannon McGlothin, and producer Nike Polyocan.
Ben Cowell was head of 3-D/lead lighting/modeling artist for Nexus. His colleagues included animation supervisor Reece Millidge, character supervisor/modeling Darren Price, animators Stuart Doig, Ben Crowe, Antoine Bourruel, Alberto Lara and Andres Puente, and compositors Dean Koonjul and Dany Sayers.
Audio post mixer was Peter Rincon of POP Sound, Santa Monica. H. Scott Salinas and Chris Smith of bicoastal/international Amber Music served as the arranger and sound designer, respectively. The song used in the spot, “You Give A Little Love,” was composed by Paul Williams. Michelle Curran was executive producer for Amber, with Carol Dunn producing.
Beyoncé’s Halftime Show Highlighted Netflix’s NFL Debut On Xmas Day
Beyoncé provided more excitement than either game during Netflix's NFL debut on Christmas Day.
Riding into her halftime appearance on a white horse, the 32-time Grammy winner rocked her hometown Houston crowd with a nearly 13-minute performance on Wednesday.
She surprised fans by bringing along Shaboozey to perform "Sweet Honey Buckiin" and Post Malone joined her for "Levii's Jeans."
The action on the field didn't live up to expectations as the NFL showcased four of the AFC's top five teams.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce exposed a glitch in Pittsburgh's defense during Kansas City's 29-10 rout in the first game.
The broadcast itself went off just fine, quickly becoming the second-most popular live title on Netflix to date, according to NFL Media.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens led C.J. Stroud and the Texans to 17-2 at halftime before Beyoncé stole the show.
Mariah Carey opened Wednesday's doubleheader with a taped performance of "All I Want for Christmas is You" and then the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs trounced the Steelers to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
There were no signs of any major streaming issues during the game after Netflix experienced minor blunders at the start of the pregame show. The broadcast opened with roughly 10 seconds of silence because it appeared studio host Kay Adams' microphone wasn't turned on.
Beyoncé's live performance at NRG Stadium was supposed to be the biggest test for the streaming giant and it seemed to go off without a hitch.
Mahomes threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns and Kelce had eight catches for 84 yards and one score as the Chiefs (15-1) earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The... Read More