Chalk this up to yet another great use of a superstar athlete in a Nike commercial as Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James is seen going through his basketball courtside pre-game ritual, putting a chalky like talcum powder on his hands, then raising them skyward and clapping them together to create a powdery puff of fairy dust-like magic which thrills the fans.
But for this spot, James isn’t the only one chalking up as we see fans from all walks of life performing their version of the hands-on act. We see a barber clapping powder about with a puff of it descending on a customer perched before him on a barber shop chair. A baker sprinkles powder over donuts. Basketball playing youngsters–a boy and a girl–separately chalk up for a big game. A lad in a schoolroom collects chalk residue from the chalkboard and does his LeBron thing in class as students seated at their desks look on and enjoy.
These folks’ chalk rituals play like a celebration of James’ play as we see him dramatically dunk the ball in a game. As James gets back on defense, he claps his hands, creating more chalk-filled air to the delight of arena fans. Supered on screen is the website address nikebasketball.com.
“The Chalk” was directed in glorious black and white by Mark Romanek of bicoastal Anonymous Content for Wieden+Kennedy, Portland.
The W+K ensemble included creative directors Alberto Ponte, Tyler Whisnand and Jeff Williams, copywriter Caleb Jensen, art director Taylor Twist, exec creative directors Mark Fitzloff and Susan Hoffman and producer Erika Madison.
The DP was Adam Kimmel.
Editor was Robert Duffy of bicoastal Spot Welders.
VFX supervisors were Brad Parker and Vernon Wilbert of Digital Domain, Venice, Calif.
Action unfolded to the musical accompaniment of the song “Candyman” by Cornershop.
“Conclave” Takes Best Ensemble Honor At SAG Awards; Chalamet Wins Best Actor For “A Complete Unknown”
The papal thriller "Conclave" won best ensemble and Timothée Chalamet took best actor at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, a pair of twists that added a few final wrinkles to an unusually unpredictable awards season. In winning the guild's top award, Edward Berger's Vatican-set drama triumphed just as the Catholic Church was praying for the health of Pope Francis, who remained in critical condition Sunday after an asthmatic respiratory crisis. "Conclave" dramatizes the fictional election of a new pope. Earlier in the evening onstage, Isabella Rossellini shared the cast's best wishes for Pope Francis. All the momentum going into the SAG Awards was with Sean Baker's "Anora," which had won with the producers, directors and writers guilds. Now, with "Conclave" winning with the actors and at the BAFTAs, what will nab best picture in a week's time at the Academy Awards is, again, anyone's guess. "Wow," said "Conclave" star Ralph Fiennes taking the stage. "I've not been elected to speak. I've been designated to speak on behalf of our conclave, our ensemble." That wasn't the only surprise in the ceremony held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and streamed lived by Netflix. Chalamet's best actor win upset "The Brutalist" star Adrien Brody and put the 29-year-old on course to possibly win his first Academy Award. Chalamet looked visibly surprised when his name was announced at the ceremony. But once he reached the staged, the "A Complete Unknown" star spoke with composure and confidence. "The truth is, this was 5 ½ years of my life," said Chalamet. "I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist, Mr. Bob Dylan, a true American hero. It was the honor of a lifetime playing him." He then added: "The truth is, I'm really... Read More