Automobiles may not be living things, but most of us treat them as if they were. We talk to them, swear at them, name them, praise and encourage them, take pictures of them and dress them up. From Herbie, the Love Bug to Christine, movies have given life to cars, and from Knight Rider to The Dukes of Hazzard, television programs have placed them in starring roles. Although the life of an automobile is only what we give it, a recent spot for Mercedes Benz gives it an afterlife, too.
"Reincarnation" is a standout commercial in a series of 11 new spots for Mercedes-Benz. Creatives at Merkley Newman Harty and Partners (MNH), New York, chose not to dwell on winding autobahn roads and 180-degree controlled spins, but rather on the major occasions in a car’s "life." The first day with a new family, a brush with the law, and a tender moment of first love in the front seat are among many such episodes depicted in "Reincarnation," conceived by MNH art director Dawn McCarthy and copywriter Laura Fegley. Directors rad-ish-a.k.a. the directing team of Moritz Friedel and Christoph Chrudimak, two Austrian directors who work stateside via bicoastal Go Film-gave the :60 the dreamy quality it needed. Visual effects house Quiet Man and edit facility Final Cut, both based in New York, provided the flow and continuity for more than two dozen transitions and edits. Shoot Online subscribers may read this week’s Top Spot of the Week in full by accessing the Current Issue in the Members Area.
CLIENT
Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
PRODUCTION CO.
Go Film, bicoastal.
rad-ish, director; Pieter Vermeer, DP; Robert Wherry and Jonathan Weinstein, executive producers; Caroline Kousidonis, producer. Shot on location in Los Angeles.
AGENCY
Merkley Newman Harty and Partners, New York.
Andy Hirsch and Randy Saitta, executive creative directors; Dawn McCarthy, art director; Laura Fegley, copywriter; Chris Ott, executive producer/producer.
EDITORIAL
Final Cut, New York.
Kirk Baxter, editor; Sari Resnick, assistant editor; Stephanie Apt, executive producer; Alexis Wiscomb, producer.
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
Moving Images, New York.
Tim Masick, colorist.
Quiet Man, New York.
Johnnie Semerad, Inferno artist/visual effects supervisor; Colin Stackpole and Peter Amante, Flame artists; Glenn McQuaid and Chelsea Seltzer, graphic designers; Amy Taylor, executive producer; Carey Gattyan, producer.
AUDIO POST
Sound Lounge, New York.
Rob Sayers and Peter Holcomb,
mixers.
MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
Human Music & Sound Design, New York.
Morgan Visconti, composer/sound designer; Marc Altshuler, executive producer.
