By MILLIE TAKAKI
It’s the stuff that nightmares are made of-in gripping black and white. A car winds down a road during a relentless nighttime storm, replete with thunder, lightning and dark, threatening time-lapse clouds. Finally some refuge from the downpour is found but an ominous feeling persists for the shelter is none other than the infamous Bates Motel, with the "vacancy" sign lit up. The car pulls into the motel parking lot, its driver unaware of the imminent danger.
While Anthony Perkins is nowhere in sight, one can’t help but feel a Psycho-esque chill as the car’s driver is revealed to be a woman. We see her dripping wet high heels make their way from the car to the motel. Yet no one’s minding the store. She taps repeatedly on a front-desk bell, hoping to get someone to help her so that she can check in. However, it seems she instead might be on the verge of checking out as the background music builds to a climactic, piercing pitch and we see a dark shadow-apparently of a man-cast its way into the scene. A door opens and the woman lets out a horrific scream at the top of her lungs.
We then see a mild-mannered, middle-aged male hotel clerk offer an apologetic explanation. "Sorry," he says. "We just don’t take American Express." A deranged look fills the woman’s face. She then walks back out into the torrential rain and we hear her mutter, "Too bad. I was dying for a shower."
A voiceover interjects: "Visa is accepted at millions more places than American Express. So why take chances?"
Supered over the stormy night scene is the familiar slogan: "Visa. It’s everywhere you want to be."
The spec spot-entitled "Bates Motel"-was directed, shot and edited by Joseph Kahn of bicoastal spot/music video house Holiday. The concept came from senior creative director/writer Jimmy Siegel and creative director/art director Rick Hanson of Visa’s agency, BBDO New York. In searching for a spec piece that would showcase director Kahn’s story-telling prowess, Holiday managing director Carol Case contacted BBDO. When Siegel showed her the "Bates Motel" concept which Visa hadn’t picked up, Case saw it as the opportunity she had been seeking to demonstrate the spot sensibilities of Kahn who’s best known for his music-clip endeavors.
Kahn was backed by a Holiday team that included executive producer Lanette Phillips, head of production Eriks Krumins, producer Danyi Deats and production manager Lisa Wieneke.
Jason Frank of Encore Santa Monica (now Riot) was online editor. Audio mixer/sound de-signer was Chris Cirino of Zona Playa, Santa Monica. Brian Linse-who at the time was with 525 Studios, Santa Monica-served as telecine artist.
"Bates Motel" employed the original music from the Psycho soundtrack composed by Bernard Herrmann.
Oscar-Nominated Director Sean Wang Joins Park Pictures For Spots, Branded Content
Park Pictures has added director Sean Wang to its roster of talent for representation spanning commercials and branded content. His feature-length debut, Dìdi, premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it was acquired by Focus Features and released later that summer to critical acclaim.
Wang is a Taiwanese-American filmmaker hailing from Fremont, Calif., and currently based in Los Angeles. Prior to joining Park Pictures, he was repped by Even/Odd Studios. Often pulling from his lived experiences, Wang can turn hyper-specific story points into universally relatable, memorable moments.
Dìdi won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and the Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble Cast at the Sundance Film Festival. His documentary short Nai Nai & Wài Pó premiered at SXSW 2023, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award, later earning an Oscar nomination. The film following Wang’s two grandmothers is currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Other films from Wang include the lauded documentary shorts 3,000 Miles, H.A.G.S., and Still Here. As a Google Creative Lab 5 Alumnus, Wang has directed several commercial campaigns for Google that highlighted live captions and teased large news from the tech conglomerate, including an ad that aired during the 2017 Emmy Awards.
Wang said of Park Pictures, “I can’t think of a better artistic home for me as a director. The work that comes out of Park Pictures is incredible, and I admire the work they do in advertising and the documentary and narrative space. Everyone I’ve met there is just as obsessed with making great films as I am, and I look forward to growing my career with them as I move into the commercial space.”
“We’re... Read More