McCann NY developed this Fios spot that depicts a family that lives in a “half house.” And although you might think it odd that they live that way, the commercial–directed by Kevin Thomas of Thomas Thomas Films–reveals that they have a secret: their half house has full Internet because they have Fios.
To make the ad, director Thomas scouted small houses all over New York, and quickly concluded that shooting inside them would prove too restrictive to get the elegant shots he was imagining.
So although an actual half width house was used for the exterior, with a little help from postproduction house Method, it was necessary to construct the inside of the half house from scratch at Silvercup Studios. Production designer Bradley Thordarson, famous for his work with OK GO (among others), designed and built the house from scratch. The upstairs and downstairs were built separately. The agency and production team researched space-saving tricks that people use in small spaces and also created some quirky new ones. For example, a small elbow hole in the bathroom to ease the brushing of teeth. Two of the rooms shared a sofa that went through the wall and, from a certain camera angle, they created the appearance of a real life split screen.
All the effects with the half house were practical. No post effects were used to create them. All the walls were able to slide to enable different camera angles.
Client Verizon Fios Agency McCann NY Sean Bryan, Tom Murphy, co-chief creative officers; Chris Mitton, Caprice Yu, executive creative directors; Sherrod Melvin, Jeremy Pippenger, group creative directors; Rick Cohen, sr. art director; Peter Sherer, copywriter; Michele Ferone, director of Verizon broadcast production; Lauren Bauder, integrated producer. Production Thomas Thomas Films Kevin Thomas, director. Editorial Mackcut Dave Koza, editor. Postproduction/Graphics Method Marko Forker, VFX supervisor. Music Song Of The Nairobi Trio (Solfeggio) by Robert Maxwell (1953) Color Company 3 Tim Masick, colorist. Audio Sonic Union Paul Weiss, sound engineer. Media Agency VMI/Zenith
The Best Work You May Never See: Sam Coleman Directs “Original Feeds Original” For KFC Africa Out of Ogilvy Johannesburg
Rappers Khuli Chana, Blxckie and 25K team up with Patriot Films director Sam Coleman, who is repped by Ridley Scott Associates (RSA) stateside, to celebrate the power of inspiration for KFC Streetwise and Ogilvy Johannesburg.
Every groundbreaking artist has a story, a moment of inspiration that drives their next wave of creativity. But this doesn’t happen in isolation--original needs to feed original. “There’s a wealth of creative energy bubbling up in the youth of South Africa,” said Coleman. “Everyone is out to try and make a dent in the creative landscape. Inspiration is everywhere you look and all a creative person needs is that spark to go to the next level.”
This 90-second spot features a stellar cast of South African artists riffing off each other, and while KFC Streetwise has long been a mainstay of the country’s youth culture, an authentic approach was critical. Ogilvy turned to Coleman whose experience includes fashion and street culture.
Notable South African creators who appear in the commercial film include Kind Kid toymaker Sanele Qwabe, “Nail Pimp” Nailed Ntswembu, the Island Gals skaters, fashion designer Ruberto Scholtz, visual director Rowan Sakarombe, custom car pimper Ofentse Mphatsoe and metal band Botswana Metalheads. The transitions from one innovator to another were important considerations for Coleman. He explained, “You’re really talking about a ripple effect and how one idea sparks another, so I wanted to create seamless uninterrupted progressions that would evoke that feeling of inspiration and flow.”
KFC’s chief marketing officer Grant Macpherson said, “From a brand perspective, I want to work with directors who have a strong, passionate point of view – someone who brings bold... Read More