Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” winner Ben Callner‘s “Goat 4 Sale” commercial began with an idea about a ravenous Doritos-eating goat. Culminating the narrative he envisioned relied heavily on sound to sell the authenticity, dramatic tension and humor at play in his 30-second spot. He tapped longtime collaborators Tunewelder Music Group to make it work. Led by Music & Audio Post Supervisor Ben Holst, Tunewelders worked closely with Callner to hone the spot through sound design & editing, Foley, voice-over, mixing and mastering.nn
nTo view “Goat 4 Sale,” online at Vimeo click here.nn”Ben Holst and Tunewelders put the project first,” remarks Callner. “Other than being just really down-to-earth, excellent people, they go above and beyond to make sure that you’re not only happy, but that everyone (including them) is proud of the final product. In something like the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest, I wouldn’t think of going anywhere else. I know they’re going to make whatever I give them, in whatever condition, sound absolutely fantastic.”nn”Ben has a way of theatrically pushing the envelope and making the absurd believable and not too cartoony,” adds Holst, who has collaborated with Callner on numerous film, commercial and interactive projects since the two first met on set during a film production in Atlanta in 2007. “A big part of that comes from his care for detail across the production, and with his deep musical background, that certainly extends to sound and creative where he’s very hands-on. Even inside all the tedious work of syncing goat crunches, which fly by you in a matter of milliseconds, there’s always an element of fun and general silliness working with him.”nnCapturing sounds unique to Callner’s story required more than the SFX package and pre-cleared music that Doritos made available to all of its contestants. Greg Linton, location sound, provided a library of real goat crunches recorded on site. The tedious process of syncing the crunch sounds with the goat’s chewing gestures needed to demonstrate both believability and comedic timing.nnFor the comedic payoff when the goat screams from apparent Doritos withdrawal, the challenge was finding the best voice-over performance for the scream, and then realistically syncing it. The solution involved Callner’s childhood friend Keith Bahun and an iPhone.nn”Goats actually have a distinct scream, so mimicking it with the human mouth was tough to cheat,” Holst recalls. “We explored it all the way to the final delivery because it was so crucial to the punchline. A bunch of us had recorded some takes, but Ben still wasn’t sold. Keith was known for this great scream, but he was all the way in Savannah, GA. I said, ‘iPhones make great recordings, just have him do a lot of takes and make sure he stands far enough away from the phone so it’s similar in distance to the goat in the shot.’ We managed to pull it off last-minute and it came out perfect.”nnHolst and Callner went beyond the obvious visual cues using Doritos’ trademark crunch samples. For example, to intensify the goat owner’s growing insanity as his pet incessantly snacks, their sound design incorporated building several layers of different crunch sounds to embellish the moment.nnFor the final scene of the goat ominously hoofing it towards his owner, the team also enlisted Foley work using the same prop hooves shot in the scene.nnThe project offered Tunewelders the opportunity to showcase what they have quietly been doing since launc
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ABC Fine Wine and Spirits Embraces Dry January With Cheeky New Ad Campaign
Bacon & Eggs, the creative shop known for its witty, imaginative and disruptive advertising, has created an innovative campaign for ABC Fine Wine and Spirits that playfully tackles the Dry January's impact on its business head-on. Through the campaign, Florida's largest family-owned wine and spirits retailer proudly proclaims its support for Dry January even as it shares its extensive selection of wines, spirits, premixed cocktails and beers found within 127 stores across the state. In the campaign's signature spot, ABC Fine Wine and Spirits cheekily announces its enthusiastic support for Dry January, then proceeds to describe its tantalizing array of velvety cabernets, perfectly frosted IPAs, and smooth whiskeys — all while insisting, of course, that viewers "definitely shouldn't" indulge in these libations during the month. "Most alcohol retailers either push non-alcoholic alternatives or go quiet during Dry January," explains Kia Zomorrodi, founder and chief creative officer of Bacon & Eggs. "We wanted to flip the script and create something that would resonate with both those participating in Dry January and those who aren't. The campaign's reverse psychology approach lets ABC own the conversation while showcasing its impressive selection in an entertaining way." The campaign arrives as ABC Fine Wine and Spirits aims to maintain brand engagement during a traditionally quiet period for alcohol sales. "This campaign perfectly captures our brand personality while acknowledging the reality of Dry... Read More