LIMEY director Scott Weintrob smashes cars in a demolition derby, bungee jumps in downtown LA, and tandem dirt bikes through a motocross track for Saatchi and Saatchi, New York, all to showcase the exceptional new Think Pads from Lenovo. In a series of films and teasers for the computer giant, Scott takes the “Do Devil” through extraordinary situations all while typing his resume, putting the finishing touches on a presentation, and playing a video game app. The newly created character is the brainchild of agency creative team Brian Carley, Subodh Samudre and David Eckholm.
“When we first saw the concepts for these films, Scott and I were over the moon; they were so original and we knew they would be a great experience to shoot,” said Limey EP, Andrew Denyer.
Scott Weintrob, who has directed films for Top Gear and done more than his share of stunts for TV commercials, TV shows, and films, was very comfortable with the action-fueled demonstrations. “It was very important to me that we pushed the creative boundaries while making sure each film felt real, believable and fun,” Scott said. “Shooting with multiple cameras is key when shooting these type of action sequences. In demolition derby, for example, the damage to the vehicles could not be faked and likewise the crashes had to happen for real and be seen from different angles.”
In Demolition Derby, the Do Devil steps into a cab on his way to an interview and starts to polish his resume. As the car gets tossed about, we reveal that the cab is in fact in the middle of a demolition derby and is equal prey to the other drivers. We then see the Do Devil arrive at his interview and calmly step out of his now worse-for-wear taxi.
Scott was also adamant that the shoot needed to be at an authentic demolition derby location, "a place where they do monster truck shows." Equally, the cars had to be actual demolition derby cars and had to hit like they meant it. With the perseverance of Art Director Ben Morahan, the production assembled a collection of cars, all of which race in real demolition derbies each weekend. "We never knew quite what we were going to get depending on how the cars did on the weekend before the shoot" added Denyer; "our stunt coordinator Matt Kutcher then assembled a dream team of stunt drivers from film and television."
For Bungee, a 200′ crane was placed in the middle of downtown LA. After being lifted above the city streets in a tiny basket, the Do-Devil jumps while working on the Think Pad. "I give credit to my location manager and the numerous city departments for getting us the permit. It was an incredible feat, and being right there amongst the skyscrapers was pretty awesome. We gave some office workers on the 20th floor something to watch all day," said Scott. "Filming this was a challenge. I wanted close up shots from the full height, and my longtime DP partner Morgan Susser and I were certain we did not want to use Go-Pros. I like the full high resolution of HD, so mounting cameras to the basket and the stunt double was the order of the day. We shot with the RED Epic and Mx cameras that I have used so often. Both Morgan and I are very comfortable with them and know how to get the very best out of the cameras."
In the final film, the Do-Devil rides shotgun in a motocross bike side-car. While going through a rigorous course of jumps, hills and extreme turns he continues playing a video game app on the Think Pad. Tandem dirt bikes are more of an Eastern European past time and not very popular in the United States. Once again, the production had to find real riders who can do the stunts and who own the bikes. "We had to throw away the standard commercial way of working and find the enthusiasts that could help, and then walk them through the process of film making," said Denyer, "Scott was insistent that we work with guys that can do this, no faking it on the day."
Scott’s current reel can be viewed at: www.limey.tv
Scott Weintrob is part of a LIMEY roster that features Graeme Joyce, Agust Baldursson, and directing team KN+SAW. Weintrob has recently completed commercial work for Acura and Lenovo. His new short film "Two Legged Rat Bastards," produced in partnership with LIMEY, RED and AVID, premiered in Europe this month at the 55th BFI London Film Festival.
LIMEY is supported by its own independent sales team of Jared Shapiro (Moustache) on the East Coast, Jeanie DiMaggio (DiMaggio) in the West and Texas, and in the Midwest by Janice Harryman (Barker) and Jim Robison (Jim Robison Reps).
Credits
Client: Lenovo
Where shot: Los Angeles
Titles: “Demo-lition” :15/long, “Tandem Dirt Bike” :15/long, “Bungee” :15/
long, “Stills”
Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi New York
Chief Creative Officer: Con Williamson
Executive Creative Director: Brian Carley
Creative Director: Justin Ebert
Associate Creative Director: David Ekholm
Associate Creative Director: Subodh Samudre
Executive Producer: Bruce Andreini
Senior Art Buyer: Hosanna Marshall
Music Producer: Ryan Fitch
Production Company: LIMEY, Los Angeles, CA
Director: Scott Weintrob
DP: Morgan Susser
Producer: Andrew Denyer
Exec. Producer: Andrew Denyer
Editorial/Post Production: Pleasant Post
Editor: Will Znidaric
Asst. Editor: Dace Willmott
Editorial Producer: Katie Montgomery
Editorial Executive Producer: Sarah Roebuck
Colorist: Tristan Kneschke
Mixer/Engineer: Timothy Korn
Conform: Bill Saunders
Design/Graphics: EP*Vision
Effects Creative Director/Designer: Maryam Parwana
Animators: Brian Walsh, Zachary Blumstein, Matt Vohlidka
Compositor: Kim Lee
Music Artist: Red Fang
Songs: Wires, Number 13, Hank is Dead
Licensed through Relapse Records and Domino Publishing
About LIMEY
LA-based LIMEY uses a fresh approach to commercial production. They’re nimble, they’re collaborative and they’re transplanted from the UK (for the most part). With a diverse stable of TV, film and spot helmers, LIMEY can tackle any commercial project long or short.
With several decades of commercial production experience between them, rest assured LIMEY will always provide fresh work free of creative scurvy. www.limey.tv
