Production and post house Optimus today announced that Optimus Editor Caleb Hepler cut a series of Kraft Lunchables spots for mcgarrybowen Chicago. Airing nationally now, the spots parody the infomercial genre in an over-the-top campaign that features the Lunchables Uploaded Walking Taco as an alternative to the tired, predictable teen snacking scene.
Advising teens to avoid a “snacktastrophe,” the spots take the infomercial structure viewers know and love (or love to hate) to new levels with humor that seems like a natural fit for the product. The Walking Taco in and of itself is a riff on something expected – the after school snack – so the creative team at mcgarrybowen thought they could have fun by positioning it as the solution to a series of hyperbolic problems teens encounter with traditional snacks.
“Spoofs and parodies are huge with our teen target,” said mcgarrybowen Group Creative Director Todd Brusnighan. “We knew that anyone on the Optimus roster would have the editing chops we needed, but Caleb's comedic background with his work on Geico and Oscar Mayer convinced us that he was the man for this job. Not only did Optimus fully understand our vision, but the team was extremely collaborative throughout the entire process. Caleb even pitched in on some copy tweaks that really enhanced the humor.”
“With these spots, we wanted to push the infomercial vibe as far as we could,” commented Hepler. “Editing this project was really enjoyable because my job was to have fun with the footage and make things as ridiculous as possible. The creative team and mcgarrybowen created a fantastic campaign and had a great vision of how to push the envelope as far as possible. As their editor, I was able to help bring their vision to life, and hopefully add some weirdness of my own.”
To view the spots, please visit http://bit.ly/1osgL7r.
Screenwork Credits
Client: Kraft/Lunchables
Agency: mcgarrybowen Chicago
Producer: Eric Faber
Art Director: Carolyn Reilley
Copywriter: Jackie Suerth
Group Creative Directors: Todd Brusnighan, Doug Behm
Production: Arts & Sciences
Directors: Adam Brodie & Dave Derewlany
Post-Production: Optimus
Editor: Caleb Hepler
Assistant Editor: Mark Czajkowski
Colorist: Ron Sudul (Nice Shoes at Optimus)
Assistant Colorist: Alex Frankland (Nice Shoes at Optimus)
Audio Engineer: Marina Bacci
Assistant Audio Engineer: Zach Scheitlin
Finish Artist: Matt Bregger
EP: Brian Hrastar
Producer, Design & VFX: Katie Smith
About Optimus
Optimus is a leading production and post-production house with offices in Chicago, Santa Monica and New York. A true one-stop shop, Optimus and its production arm One at Optimus offer a full suite of creative services, including production, editing, color correction, visual effects and design, audio mixing and finishing. For more information, please visit www.optimus.com and www.optimus.com/one. Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Optimus161 and www.facebook.com/OneAtOptimus.
