Warlocks, wizards and zombies let their freak flags fly in a new campaign for GameStop, directed by STORY‘s Jeff France for The Richards Group. Three new spots portray the game retailer’s current storewide promotion Gamestock 2012 as a Summer of Game Love festival. In the hero spot, Going to Gamestock, familiar game character types hit the road, with some piling into a rickety VW van painted in psychedelic colors, while others ride buses or hitchhike in order to take part in the “six week festival of deals and prizes.”nn
nnTwo other spots feature a heavily armed warrior trying to slip through a festival security checkpoint, and a man who reacts loudly to an unpleasant smell in a bathroom, only to discover the source of the odor is a surly zombie.nnnnFrance shot the spots on a vacant fairground transformed to look like a sprawling music festival. He also cast more than a dozen actors to play various game characters. "The challenge was to find actors who possessed saavy comedic skils and who were also the right physical types,” France recalls. “Our Space Commando had this exaggerated brow and extreme military haircut. For the Warrior, we needed someone with both acting chops and an extraordinarily muscular build.”nnFor shooting style, France drew inspiration from the 1969 film Woodstock, an Academy Award®-winning documentary. “Woodstock was 16mm and primarily handheld; a lot of ‘grabbing’ of footage,” he recalls. “We took that same approach.”nnThis loose filmmaking style produced some humorous moments. France shot a hitchhiking zombie (whose outfit included a detachable prosthetic arm) on a road that was open to regular traffic. That led to some gawking stares from passing cars. “The actor has his arm blown off in the wake of our passing hero van, and that was essentially the end of the scene. But in one take our zombie improvised and looked up at the following car, leaning toward its driver with a hysterical, puppy dog expression—still trying to bum a ride with no arm,” France says. “That take was used in the cut.”nnn nCreditsnClient: GameStopnTitles: Going to Gamestock, Bathroom, SecuritynAgency: The Richards Group, Dallas. Lynda Hodge, brand creative group head, Joey Googe, brand creative/copywriter; Rodrigo Maycotte, brand creative/art director; Chris Cannon, brand creative/copywriter; Dan Case, brand creative/art director; Dan Calhoun, producer; Evan Smith, brand management.nProduction: STORY. Jeff France, Director; Mark Androw and Cliff Grant, Executive Producers.nEdit: Three Thousand Eight, Dallas. Marc Stone, Jayson Limmer, Brent Herrington, editors.nnSTORY is represented on the East Coast by Laura Zinn (212) 741-0909; in the Midwest by Dawn Ratcliffe (312) 491-9194, in the Southeast by Miller + Associates, (954) 563-6004; in the Southwest by Gossip!, (214) 288-2813 and on the West Coast by Susan Bennett (310) 827-8441.
Contact:
Mark Androw Executive Producer Story 312.642.3173 Contact Mark via email
Contact:Linda Rosner ArtisansPR 310.837.6008 Contact Linda via email
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
One doesn’t have to be a statistician to know that there are fewer commercials being shot in the U.S. today for the American market than ever before, and a dramatic decrease in L.A. in particular. In the last five years, as reported by FilmLA (the office tasked with issuing permits), L.A. commercial production has dipped 31 percent. But here’s the thing: This doesn’t mean that L.A. has lost its importance as the production center of the world. Production in L.A. is vital. It is the go-to. It’s where you can count on access to exemplary crews, a support infrastructure second to none, varied location and backlot options, a large population of on-screen talent and (fairly) predictable weather. The fact is, with overall decline and now the devastation of the fires, we’re on the brink of losing this mainstay resource. Without employment opportunities and now many without homes, talented and trained crew are bound to leave either the industry or the LA area for other opportunities, unless there are enough job opportunities to sustain a solid living. Now is the time when we ALL must support and bolster this community. Production is needed in L.A., now! Of course, advertising is a business, and marketers’ money should be spent as efficiently as possible, BUT we have to think beyond each production and know that if we lose the incredible resource of L.A. production as we know it, then marketers, agencies and the industry loses in the long run. Over the past several days, some agencies have issued directives to production companies that are unilaterally pushing upcoming production options out of L.A. The fact is L.A. is a large area, and many sections of the city and county are not directly... Read More
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