The directors and producers from design-driven production company King and Country (K&C) are very proud to detail their latest iconic broadcast/web spots for Team Detroit and their clients at Ford Motor Company. As millions of American TV viewers can testify, three new spots customized to colorfully tout Ford’s F-150, Ranger and Super Duty Trucks began airing widely across the country last month. Each will continue running this week during high-profile broadcasts, in support of the ongoing Built Ford Tough Sales Event which ends on Oct. 31.n nBuilding on the highly productive collaborations behind numerous breakthrough broadcast spots for Ford Trucks, K&C director Efrain Montañez and his colleagues once again maximized every facet of their company’s creative resources. "We really love it when our work speaks for us," Montañez said. "This campaign showcases all our talents in association with exciting, world-leading products and some of the brightest creatives in the business. We are extremely proud of every frame of this campaign, and the relationships we have forged with everyone at Team Detroit."nnFor its Ford "Rant" spots produced last year and those currently airing, K&C shot original live-action footage of both the F150 as well as a number of narrative setups with actors. Artfully combining that content with photoreal CG truck creations and their unique design sensibilities, K&C again delivered a distinct look for the iconic campaign. Managing the full scope of needs of their client, K&C handled full editorial and HD finishing in-house.nn"King and Country are true partners," said Mike Priebe, creative director for Team Detroit. "We come to them with our ideas and they come back to us with more ideas. Ford has come to have great confidence that when we show them a storyboard K&C will bring it to life in memorable fashion."nnnnThe new campaign spots cleverly employ the storytelling framework of a "Main Event" prize fight. In signature "Rant" campaign style, gritty, large-scale type appears over cinematic textures and backdrops, with a Ford F-150, Ranger and Super Duty next to the Built Ford Tough Sales Event boxing ring, ready to take on the competition. In each spot, one truck leaves that stadium scene for a striking industrial setting, stylishly demonstrating and graphically underscoring power and efficiency in time with the narrator’s punchy descriptions. After showing a beautiful ring girl promoting key features from inside the ring, each story then dramatically transitions past a punching bag, stadium lights and banners to reveal its hero truck in center ring, with attending sales information. n n"Last year, we evolved the look of the Rant campaign from a more flat 2D look to more of a 3D space, where elaborate camera moves zoom us across rugged terrain, and photographed scenes are enhanced in post with the addition of CG buildings, construction environments and other landscape elements," said Drew Neujahr, K&C’s head of production. "The new spots feature truck footage we shot on several locations last year, along with new footage where we shot the ring announcer and ring girl on green screen with practical props. We also created the boxing ring, banners and punching bag, all in CG." n nTo briefly summarize K&C’s project workflow, their newest live-action footage was captured using the RED EPIC camera system. Editor Mike Hackett cut the spots using Apple’s Final Cut Pro, and when edits were approved, all the trucks were then rotoscoped and tracked for camera data. "We used a combination of Cinema 4D and Maya to create the worlds the trucks exist in, and compositing was done in After Effects," Neujahr explained.nn"The results speak for themselves," added Team Detroit group creative director Todd Chumley. "’Rant’ is easily one of the longest running, most successful campaigns Ford has ever produced. Why? Because the spots keep getting better."nn"My partners and I know that if we can get an opportunity to pitch, there’s a very good chance we’ll win, and that the results and the relationships will then stand the test of time," said executive producer Jerry Torgerson. "That is very gratifying; we’re honored to have developed this creative partnership, and we’re thrilled to see what comes next."n nAdditional agency credits include executive creative director Toby Barlow and producer Mike Olk. Complete credits are available upon request. For more information, please visit www.kingandcountry.tv.n nAbout King and CountrynSince its launch in 2006, Santa Monica-based design-driven production company King and Country (K&C) has earned international recognition for breakthrough projects spanning commercials, original promos for major networks, and much more. The innovative production foundry established by directors Rick Gledhill and Efrain Montanez and executive producer Jerry Torgerson elegantly unites A-list talents representing every facet of production and post, delivering impactful films that blend original live-action content, 2D and 3D animation and seamless visual effects into new artforms. Drawing upon its principals’ extraordinary creative capabilities, K&C takes deep pride in directing and producing spectacular projects from concept through completion, collaborating with others to add brilliant end-tags, visual effects and flawless finishing for any and all media platforms, and everything in-between. K&C’s extensive portfolio of work is viewable online at www.kingandcountry.tv. For further information call Jerry Torgerson at 310.586.0100.n nAbout Team DetroitnTeam Detroit, headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., brings together five of WPP’s largest marketing and communications agencies in one central location to provide its clients access to best practices and talent for all necessary marketing and communications services. Team Detroit is the 21st century equivalent of the full-service agency, acting as a portal to provide a single point of contact and accountability. For more information, please visit www.teamdetroit.com.
Roger Darnell DWA for King and Country Phone: 1.828.264.8898 Contact Roger via email
The Light and BIEN Form Creative & Strategic Alliance
Production company The Light and motion design studio BIEN have forged a strategic alliance that nurtures inclusivity and sustainability throughout the life cycle of every project.
The Light Founder/CEO Becky Morrison and BIEN Co-Founder Ricardo Roberts were first introduced by a mutual client who recognized their parallel ethos. Both Morrison and Roberts are advocates for industry change, and have built successful companies that demonstrate the benefits of human-centered and sustainable production in live action and motion design, respectively.
“I admire the thoughtfulness, specificity, and artistry with which BIEN produces animation and design and their attention to representing the full spectrum of humanity,” notes Morrison. “Their work behind the scenes to foster a diverse creative community is equally impressive. It feels like the perfect moment to partner with another mission-driven company who cares so deeply about creative excellence and social change.”
“I immediately hit it off with Becky and love that she has so many ideas that are tactical, scalable and make a powerful difference,” adds Roberts. “She challenges the status quo while producing beautiful, world-class content. With this partnership, we can better serve our clients and carry our mission forward together.”
The Light is a production company guided by the principle that an emotionally healthy environment is paramount for creativity and high performance. From its inception in 2014, The Light has centered under-represented talent, with equity and sustainability as key pillars to delivering creative projects for... Read More