Did he wrangle a marlin onto his boat with his bare hands? Is he sculpted like a super hero? Did Sasquatch really say that he saw him once, trumping through the brush? These are all questions asked by a range of people in a series of new comedy TV spot for Ford’s F-series trucks from Team Detroit directed by Synthetic Pictures’ Justin Corsbie, and the person they’re asking about is J. J. Watt, the popular, high-voltage defensive end for the NFL’s Houston Texans.
The spots, which come in a range of broadcast and web-only versions, shows various groups of Watt fans engaged in spirited banter about his famous exploits, including two young boys, followed by a couple of construction workers, a man and his barber chatting during a haircut, a couple out on a date, two ranch hands and a group of young women doing yoga in a city park.
SPW Credits
Client: Ford
Agency: Team Detroit
Executive Creative Director: Todd Chumley, Creative Director: Jerod Bunjer, Assoc. Creative Director: Steven Presmyk, Sr. Art Director: Julie Veinberg, Digital Art Director: Lauren Sanders, Jr. Copywriter: Devin Jones, Jr. Art Director: Evan Weiland, Executive Producer: Ryan Cook
Production Company: Synthetic Pictures
Director: Justin Corsbie, Executive Producer: Allison Smith, Director of Photography: Dean Mitchell, 2nd Unit DP: JP Lipa, Line Producer: Melissa Murphy, Production Designer: Michael Grasley
Editorial and Conform Studio: Cosmo Street
Editor: Kevin Anderson, Asst. Editor: Zack Winick, Producer: Arielle Davis, Flame Artist: Shinya Sato
Color Grading: Apache Digital
Colorist: Steve Rodriguez, Producer: Caitlin Forrest, Executive Producer: LaRue Anderson
Audio Mix: Lime
Mixer: Sam Casas, Asst. Mixer: Stephen Fredericks, Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
Commercial production company Explore and director Jeremy Pinckert went to a familiar well to pull inspiration for their latest production for Go RVing. "Hotel Hassle" was initially conceived as an audio-only campaign, but Go RVing's SVP/CMO Karen Redfern asked Explore to adapt the script into a new, live-action commercial. The adaptation from audio ads to digital commercial spots involved adding re-written lines and a few iconic scenes from Pinckert’s ideas that provided anchor moments for the ads. In particular, 'Hotel Hassle' features a room key that just won’t open the door. The visual he added (a round sensor on the door where the key unlocks) not only modernized the ad into the age of tap, but also gave the spot a technology vs. human undertone, invoking the AI-character Hal from Stanley Kubrick’s '2001 A Space Odyssey.'
Explore and Pinckert also added a visual hook to the ending of the spot that leaned on his own experiences traveling with his family. He found his hands were always full, clutching a few bags, random loose objects, his phone, and of course, his coffee. In the commercial, there is a moment where all of the frustrations are just too much for the protagonist and he almost curses in front of the family. What if the director added an action where the protagonist accidentally spills their coffee and the camera freezes precisely at this moment?
"Hotel Hassle", part of Go RVing's larger Don't Go There! campaign, is currently being broadcast nationwide via strategic digital channels.
