A TREATMENT
BY COLIN
TILLEY
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INTRODUCTION
What immediately drew me to the Puls campaign was that it didn’t read like a spot. By the second line of the script, I was taken into this alternate reality, as if I was reading an exciting short film. And that is exactly how I believe this campaign needs to be approached. When “Before Dawn” comes alive on screen, it needs to feel different than everything else the viewer has been watching, and everything they expect to see from branding. It needs to become the newest – “did you see that?” – offering the audience a one-of-a-kind experience that they will immediately want to share with the people around them.
I want to capture a feeling and essence that makes the viewer want to keep watching – wanting to see what happens next. This story is all about the surprise factor. We are constantly taking the narrative to greater and greater heights, so that the viewer is left on edge – waiting for each moment and reveal. However, equally important, is the relevance and reality. The grandiose drea m-like narrative is only special when contrasted with a wor ld that feels grounded in a raw, modern, cultural sensibility. Th e viewer has to feel lik e they are watching the edgy world of rap and hip-hop that they believe in and are proud of, but then ge t see things taken to a level they never thought possible.
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THAT is viral branding: giving something to the viewer that’s so original, so entertaining, that they want to be a part of the content. That’s what we have the opportunity to do with “Before Dawn”.
The ability to create a filmic world allows for a level of range and possibility that may otherwise feel forced, contrived, even outlandish. The ‘world’ is the consistency that lets us take risks. Once the viewer has been sucked in, we can push boundaries and explore the imagination. This, in my opinion, is the essential piece to the puzzle of “Before Dawn”. The ‘catch’ and humor is already intrinsically placed within the character of Jackson. Audiences have a sense of what to expect from a Muppet. And that’s where we find the room to take things up a notch – skewing preconceived notions, and blowing minds. The more we add to the creation of the raw and real “Before Dawn” world, the more we play with the dichotomy of Jackson and Will. Rather than Jackson living in a Muppet world, we want to feel like he’s been placed inside a gritty hyper-reality. We want to overemphasis the dark world, to balance Jackson’s humor and likeability. I believe Will is the perfect artist to pull this off because he has always been able to seamlessly blend different genres, mediums and art forms. He is able to take risks, and live in his own space unlike any other artist. It is so important to this brand that the spot not feel like ‘a day with Will and Jackson’. This is WILL’S surreal world – it needs to feel like something that blossomed and then exploded out of his own mind and imagination: the blend of raw, dark, street, with big over-the-top grandiosity. Jackson is almost injected into this world – like Will has extended a hand to him – allowing him to be a part of the wild ride.
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THE WORLD OF 'BEFORE DAWN'
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PULS
The Puls watch is the catalyst for the explosion of surr-reality. The watch is the bridge between our edgy world, and the imaginative mind-bending hyper world. I do, however, want to always feel like our dream world has calculated intent. Obviously we are expanding and over-magnifying the capabilities of the Puls, but we don’t want it to feel like the Puls is simply a futuristic gadget that can do whatever Will wants it to do. It all needs to feel like it is coming from the music.
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Having music at the touch of your wrist is what sends your world into overdrive. When Will presses play, the ride begins. When Will raises the volume, the speed and intensity amps up.
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SHOOTING STYLE GRAPHIC, RAW, FORCED PERSPECTIVE, ICONIC FRAMES
It is crucial that the mind-bending moments we create feel raw and graphic. This is NOT a fantasy piece, nor is it sci-fi. We want to find that perfect in-between; that space that feels like an expansion of reality, rather than an alternate reality. There must be edge in everything we do, and this edge will be accomplished through the use of forced perspective. Forced perspective allows us to warp reality and play with perception. Things will feel bigger than they really are; faster than they really go; longer, taller, louder. EVERYTHING IS MAGNIFIED. This shooting style is what will evoke the kind of energy and spirit we want in the piece. The forced perspective is what breathes life into our imaginative elements. Rather than feeling ‘weird’ or ‘quirky’, the forced perspective makes things vivid, heroic, and most importantly ICONIC.
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RAST , HIGH-CONT DARK, EDGY piece. ne for the entire to e th t se ill w ices dows, and Our lighting cho y with deep sha la p to id a fr a e ary. ff when necess We should not b o ck a sm t a th of light er and electric pulses – getting bright ss re g ro p ill w er t narrative. Rath e Our color palle th h ug ro th the we move more vivid as orld will react to w e th s, ct fe ef lored realism than cheesy co anner. The dark m e iv ss re g g a out ued. It’s not ab chaos in a more ig tr in er ew vi ep the fects that is what will ke bout realistic ef a s it’ ; cs hi p d ra g ng truly provoke ei colorful motion b d rl o w e th atching feel like we’re w ckson. e of Will and Ja by the stamped
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LIGHTING
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e hom s e d v R t dri be use E a h N t E e ed ill AL piec style w ograph al N l a O n e fin TI the editing e chor emotio re MO e E b n . l wil kinetic ts – o y. The me mo n VS e i C I v n o io ET i-mo n. The mome f energ to bec emot n i KIN o n he e sm tio f thi d emo recisio train udienc o feel t o t i p am ed an d dt ra The nergy ced an – a ste ed ou e nee beat. w e e the ore pa nother n we n when of the e m a – e for nto ed wh racters he puls i e t mov is utiliz he cha r than t e t edi ted in nt rath s e inve e mom of th GY
SETTING
WHERE we place this world is just as important as the world we create. I imagine a non-descript setting. You should never be able to place a particular city or skyline. It should always be a question to the viewer: is this an urban neighborhood or a rundown big city? We want to encapsulate the feeling of the Wild West, inside the confines of urban sprawl. You shouldn’t know what exactly is coming around the corner – what characters you’ll meet along the way. It is uncharted territory for the viewer, while feeling lived-in to the characters.
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Our film opens at night with a staggering wide shot of a housing project high-rise. The building looks raw and textured, cast mostly in shadows. Immediately, the camera booms down the face of the building. Through the grid of windows, we see the glow of soft lights and television sets. More importantly, we HEAR what’s inside the building – each floor morphing into the next – a cacophony of whispers, arguments, babies crying, water running, fans blowing, and televisions chattering. The projects are ALIVE. As we land on ground level, we find three young teens hanging out on the front steps of the building. Their swagger and attitude says it all – they’re young punks. These streets are their playground. They’re naturally intimidating, but there’s an endearing juvenile quality to their demeanor – more mischief than mayhem. The teens are mid-conversation and their slang and drawl instantly draws us in. They’re nothing if not genuine – owning the lifestyle.
With raised eyebrows the other two – we’ll call them Stroy and Lloyd – quickly jump in, shutting down the story before it can go any further. STROY: “mannn you ain’t slide through nothing. Watchu need to slide through is a bathtub one time, over here lookin’ like you took that girl mud-wrestling!” LLOYD: “naw, naw keith don’t need no bathtub, you gotta bring the hose out on that boy, last time he got in the tub he left a ring around that thing lookin’ like a racing stripe!”
Stroy and Lloyd burst into laughter, but their cries are quickly interrupted by the ominous ‘clip, clop’ of approaching horse hooves. With a forced perspective, we show the giant looming shadow of a horse and rider casting down on our teens. Looking up, the three friends don’t know whether to be scared or confused – they’ve clearly never seen anything The teen on the far left – we’ll call him ‘Dirty Keith’ – is rambling off a story like this before. about an escapade with a young female. Keith strikes us as the foolish one – always selling wolf tickets – trying to convince his friends of his We FLIP perspectives, to reveal an iconic low angle shot of Will.I.Am mounted high on horseback, with the bright moon backlighting his figure. worth. The large block of speakers outlines his body in the light, like a mystic KEITH: “Man she been on me bruh, I swear she been blastin’ my phone action hero (more Blade/Spawn then Superman/Spiderman). As we non-stop. I had to let her sit on ice for a minute you feel me, can’t let these focus on Will, a second – fainter – set of hooves ‘clip, clop’ towards girls get too comfortable. But THEN, she hit me with the text sayin’ her frame. Stepping into the light, we reveal Jackson: a near copy of Will mama gone for the weekend tho. So you know I had to slide through see and his horse, but about 1/4th the size. As if on cue, the hooves, saddles and speakers of both Will and Jackson’s horses simultaneously glow with what she was talkin’ bout.” a neon magenta and cyan. The horses each have futuristic head-pieces
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laughter to clown their friend, but we immediately CUT TO Will and Jackson charging onward. The beat of Super Dope drives the action forward with incredible force and energy. We capture the high-speed race that ensues, as the horses stampede through streets affecting everything in WILL: “Jackson… you ready?” their way: The hooves crack the concrete and explode through puddles; Jackson places his own pair of small shades over his eyes. Without turning the horses leap over cars and maneuver through urban obstacles. It’s chaotic, yet beautiful, as if the chaos has been perfectly choreographed. to Will, he exclaims: We capture the action from high above the city skyline, looking down at our riders below. We hide our camera in manholes in the middle of the JACKSON: “I was born ready Will.” street, watching from low-angle as the horses dash over us, causing us to As Jackson speaks, we reveal a single gold tooth on one of his lower duck underground. fangs. We CUT TO a group of tough guys hanging around a lowrider hotrod Maintaining his broad posture, Will pulls up his sleeve, revealing the Puls on the corner. One of guys reaches through the driver’s side window, watch shimmering in the moonlight. As Will swipes the watch – cuing flipping the hydraulic switches – making the car bounce up and down. “Super Dope” – dark storm clouds suddenly roll through the sky, blocking As Will and Jackson bend the corner, the thundering bass and crashing out the moonlight. Will presses play… Suddenly, time slows. It feels as if hooves causes the front of the lowrider to bounce way up into the air. the speakers are a wild animal retracting for attack. Then BOOM!!! The The guys around the car all go wide-eyed, as it looks like the car might speakers blast, shooting out an explosion of rushing wind. We CUT to flip backwards. Then, after Will and Jackson pass in an instant, the front the three teens’ perspective, watching as their hair blows back and their of the lowrider slams back down to the ground, bouncing several more cheeks balloon. It feels like a giant dinosaur roared in their faces. Then, times from the reverb. The guys almost seem to appreciate what Will and suddenly, Will and Jackson’s horses blast off in a streak of light – as if Jackson have managed to accomplish with their recklessness. they transported out of frame like a Star Wars spaceship going into lightCUTING back to Will and Jackson, we find them continuing on through speed. the streets at full speed. They approach a group of young “12 o’clock With wide eyes, Lloyd and Stroy look over to find Keith cowering against boys” (dirt bike racers who ride their bikes in the streets and can do the steps with his arms covering his face. The two boys scream out with wheelies at a perfect 12 o’clock, aka straight up and down). Our two that also glow in the darkness. Will throws on a pair of dark sunglasses. In statuesque posture – eyes forward – he declares:
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horseback riders speed up, cutting through the pack of bikers who are all mid-wheelie. Our camera cuts through the action with quick graphic shots that feel reckless and dangerous. As Will and Jackson ride through the bikers, they pull back on their horses, causing the horses themselves to do their own version of a 12 o’clock wheelie – sprinting only on their hind-legs. The bikers can’t believe what they’re witnessing.
large building lobby, we watch as Will and Jackson prance their horses along the marble floor. They pass a soulful janitor who mops the floor with headphones on – dancing, and using the mop like a mic stand. The janitor’s eyes are closed; he has no idea what just passed him by.
We CUT OFF the janitor, to Will and Jackson horse-mounted in an elevator. As soon as we cut to the elevator, Super Dope is replaced by elevator After passing the bikers, Will and Jackson land their horses back on four MUZAK. Everything slows down. This should feel like the final scene of legs. Their speed however is unceasing. Jackson’s horse sideswipes a Fight Club – Tyler Durden and his alter ego going up the elevator of the parked cop car, knocking off his side-view mirror. We CUT INSIDE to large building, ready to wreak havoc. It should feel like Will and Jackson find the cop jumping from the crash, spilling his coffee all over himself. aren’t supposed to be here. Will looks up to find a security camera in He tries to switch on his sirens, but Will and Jackson are long gone. We the corner of the elevator. He presses the Puls watch just once – sending CUT from the cop car to a local barbershop. It’s very early morning – only a quick blasting pulse of Super Bass that shakes the security camera, one customer in a chair, and one barber cutting his hair. Suddenly, Will causing the little red light to go black. Our camera BOOMS up passed and Jackson come thundering by. The entire big glass window of the the security camera, and through the top of the elevator. We GLIDE along barbershop splinters in an instant. In total shock, the barber shaves right the elevator shaft feeling like warp speed in the Matrix. Super Dope is through the middle of the man’s head. The customer’s shock goes from playing once again. looking out the window at what just passed, to looking up at the barber CUT TO elevator doors opening. Will and Jackson exit out onto the like ‘what the heck did you just do!’ deserted office floor at full speed. They gallop fast through the hallway, From the POV of the horses themselves, we hit a sharp left off the main causing paper and supplies to blow away and fly off desks. As they drag and go head on towards the large glass walls of a big sky scrapper pass, two cubicles fall flat – hitting the next cubicles, the next – creating lobby. Without slowing down (and still in the horses POV), we see the a domino effect. By the end of the hallway every cubicle lays flat on the front legs of the horses kick straight through the glass. Cutting to the floor. As Will and Jackson reach the end of the hallway – approaching REVERSE PERSPECTIVE, we watch as Will and Jackson leap their horses a large glass window – Will swipes his Puls, turning the volume up on straight through the glass, passing on either side of us. Left in the glass, Super Dope. The rise in volume causes the horses to go into super speed. are two shattered holes – Will’s big; Jackson’s smaller. Cutting back to the They soar through the glass window, leaping out of the building in a hail
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causing his horse to rear back into a stop. Jackson goes a couple feet further before his horse skids to a stop. Jackson looks confused, he glances The CAMERA POV comes sky-diving down at full speed onto the top of back at Will. Will looks over his shoulder, to reveal a young kid on a BMX a multi-story car garage revealing the most insane spectacle: Will and bike who clearly just followed them through the busy intersection. The Jackson are in the middle of a full on, perfectly choreographed, hip-hop kid stands with his bike in safety, while cars speed back and forth in the inspired dance routine (something new and relevant like the Quan/Nae intersection behind him. With a proud look, Will speaks to the kid: Nae). But it’s the horses doing the dancing, not Will and Jackson. As the horses dance, an old-school Caddy does donuts around the outside in WILL: “Stay in school kid.” a cloud of black smoke. We CRASH ZOOM into the mouth of Jackson’s horse, right as he parts his lips, revealing a crazy custom gold horse grill. Will then turns, nods at Jackson, and lifts the Puls up towards his mouth. He recites “blastoff” into the mic. Suddenly, rockets emerge from the BLING! horses’ hooves and space-age helmets pop up on top of their heads. In an As we ZOOM out of the horses shining mouth, we reveal that we are instant, the horses recoil like a ball of energy, and then detonate into the no longer on the rooftop, but rather charging through the streets once air. Will and Jackson blast off high into the sky, as the kid looks on from again. It’s just starting to break into dawn, the faintest hint of dark blue the ground below. We watch as Will and Jackson get smaller and smaller, encroaching into the blackness of the sky. The streets are now a little before finally disappearing into the BLINK of a star. busier with traffic. Will and Jackson are approaching an intersection at full speed. The only problem is that they are facing a red light, and cars are zipping back and forth across their path. Jackson looks up to Will, but Will remains stoic and steadfast in his approach. Jackson knows what that means. Once again, Will swipes the Puls, sending the horses into overdrive directly towards the red light. As they reach the intersection, TIME SLOWS. One car passes right, another left, a third and forth right… But Will and Jackson manage to time it perfect: rocketing between the traffic onto the other side, as time goes back to FULL SPEED. of slow-motion glass.
Only a moment after they cross the intersection, Will slaps the Puls watch,
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CONCLUSION
The valiant characters, bigger than life scenarios, and intrinsic ‘wow factor’ of this piece gives it true viral potential. The creative thought behind this campaign is something that the world has never seen before. Blending the edgy cinematic street elements, with a mind-bending alternate reality is such a unique direction. There is an originality factor that will instantly draw the viewer in, and each surprise/reveal will keep them on edge for the full duration of the spot. I’m truly excited to push the boundaries with this one. I appreciate that the vision is bold and unapologetic in its approach. This campaign does not pull punches. It gives me room as a director to continuously look for more ways of amping up the world and injecting it with that dynamic energy that pops off screen.
IN L O C S, K N A TH