creative showcase 1 6 commercials review
fUzzy pop music Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La. The words
rather than construct them using CGI,
especially behind furry things, because
Wilson, ruefully, “because you worked so
from which you will not be able to
ten hairy puppets were crafted by Kiwi
you get this silvery glow behind them,”
hard on everything and you don’t want
escape this summer.
modelmakers Glass Hammer. And if that
he says. “And it makes it a little harder to
anything to go to waste. And you want
The season’s big Coca-Cola spot has
wasn’t real enough, Albert and Bellon
tell that they’re fake.”
everyone watching to know how many
arrived. It’s a quirky, fantastical, hand-
even fleshed out complex back stories
The five day shoot in Mount Mangere in
clever jokes you thought of.”
made affair from Mother and Blink
for each monster — or Nufsaid, Mrmaster,
New Zealand was extended by a day
But, in the end, head must overrule
director Dougal Wilson. It features a
Samson, Stretch, Crétin, Tincré, Geo,
because of bad weather — but unstable
heart. The team spent hours working on
trampish organ player, whose Coca-Cola-
WWWdot, Forwardslash and Lick.
meteorology wasn’t the only challenge
some pieces of stop-frame animation,
powered instrument contains a troupe of
Perhaps they’re a little too real for
the team had to face. Mount Mangere is
turning the organ player’s beard into a
singing monsters — not to mention an
Albert. “Finding the creatures was very
a place imbued with Maori heritage,
dancing rainbow, but it didn’t make the
earworm of a soundtrack from Scottish
tricky,” he explains. “They live in a very
meaning no one can dig the soil or
final 60-second ad, as it would’ve been
popster Calvin Harris.
remote location I can’t disclose. Even if
interfere with the vegetation. So when
overcrowded. (It will be in the 90-second
With an organ player and a gremlin choir
they seem really nice and have beautiful
the team found a large tree stump right
version — along with an emotional solo
as the stars of the show, it was obvious
voices, they are still animals and can bite
where they wanted to film, the location
turn from one of the monsters.)
very early on that music would be an
So having them on a shoot was like
manager had to consult the local Maori
Nonetheless, the 60-second spot is still
important part of the piece. With this in
having 10 wild animals and it took all
and take part in a prayer ceremony
fizzing with ideas and originality. And the
mind, Mother approached EMI
Dougal’s talent to make them do what he
before they could trim it back.
creatives hope that the campaign will
Publishing, who in turn briefed a
wanted them to do...”
While the spot speaks — well sings — for
grow beyond this one spot. Their goal is
selection of artists, including Goldfrapp,
With its little hairy-oobits and gorgeous
itself, anyone hungry for a more in-depth
to encourage different artists to cover
The Go! Team and Mr Oizo. They settled
backlighting, the spot is reminiscent of
look at its evolution would do well to get
Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La every summer
on a track by electrokid Harris, who
fantasy classics like The Dark Crystal. DP
their hands on Wilson’s ideas book — he
– which is a big vision for a nonsense
worked closely with Wilson to develop
Alwin Kuchler worked hard to capture
creates one for every job he does.
sentence dreamed up by one of Albert
Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La. The track is
the backlit, lazy, summer haze — he and
Pouring over Wilson’s sketch book
and Bellon’s friends. “The ambition is to
set to appear in Harris’s upcoming
Wilson had to work out a tricky shooting
requires a comfy chair and a good cup of
do funny work around YYYLLL every
second album and will also be released
schedule which involved calculating the
tea. Sketches, cryptic Post-It notes,
year and to ‘launch’ summer with it!”
as a limited edition vinyl.
angle of the sunlight.
random picture-book scraps, it’s a tome
says Albert. “As soon as people see or
Creatives Thierry Albert and Damien
But the stress was worth it, reckons
bursting with ideas — too many to make
hear the new Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La
Bellon were keen that the little critters
Wilson. “I think this kind of photography
the finished spot.
campaign, they will know that summer
should seem as real as possible. So
looks a little dreamy and magical,
“It’s really hard to lose ideas,” muses
is coming...” LS
“Finding the creatures was very tricky… They live in a very remote location I can’t disclose. Even if they seem really nice and have beautiful voices, they are still animals and can bite. So having them on a shoot was like having 10 wild animals.”
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commercials review 1 7 creative showcase
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