Bud Light

Creative Showcase

Snowed In / Bud Light

Submitted By Roger Darnell

Description

Throughout the recent holiday season, television viewers across the U.S. saw an unlikely team effort during commercial breaks, when two mice, two lizards, two prairie dogs, two ferrets, a cat and a poodle formed a sled team to whisk a snowed-in pet shop worker to the safety of home… and the joy of Bud Light. Directed by MJZ's Phil Joanou for DDB Chicago, the spot entitled "Snowed In" employed real animal actors, as well as some considerable creative visual effects and CGI work from the artists at A52 in Los Angeles.

Objective

Originally produced to be considered for airing during last year's Super Bowl broadcast, the spot uses humor and flawless execution to promote Bud Light.

Technical Challenge

"The job presented some real challenges, in that I didn't want to do any of the animals in CG," explains director Phil Joanou. "That meant we had to track and composite all the different critters in all their various shapes and sizes into the snow and make it feel like they were running at the same speed while pulling a dog sled. Not an easy task. But with careful collaboration and planning, we were able to make it work with minimal manipulation of the real animals. The little prairie dog at the end of the spot was also achieved without any CG. We were able to get the little guy to stand on his hind legs in one piece of film and then got him to reach out for a treat in another piece. A52 seamlessly integrated the two shots to make it look like the animal was raising its hand on cue. It looked both real and funny, without any CG enhancement. Once again, A52 delivered spectacularly.

Client

Industry

Alcoholic Beverages

Agency

DDB Chicago
http://www.ddb.com/

Media

Television

Credits

Agency Producer

Brian Smego, DDB Chicago

Art Director

Kraig Krueger, , DDB Chicago

Creative Director

Mark Gross & Dan Fietsam, DDB Chicago

Designer

Tim Bird & Chris Janney, A52

Director

Phil Joanou, MJZ

Editor

Livio Sanchez, Whitehouse Editorial

Music & Sound

Elias Arts

Producer

Paul Manix, MJZ

Production Company

MJZ

Writer

Jason Gorman

Views

384