TREATMENTS BY FREDDIE

AN INTRODUCTION

[Cadillac / RZA]

When you explode onto the scene with an album like Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), it never hurts to get back to your roots. I can’t think of a better cultural phenomenon to bring to the foreground today, and how fortunate we are that it seamlessly melds with Cadillac’s latest Escalade.

These spots offer tons, with a modular storytelling approach that gives freedom to explore within its frames; it’s a verifiable feast for the imagination, a chance to bring flavor and swag to one of America’s most classic emblems of luxury and status: Cadillac. As if Never Stop Arriving weren’t enough, we have living legend RZA to star as the ideal embodiment of that ethos.

This needs soul and history, not unlike the classic sounds that AKG has caught for the better half of a century. With a sense of the nostalgic, an exploration of the bedrock of a culture we all know and love, and a firm eye on the fruits of automotive technology, this has a shot at being as iconic as the stars that it stands for…

CASTING

[Levi Strauss & Co.]

He’s an earthy man this denim clad cowboy and we have seen him before. Make no apologies for his salt and peppered hair and stubbled complexion. Likely a smoker at some point, it's reflected in his voice. But the most important thing for this casting choice? His hands.

It is imperative we cast someone with cracked, callused and beat up hands. That kind of authenticity can’t be faked, and it will be evident in his overall character. Pretty hands and manicures are a no-no. Yes, let’s make sure he looks good in jeans, yes, he’ll have the jawline, but if he can’t hold a wrench in the shot like he knows what he’s doing then it’s all for nothing.

The point is we don’t need to cast professional actors. Given the action, we are much better off finding a real mechanic who can live in the scene with ease and comfort. I plan to roll cinéma vérité style and with this freedom we can cover our leading man without the pressure of calling “action!”

STory

[Nike]

ACT I

Slow motion, our hero sprints down the dark city streets. As he takes off, his story is portrayed through snippets of his home life: teeth brushing, getting ready for school, cooking breakfast as his little brother looks up to him admiringly. Again sprinting, this time up the steps of the school and down the hallways. After class is hardly any different, sitting on the bleachers of the soccer field, he laces up his Nike cleats while laughing with friends. Slow motion shots of him juggling the soccer ball shows his brilliant skills, this is our moment of grace. It all culminates in him walking with his posse of friends —all smiles, arm around his girlfriend, his cool is effortless. 

ACT II

Family dinner, we glimpse the foundation of this young man’s life: a single father who loves his boys with every fiber of his being. Intercut juggling and shooting with dad helping him do homework. He tucks his younger brother into bed at night then, he zips up his soccer ball in a Nike backpack and sneaks out of the house. We end with silhouetted trick shots in the streets followed by a slow motion shot of him walking towards the camera, his presence in a word: driven.

SOUND

[Johnnie Walker]

Tectonic echoes of ice cubes crackling, the sizzling static of fizz popping, and the hollow pour of Johnnie Walker filling every last cavern of a rocks glass—these sounds, and many more like them, will be at the forefront of our thinking as we plan the video assets. Rather than an afterthought, we will take care to imagine what aural cues would best drive a particular action, and how to compose our frames so that we portray an audio-visual connection that floods our senses with primal desire.

LOOK AND FEEL

[Apple]

Beautiful, natural and cinematic. Initially we create an atmosphere that draws our audience in with suspense and mystery. Then, the energy kicks off, action breaks and it’s lights-up to reveal quick-cut close ups of gaming memorabilia as our badass hero belays down into the caverns.

It’s all about revealing more and more of our heroes’ passions while we connect with their stories. Then, just when we’ve got to know them… BANG… we reveal the new iPhone with glimmering awe as it lights up our entire world. Nothing feels too dark and moody, yet it’s not overly bright or tacky either. Colors are prominent and natural. Nothing forced, the mood is a culmination of suspense that climaxes with that simple, signature solution from none other than Apple.