Tourism Australia today launched “Transformation”, a new advertising campaign being rolled out in 22 countries around the world. Baz Luhrmann, known for his movies Moulin Rouge and William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, was responsible for the television and cinema commercials set in New York, Shanghai and Western Australia.
Original music for the New York commercial, Billabong, was composed by Sydney composer and song writer Elliott Wheeler, from sound and music boutique Nylon Studios.
The music for the New York spot was composed and recorded within a 48 hour timeframe in early September. Film directors Baz Luhrmann and Bruce Hunt called Nylon Studios on a Friday night a month before the launch, asking for a demo to be completed by the following Monday. Elliott composed two pieces on the Saturday before recording them with a string ensemble from Sydney Symphony Orchestra on the Sunday morning.
Once the creative team had chosen one of the tracks further work included the addition of multiple layers of piano tracks to create a a signature sound for the main piano melody, and careful sound engineering and mix by Wayne Connolly. Encouraged by warm response to the soundtrack, Wheeler has written an extended version with lyrics recorded by Abby Dobson from Sydney band Leonardo’s Bride.
“We wanted to use strings, but not on such a scale that we’d be dictating to the audience what they were meant to feel, so in the end we went with a much smaller chamber ensemble. We put a lot of energy into finding a balance between the intimacy expressed in the dialogue, and the grandness seen in the cinematography.”
Technorati Tags: viral or youtube
Can I give this less than 1 vote?
You can lynch me for having no sense of humor, but what they are making fun of is a rather serious thing, and I find this inappropriate.
uuuugh, it is so not Nike.
Is this spec to show off concept skills or directing skills? It looses points on concept.
wow. nike's tag/horror spot done with people who can't act.
i think this is a good lesson for any creative thinker in our business:
just 'cause you film it all low budget and put it on youtube, it doesn't make it something good.
yes one could argue that the viral did it's job by making us talk about it, and there's no such thing as negative press etc etc, but uh, all the press Nike is getting is when I utter the sentence "That Nike Spec spot blows."
I don't get the predator thing. Are all teenage guys predators now?
it's spoofing a show where of a hidden camera investigation into computer sex predators -- grown men, trolling the Web for young teenagers. more on that here.
Oh. Well maybe they should have cast a grown man and a young teen (she looks 18 to me)then.
well, "grown" is anyone over 18. "Underage" is anyone under 18. But I see your point. Maybe they thought it would be less offensive or whatever to make them appear closer in age or something.
Maybe these were the only two people this copywriter turned director could get a hold of (might be working for free) in which case, I'll totally let that one slide. I think we're supposed to judge the directing skills, which aren't bad as it seems everyone (but me who hasn't seen the original) knew what they were spoofing.
*shudder*
Why did they choose to use a sexual theme when it could have been bank robbers, or anyone else that tries to escape from the police? The spoofing idea just doesn't hold water IMHO. Then again, being in the UK I wouldn't have seen the original show this is allegedly spoofing. Even if I had I still think this idea sucks.
Oh, to answer the original question, yes it does look like Seth Rogan - uncannily so!
i thought it was pretty funny. it's amazing how much ad people like to shit on other people's work. i used to be that way until i realized i was just doing it to make myself feel better about all the hacky shit i was producing. it's easy to pick holes in other people's work, but it's a lot harder to actually go out there and do something for yourself.
Even if you think it's funny (humor is subjective, and it's totally fine if you think it's hilarious) it still doesn't make this right for Nike. One thing ad people should know is how to peg the right tone of voice, fit ideas into a bigger picture, create ideas that are campaignable and most importantly of all - be on proposition.
Still, if this is spec showing off directorial skills arguing about the script is as off-base as this ad is to Nike's proposition.
I think it's funny. I also think it's not Nike. It could be selling anything else.
I actually think it does a good job spoofing the Dateline NBC Predator shows, but that's all I think it does. It's not "Nike," and while it's probably inappropriate to most, I've found lots of SNL sketches inappropriate as well.
Although way back in the seventies, I heard they were funny.... ;P
Probably so, but my mind was too altered back then to remember. ;-)