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March 2006

MAD MAD JUDY EDITOR STEVE HAMILTON DEFINES "HAPPINESS" IN NEW CAMPAIGN FOR DUNKIN' DONUTS

Editor Steve Hamilton of Mad Mad Judy just completed a new, live action/cel-animated hybrid campaign for Dunkin' Donuts and ad agency Hill Holliday. Directed by Rick LeMoine of Biscuit Filmworks, the two 30-second spots, entitled "Happiness" and "Jackhammer" began airing in January, with "Happiness" featuring animation by Saul & Elliot of Curious Pictures.

"Happiness" begins with a construction worker taking a much-deserved break. Just as he bites into his new delicious breakfast sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts, the narrator asks: "What is happiness?" Little animated blue birds appear around the man, singing joyfully. He reaches out his finger to one of them. As we pull back, the man is surrounded by animated blue birds and his co-workers look on and note with deadpan earnestness: "That must be some sandwich." A bus wipes the frame revealing a woman on her morning commute smiling happily. Also encircled by the blue animated birds, she consumes her own Supreme Omelet sandwich from Dunkin Donuts. "Jackhammer" also features a construction worker, this one hard at work jack-hammering a long swatch of sidewalk. His boss looks on approvingly at all that he's accomplished, but then puzzles over the fact that the jackhammer is not plugged in. The mystery is soon solved as the man stops, takes a big swig of his espresso laced Dunkin Donuts Turbo Hot Coffee and then powers on. The message, Turbo Hot will "power" you through your day is revealed in the VO.

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VIEWERS ENJOY PIZZA WITH SAUSAGE AT A BUS STOP: McCann Worldgroup Launches New Online Campaign for Windows XP Media Center Edition, Agency Creates Viral "Soundboard" from Audio Outtakes

Kaboom directing duo sausage has just completed an online campaign for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition. Centering on socially obnoxious characters, the spots contain twists that viewers will embrace - come-uppance for the annoying. In the production process the campaign took a unique twist and resulted in both successful online spots and a viral piece called the "Soundboard."

In "Gamers" two guys sit on a couch playing a video game. One is clearly more skilled than the other and makes his prowess known by taunting and teasing his opponent. The beleaguered opponent suddenly takes a remote control, points it at the sarcastic twit and changes him into a stack of pizzas. In "Bus Stop" two people are subjected to a young man's annoyingly loud and brash cell phone conversation. Fortunately, one of them has the magical remote which, when pointed at the offending caller, douses him with a torrent of water. Each spot ends with an image of the remote and an accompanying computer set-up, with the voiceover enticing viewers to, "Get used to more control with a Media Center PC."

Rather than scrap the exceptional wealth of footage, the agency assembled the audio from the outtakes into a viral piece that they call the "Soundboard." The viral features the spots and a fun interactive piece that allows viewers to play back outtakes from the amazing performances the actors gave. To view the spots and the "Soundboard" please visit:

http://www.startsomethingentertaining.com/control-it/

Former agency creatives themselves, sausage was drawn to both the irreverent nature of the concept and the collaborative nature of the agency team who generated the campaign. And, they say, laughing, 'Any day where you get paid to dump 50 gallons of water on a guy is a great one."

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DIRECTOR ERIC SAARINEN & CAMPBELL-EWALD CAPTURE THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT IN STUNNING CHEVY TAHOE SPOT

A new television commercial for the Chevy Tahoe from Plum Productions Director Eric Saarinen uses a compelling blend of live-action, stock footage and seamless effects. Created by Campbell-Ewald, "Horns" pays tribute to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games and to the power of the all new Chevy Tahoe. The :30 spot features breathtaking footage taken from around the world. No matter how remote the location -- whether it's the sand dunes of Namibia or the glacial mountains of Patagonia - the Chevy Tahoe is there, built to be a rough-and-ready, go-anywhere sort of ride. The SUVs honk their horns in succession from location to location creating a harmony that becomes the Olympics theme song. The visually compelling spot concludes with the graphic, "Tahoe. An American Revolution."

All of the background footage in the spot was taken by Director Eric Saarinen during previous shoots. As his work took him to different and exotic locales over the course of eight years, Saarinen accumulated a library of stock footage. Campbell-Ewald Vice Chairman, Chief Creative Officer Bill Ludwig approached the director about using his footage and the two discussed how to best incorporate the new Chevy Tahoes into the shots.

The five-day live-action shoot involved filming the Tahoes on 10-foot high foregrounds, which were painted and dressed to match the various terrains from glacial to greenery, as well as low platforms and surfaces. Since Chevrolet wanted a spot that would have a life span beyond the Winter Olympics, it was important to include imagery that was versatile. Campbell-Ewald Producer Mary Ellen Krawczyk credits the collaboration with Saarinen and the effects artists at Asylum for creating such seamless sequences.

"Some of the locations on the stock footage were wider and more sweeping so we had to make adjustments on how the shots were used. Eric [Saarinen] and Asylum were able to re-design particular scenes to fit the location better. Eric is amazing to watch on set. During the shoot at Dodger Stadium, he was able to simulate the shots that he had done from a helicopter in the past to incorporate the cars in a realistic manner. Eric is very smart and savvy about how to shoot a vehicle and understood what the client needed. He was the obvious choice for this job."

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GETTING BOWLED OVER WITH ESPN

Cut + Run/LA recently completed a series of hilarious spots for the Professional Bowler's Association (PBA) that features bowling lessons from offbeat instructor Randy. In "Finish Work" Randy scowls at a student who celebrates after bowling a strike in the one-lane studio clinic. "What is this!?" barks the irritated instructor as he belittles his student's victory dance. Randy instructs his students to watch a video of how a professional celebrates with panache before setting up for his own demonstration. With an arrogant ease, he bowls and breaks out into his celebratory routine of "Helicopter! Eagle! Airplane! Swan!" as he moves his arms accordingly. In "Oil Patterns," Randy disregards the health of the student and uses his fall to educate his students on the existence and intricacies of PBA oil patterns. Finally, "Follow Through" has Randy introducing his follow through technique of "roll the ball, answer the phone." The quirky comic routines are a strike for the PBA Tour on ESPN.

The success of the campaign, notes Alvarez, rests largely with the brilliant performance with the lead actor Seth Morris and Producer Aime Graham's great eye for casting. "The biggest challenge was deciding what to leave on the proverbial cutting room floor since the footage was all hilarious, making this campaign a huge amount of fun to edit."

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