Hasta La Motion!

[NEWS=”http://www.cgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/zoosk_fatface_th.jpg”]27668[/NEWS]Beast recently completed work on two spots, “Fantasy” and the still-to-air “Allergy,” for online dating site Zoosk. The :30 “Fantasy” features Zoosk user Tiffany daydreaming about a perfect romantic date while perusing the Zoosk site with her girlfriends. The fantasy begins reliably enough in a candlelit boudoir but quickly turns into parody with several hilarious blunders, including bumped heads, broken lamps and a strained back. Tiffany realizes that she finds reality much more appealing, and the ad closes with the Zoosk tag and logo.

“Allergy,” is a side-splitting take on blind dates, where a young man suffers a severe allergic reaction when he collects his date for the night out.

Beast New York editor Jim Ulbrich cut the Zoosk spots on an Avid system, working closely with the creative team to realize the client’s vision. “The client and agency were great to work with, and it’s always fun to be involved in a company’s initial foray into traditional marketing,” Ulbrich commented. “As far as comedy goes, the two spots couldn’t be more different. The first spot, ‘Fantasy,” is physical comedy, while ‘Allergy’ is more about story and punch line.”

“Because of the demo and end graphics, which were a crucial part of the Zoosk message, we only had about 20 seconds in which to tell the story,” Ulbrich continued. “You keep asking yourself, ‘What footage pushes the story along as quickly as possible?’ With ‘Fantasy,’ it was easier to pull together. I made sure that the physical aspect of the story was as painful as possible and that really drove the spot.”

“With ‘Allergy,’ it was a bit more difficult. While there was a ton of laugh-out-loud material to work with, I was at the mercy of animals hitting their marks and keeping their continuity. The great footage that did not make the cut will have to wait for the gag reel. In the end, everyone was really happy with how the spots turned out.”

Beast is one of the country’s top editorial facilities for commercials, music videos and web virals. With offices in Santa Monica, New York, Austin, Detroit, Chicago and San Francisco, Beast serves a global clientele with an unparalleled roster of established, award-winning editors as well as up-and-coming talent. Since opening its doors in 2006, Beast has built an impressive and varied body of work for such clients as Harpo Films, Nike, AT&T, Reebok, Southwest Airlines, GM, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, USAF, Linkin Park and Black Eyed Peas.

CREDITS
Client: Zoosk
Titles: “Allergy” :30 “Fantasy” :30
Agency: Ogilvy Atlanta
Creative Director: Dave Galligos
Creative Director: John Spalding
Associate Creative Director: John Teter
Management Supervisor: Kristin Bitter
Account Director: Katie Thrasher
Agency Producer: Lindsey Fischbach

Production Company: Humble
Director: Jeff Bitsack
Executive Producer/Owner: Eric Berkowitz
West Coast EP: Phillip Detchmendy
Director of Marketing: Dawn Goodburn
Head of Production: Persis Koch
Staff Producer: Kristin Tomborello
Producer: Kayellen Moran

Editorial Company: Beast/NY
Editor: Jim Ulbrich
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Krajewski
Assistant Editor: Jai Shukla

Telecine: Nice Shoes
Artist: Lenny Mastrandrea

Online/Cleanup: Gryphyn
Artist: Scott Bravo
Producer: Julia Williams

Audio: Sonic Union
Audio Engineer: Michael Marinelli

Graphics: Favorite Color
Executive Producer: Dave Dimmick,
Head of production: Carson Hood,
Head of CG: Bill Bourbeau

RELATED LINKS
www.beast.tv
zoosk.com