Hann and the BIGSMACK team were involved in nearly every facet of the promo effort — from writing the tagline that drives the teaser campaign ”Sunny…with a chance of homicide,” to concepting, producing and designing three :15 teaser spots and a :30 promo featuring series star Matt Passmore. Moreover, BIGSMACK collaborated on the multifaceted outdoor campaign that includes billboards, kiosks, bus and taxi ads, even completely outfitting Chicago’s ‘L’ transit system, as well as an array of online content.
BIGSMACK rose to the challenge delivering a conceptually simple campaign that cleverly taps into the show’s offbeat, Coen Brothers-esque characterization, coupled with a taut police procedural narrative style.
”We definitely ‘got’ the show’s balance between the quirky characters and crime narratives that makes The Glades work,” Hann explains. ”A&E loved our ‘orange’ teaser spot concept and the rest of campaign grew from there. The one similarity between all of the spots is the over-arching theme of things not being what they seem.”
To the strains of Sam Cooke’s classic song ”Summertime,” ”Orange” begins with a dramatic shot of a glorious sunset behind a photo real 3D animated orange. The word ”Sunny” hovers ominously above the imagery. As the camera tracks back, the mood turns dark as the sun is eclipsed by the orange and the words ”with a chance of homicide” are abruptly split in half by a knife piercing the orange. The spot ends with an overhead shot of the orange bleeding over The Glades logo.
Other teaser spots in the campaign include ”Water,” featuring a slow overhead tracking crane shot of a picturesque swimming pool that ends on a deceased woman floating in the water; and ”Bikini,” which pans over a bikini clad woman face down on a lounge chair revealing a bullet in her back.
The :30 ”Sunny” promo offers a completely different tact. Directed by BIGSMACK director Scott Whitham, the spot features Passmore on a beautiful beach talking directly to camera about how he left the “cruel, cold air of the big city for the sunshine state.”
As the spot continues it becomes clear he’s not on the beach for fun, but rather examining a crime scene. The promo ends with Passmore sarcastically noting how “it’s still pretty sunny, but that just makes the bodies smell worse” just as camera cuts to show a victim lying on a beach chair. The spots were shot using the RED Mysterium-X digital camera system on location in and around Miami, Fl.
Adds Hann, ”In many ways The Glades was an opportunity for BIGSMACK to showcase what we’re capable of creatively when we partner with our clients — from concept development to mounting complex location productions, through intricate 3D animation, design and post. A&E showed a lot of trust in us to pull this off, and I’m gratified their trust wasn’t misplaced.”
About BIGSMACK:
Lead by Creative Director Andy Hann, BIGSMACKtv is a full service creative agency specializing in the broadcast industry. From their offices in downtown Philadelphia, BIGSMACK creates, produces, designs and posts image and promotional campaigns for the world’s leading entertainment providers. Recent clients include Discovery Channel, Nat Geo, HBO, Comedy Central, Sundance and A&E, among others.
CREDITS
Client: A&E Network
Project: The Glades teaser/promo campaign, outdoor campaign
Agency/Production/Design/Post: BIGSMACK, Philadelphia, PA
Creative Director: Andy Hann
Executive Producer: Heidi Erney, Kelly Dials
Director: Scott Whitham, Andy Hann
DP: Andrew Turman
Line Producer: Kipp Christiansen
RELATED LINKS
www.bigsmack.tv
www.aetv.com/the-glades
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