Summary
Axe Fondly Remembers the One That Got Away in the New Ad "Susan Glenn".
Unrequited love, is there anything so bittersweet or so magical?
BBH NY's "Susan Glenn" campaign for Axe proves that not even the
passage of time can tarnish the warm glow of young love. Directed
by Ringan Ledwidge with VFX from The Mill NY, the ad reminisces
about lost love and missed opportunity in a visually stunning
way.
"I think this Axe spot differentiates itself from previous ones
by having a bit more depth and emotional connection with the
audience. After all everybody has a 'Susan Glenn'," shares VFX
Supervisor and Lead 2D Artist, Iwan Zwarts.
To add resonance to the story, the commercial was shot on 35mm
which brings something a little bit extra to the look and feel of
the project. To enhance the seamless flow of the story, special
sets were constructed. "We tried to keep as much of the transitions
in camera so we had set pieces constructed that was used on
locations to join scenes through common elements. We also literally
created an earthquake in Camera," explains Zwarts. "All the camera
moves were then stitched together in Flame. Additional elements
were integrated to finesse the transitions."
Color and tone were also key to setting the nostalgic mood of
the piece. Mill Telecine enhanced the story by imbuing the
reminiscence with warm overtones. "We used a print emulation LUT
and then opened up the low end to get the dreamy feel in the
corridor. The end scene with Sutherland is purposefully much harder
and darker to help move the story to the present day and underscore
his 'regret of what could have been'," explains Lead Colorist,
Fergus McCall.
"It was also a real privilege to work with Kiefer Sutherland,
who nailed his performance in like 2 takes," adds Zwarts.
Story and visual effects blend together beautifully in this
eloquent commercial which ponders who we could have been and what
could have happened if we "Fear no Susan Glenn".
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