Director/creative director Ben Orisich channels his own boyhood wonder when driving American muscle cars in this charming minute-and-a-half spec titled “Fountain of Youth” for Chevy’s Camaro SS. Produced in conjunction with Whoa Films!, the spot features two adult men who instantly turn back into their boyhood selves when driving a snazzy yellow Camaro SS. Orthodontic braces and high-fives team with tire peeling and full throttle excitement to celebrate the joy of being in the driver’s seat and/or a passenger in the iconic sports car.
We open on a man who leaves an office building. He takes off his suit coat, loosens his necktie and gets into the driver’s seat of the Camaro. Once behind the wheel, he turns into a boy, flashing a full smile replete with dental braces. He then drives to another building where he picks up an adult buddy who too becomes a youngster when he climbs into the passenger seat.
We follow the two men-turned-boys as they drive enthusiastically through their neighborhood, capturing the attention of a pretty woman and the police. When the woman bystander–who’s walking her dog–sees the car, she too turns back into a young girl. Indeed the Camaro not only turns heads but turns back the clock.
Then a police siren suddenly disrupts the sports car fantasy. When the cop car pulls alongside the Camaro, the two lads for a fleeting moment turn back into adults. But the two policemen surprisingly give an approving nod–with one mouthing the words “nice ride”–and drive on, at which point the men again become boys and continue their joy ride. Responsibility sets in when they arrive at their destination, presumably one of their homes–or perhaps a relative’s house for some sort of family gathering. The Camaro kids briefly become adults again–but ultimately they decide to blow off their commitment and stay in the Camaro. The youngsters happily drive off as the slogan “Find New Roads” appears on screen accompanied by the Chevrolet logo.
Orisich related, “This is a passion project based on how I feel every time I get to drive a muscle car like the Camaro. In considering what I wanted to create, I started thinking about how these cars make me feel. The funny thing is every time I do a burnout or rev of the engine, I feel like I’m 16 again so that became the premise for this project.”
Orisich is represented nationally by The Directors Network. Bicoastal (New York/San Francisco) content creation/production company Bodega handles Orisich for special projects.
“Fountain of Youth” was cut by Northern Lights’ Mark Tyler, mixed and sound designed by SuperExploder’s Jody Nazzaro, with compositing and visual effects provided by Mr. Wonderful’s Mark Tyler and Chris Hengeveld. Bodega and New York-based Northern Lights, Mr. Wonderful and SuperExploder are sister companies.
The Camaro in the spot was partly driven by teen racing phenom Brandon Weaver. The main precision driver was Victor Tate.
The spec piece was shot in South River, NJ, by cinematographer John Taggart.
Orisich has extensive experience as a director, creative director and visual effects artist. The Atlanta native cut his filmmaking teeth at top New York visual effects houses, working as a sought-after Flame artist and motion graphics designer before opening his own visual effects shop, Home NYC. He then transitioned to directing live-action and VFX campaigns.
In fact, via Home NYC, Orisich earned inclusion into SHOOT’s 2007 New Directors Showcase largely on the strength of an Izod “In The Snow” spot. Orisich has over the years helmed campaigns for ESPN, NBC, NASCAR, Indy500 and ABC, among other clients.
