Cardboard cutouts of people fill portions of arenas and stadiums in this COVID era of professional and college sports. No matter what, these flat cutouts stay in their seats–even when “witnessing” the most amazing athletic feats.
However in this spot directed by David Shane of O Positive for Wieden+Kennedy New York, one cutout goes ambulatory in pursuit of a Bud Light. This cardboard gent, a New York Giants football fan, goes out of his way to hoist a brew, eventually coming together with his human counterpart in front of a TV set watching the game.
This two-minute film pays tribute to fandom and thirst–with a wry sense of humor all the while.
Credits
Client Bud Light Agency Wieden+Kennedy NY Karl Lieberman, executive creative director; Gerard Caputo, creative director; Nathan Wigglesworth, art director; Matt Herman, Reuben Hower, copywriters; Nick Setounski, head of integrated production; Jessica Griffeth, executive producer; Skyler Courter, sr. producer; Stephanie Missier, group strategy director; Matt Hisamoto, sr. brand strategist; Leah Greene, brand strategist; Connor Corr, social strategist. Production O Positive David Shane, director; Marc Grill, exec producer/line producer; Ralph Laucella, exec producer; Stuart Dryburgh, DP. Editorial Arcade Edit Geoff Hounsell, editor; Andrew Cravotta, post producer; Sila Soyer, exec producer; Jeff Lopus, editorial assistant. VFX The Mill Clairellen Wallin, exec producer; Luis Martin, sr. producer; Ija Ochoa, producer; Nathan Kane, creative director, shoot supervisor; Kshitij Khanna, 2D lead; Hailey Akashian, Adam Deutsch, Lucia Hill Barroso. Jeeeun Lee, Vi Nguyen, 2D assists; James Mullholland, Eva Kuehlmann, 3D leads; Naotaka Minami, Incheol Jeong, Navdeep Singh, Pablo Estrella You, Gordana Fersini, Arman Matin, John Wilson, 3D artists. Telecine Company 3 Tom Poole, colorist; Kevin Breheny, producer. Music Human Worldwide, bicoastal James Dean Wells, exec producer; Sloan Alexander, creative lead; Jonathan Hubbell, composer. Audio Post/Sound Design Human Worldwide, bicoastal Sloan Alexander, sound designer/mixer; Craig Caniglia, sr. producer; Rob Suchecki, assistant engineer.
Directed by Rich Hall via Riff Raff Films for Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, this Nike film--titled โThe Five Stages of Haalandโ--reimagines a one-on-one battle through the goalkeeperโs perspective, dramatizing his psychological descent through the five stages of grief with Erling Haaland, the Norwegian soccer superstar, charging toward him.
Haaland scoring a goal is inevitable and the goalie knows it, experiencing the five stages-Denial, Anger, Negotiation, Despair and finally Acceptance. The hyper-stylized processing of the five stages with Haalandโs onslaught unfolding before our eyes blends cinematic intensity and humor, delivering a fresh exhilarating, tongue-in-cheek take on sports advertising.