We see a man on a front lawn of a house, chopping wood with his hands and feet. His wife is nearby, positioning each piece of wood on a block for her spouse. A passerby wonders what’s going on. They explain that karate relieves the stress of home buying.
The passerby offers some solace in that at least they don’t have to worry about home insurance thanks to GEICO.
Harold Einstein of production house Dummy directed “Karate” for The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.
Credits
Client GEICO Agency The Martin Agency Steve Bassett, group creative director; Neel Williams, Dave Gibson, creative directors; Mauricio Mazzariol, associate creative director; Brett Alexander, executive producer; Brian Fox, content producer; Mary Alice Williams, jr. content producer. Production Dummy Harold Einstein, director; Eric Liney, exec producer; Jay Feather, DP. Editorial Arcade Edit Dave Anderson, editor; Samuel Barden, assistant editor; Gavin Carroll, producer. Audio Post Heard City Michael Vitacco, mixer; Sasha Awn, exec producer; Andrea Lewis, producer. Postproduction/VFX The Mill LA Gregory Reese, colorist; Phil Crowe, executive creative director; Tara Demarco, Matt Fuller, VFX supervisors; Alex Bader, producer.
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.