Alex J. Morsanutto Directs Ponds' Comedy Spot Shot In Myanmar

This comedy commercial introduces us to a guy out on a date trying to impress a young lady--but his oily skin does him in as a body builder approaches their table at a restaurant and lubricates his body by touching the gent’s face. Clearly for his next date, the guy had better use Ponds’ Men (Unilever) Lighting Oil Clear lotion.

Alex J. Morsanutto directed the spot, which is being broadcast in Southeast Asia while also gaining exposure on social media channels. The job was produced by Silvermine Productions with production services from Yangon Streetlight Company and Paragon Pictures Animations for agency Genero.

Connecticut-based indie filmmaker Morsanutto (unaffiliated with a production company) was awarded the job, getting the gig based in part on previous work for beauty product company Kiehl’s that was in the same stylized comedy realm.  Morsanutto executive produced and directed, hiring a local production company in Yangon, Myanmar. The project had its challenges given the fact that Myanmar is a third world country and the film infrastructure there is a lot smaller in comparison to North America. 

Morsanutto traveled to Yangon with cinematographer Sam Cutler-Kreutz and had three days prep before the one-day commercial shoot. The local production company and local agency helped source name talent since the commercial was going to be broadcast on TV in Myanmar. 

Morsanutto directed the piece without a hitch by using translators and bilingual producers to help communicate with the background talent and crew for the cinematographer.

Postproduction had its own logistical challenges in workflow between the U.S. and Asia but Morsanutto and colleagues were able to finish the broadcast commercial in Burmese--as well as an English-language version.