New York/San Francisco-based content creation/production company Bodega director Adam Reid and Northern Lights editor Chris Carson team up with Subaru and Syfy in two new comical, werewolf-themed :30s “Date Night” and “Wake Up.” The Subaru-branded campaign airs during the Syfy series Being Human and features a happily married werewolf couple having ‘new experiences’ together. For this pair, a ‘new experience’ amounts to a dual night-hunt in the woods.
Doubling as creative director/director, Reid wrote the spots’ storylines with approval from Syfy, Subaru and Carmichael Lynch. Says Reid, “I wanted to borrow DNA from Subaru’s great advertising and put it into something that happens to exist in the world of Being Human. It’s hopefully an entertaining soft-sell on the show and the Subaru Crosstrek.”
Production and post were handled entirely by the Northern Lights family of companies with Chris Carson editing, Mr. Wonderful’s team on VFX and finishing, and SuperExploder providing the sound mix. Notes Carson, “It was incredibly helpful to see this take shape here in our office, starting early from Adam Reid’s concepting phase. We were all teamed with him from then through delivery.” Adds Mr. Wonderful colorist and Flame artist Chris Hengeveld, “The project was a challenge because of Adam’s need to shoot day for night. Fortunately every frame I got back from him allowed me the latitude to push the shot as far as was necessary. We were able to bring out a convincing moonlit look in one spot and an earthy, warm morning look in the second.”
Reid also worked closely with Syfy’s VP Creative Shea Pepper. Says Pepper, “We wanted to try something a little different this year and the storyline that was naturally progressing in the show, the werewolf married couple, really lent itself to the attributes of the Subaru brand that we were focusing on this year.”
“Date Night” opens on the couple in a Subaru Crosstrek making their way through old-growth forest. The husband states in voiceover, “They say the key to a healthy marriage is having new experiences together. When you’re a werewolf married to a werewolf, that’s actually the easy part.” The couple parks and strips down to their birthday suits as they “wait for dark so we can hunt down our fancy dinner on four legs with only our animal instinct as a guide. It’s kinda hot.” They share a suggestive smile as he concludes under an off-screen wolf howl, “Love, it’s what makes a Subaru a Subaru.” The Subaru logo and tag “Confidence in Motion” close out the spot.
In “Wake Up,” the werewolf couple wakes naked on the forest floor. The wife declares, “Marriage is about waking up with someone you love. When you’re both werewolves, sometimes that means waking up without the one you love.” Alone in the woods, the wife finds her Crosstrek and drives around looking for her now-naked hubby. She finds him declaring, “Marriage is an adventure,” followed by a husband and wife kiss. She then concludes, “We totally like it that way,” closing out the spot.
For a closer look at the making of the two spots, view the behind-the-scene footage in “The Naked Truth,” and “The Car is Not the Star” making-of videos below.
Credits:
Clients: Syfy, Subaru
Titles: “Date Night,” “Wake Up,” :30×2
Syfy – VP Creative: Shea Pepper
Syfy – Director of Production, Ad Sales: Bill Smythe
Production: Bodega, NY/SF
Director: Adam Reid
Writer: Adam Reid
Post: Northern Lights, NY
Editor: Chris Carson
Lustre: Chris Hengeveld
EP: Robin Hall
Audio Post: SuperExploder, NY
Sound Design/Mix: Ted Gannon
EP: Beth Cummins
Visual Effects: Mr. Wonderful, NY
VFX: Chris Hengeveld
About Bodega
Bodega Studios is a creative production company based in New York and San Francisco.
We are the passionate nerdy. We develop, produce and distribute award-winning projects in every medium. We make commercials, digital content, teasers, feature films, television and music videos.
We believe the world is a beautiful place full of surprises, cool things and true magic. Our goal is to inject your project with geeky enthusiasm, groundbreaking creative, visionary style, original solutions and a passion for storytelling.
Our one-stop-shop model has been embraced by brands including: IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, USA Network, Logitech, Mattel, MasterCard, Walt Disney Pictures, Nickelodeon, Food Network, Applebee’s, KIA, Subaru, Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet, Volkswagen and others.
About Northern Lights
Northern Lights is a thriving bi-coastal (NY/LA) editorial and post production boutique featuring filmmakers and visual artists with a passion for telling stories.
From Promax and Emmy-winning TV branding to commercials, film and Internet content, Northern Lights has been a destination for original ideas since 1995.
The company’s award-winning talent is continually creating new ways to interpret footage for all modern delivery platforms. Their unmatched ability to shape ideas into focused content for brands is fed by a creative environment that fosters trying new things and taking risks.
Northern Lights teams up with sister companies Mr. Wonderful for design, www.mrwonderful.tv, SuperExploder,www.superexploder.com, for composing and audio post, and Bodega, www.bodegastudios.com, for creative assignments and production. Working together, they’re a powerful one-stop resource that tailors their offerings to each individual client and filmmaker’s needs.