What do you get when you mash up motocross and gaming? 30 seconds of epic, Mountain Dew-fueled action, death-defying stunts, and one massively fearsome shark.
In this exclusive interview, BBDO Guerrero Executive Creative Director Federico Fanti shares how this jaw-dropping film came to be.
What was the brief from the client? How did it compare to the previous briefs?
Mountain Dew is all about pushing boundaries, so every brief is exciting. For 2019, the task was to make Dew more relevant to millennials and Gen Z-ers. What got the team extra excited was the chance to explore gaming for the first time, aside from the different kinds of extreme sports we were used to in past campaigns.
What inspired the creative work?
This new generation of consumers are unique because they are amazing at integrating technology into their daily lives. It’s very seamless. And they enjoy having new experiences. So we were thinking, how cool would it be to bring the offline and online worlds together for more thrills?
We came up with a film about a biker wanting to ramp up his usual ride. Upon wearing his goggles, augmented reality transforms the motocross circuit into an ocean. Our hero then finds himself in something like a video game, where he has to escape a huge shark to get his prize—a bottle of Mountain Dew.
What challenges did you encounter while developing the film?
We all knew it was an extremely ambitious board. Visually, the CG needed to be flawless to blur the lines between real and virtual in a believable way. The shark must also look dangerous—the way a video game opponent would be.
At the same time, we only had 30 seconds to tell a complete story. Because the film would be part of a global campaign, the narrative had to come across clearly in all the different markets.
Luckily, we were able to partner with The Mill. Led by director Robert Sethi and creative consultant Brent Bonacorso, they were able to bring the film to life. It was fun and action-packed from start to finish—just like we intended.
What can you say about the final output?
It was truly a team effort—conceptualized in Manila, approved in Bangkok and New York, shot in Buenos Aires, post-produced in Los Angeles, and aired in key markets around the world.
Of course, none of this would’ve been possible without the clients’ willingness to take risks. They were supportive of the idea from the very beginning, and it paid off.
The spot was even adapted in markets like the Philippines and Pakistan. Ultimately, we were able to hook an international audience. All it took to stand out from a sea of content was a shark’s fin!
CREDITS:
AGENCY: BBDO GUERRERO
Creative Chairman: David Guerrero
Executive Creative Director: Federico Fanti
Associate Creative Director, Art: Michelle Edu
Associate Creative Director, Copy: Alexis Dy
Art Director: Franco Villaflor
Executive Director of Transformation: Roshan Nandwani
Executive Director of Planning: Cristina Buenaventura
Senior Strategic planner: Larah Lee
Client Service Director: Angelica Lorenzo
Account Director: Kaine Sanchez
Senior Account Manager: Casssandra Ralbovsky
Creative Services Director, Print Producer: Al Salvador
Final Artist: Manny Vailoces, Oliver Brillantes, Joy Panaguiton, Jomar Marasigan, Jolan Pescadero
Broadcast Producer: Sandino Magno
FILM PRODUCTION: THE MILL, LA
Executive Producer: Pete King, Elizabeth Newman
Senior Producer: Dan Love
Line Producer: Laura Morris
Production Coordinator: Fyn Foo
Shoot Supervisor: Daniel Thuresson
Director: Robert Sethi
Creative Consultant: Brent Bonacorso
Assistant Director: Fernando Szurman
Director of Photography: Ekkehart Pollack
Production Designer: Maria Battaglia
Wardrobe Stylist: Julieta Lopez Acosta
Editor: Jack Pyland
2D Lead Artist: Daniel Thuresson
3D Lead Artist: Robert Chapman
2D Artist: Jeannie Huynh (Remedy), Franz Kol, Tom Van Dop, Phillip Ineno, Tim Robbins, Kai Chun Tsai
3D Artist: Daniel Stern, Juan Zavala, Daniel Soo, James Robinson, Victor Duncan, Jae Jun Yi, Jason Kim, Michael Kash, Noah Schnapp, Freddy Parra, Danny Garcia
Matte Painting: Itai Muller
Design & Animation: Tim Devlin, Jan Sladecko, Sasha Vinogradova, Maxim Goudin, Patrick Kipper
Storyboards: Mark Alan Yates
Colourist: Adam Scott
Executive Producer, Colour: Linda Jackson
Senior Colour Producer: Liza Kerlin
Production Coordinator, Colour: Jessica Amburgey
Colour Assist: Gemma Parr, Zack Wilpon
SOUNDTRACK PRODUCTION: LOUDBOX STUDIOS
Sound Engineer: Mark Mccullie
Producer: Pat Panlilio
MUSIC COMPOSITION: SYN COLLECTIVE
Label: Syn Music
PHOTOGRAPHY: SIMON NEEDHAM
Photographer: Simon Needham
SOCIAL CONTENT PRODUCTION: FLARE MANILA
Head or Flare and Integrated Production: David Wright
Executive Producer: Luisa Olarte
Video Editor & Motion Designer: Natalia Burgos, Ford Celino
Production Assistant: Gwen Gui
