Gentlemen, the Bandito Brothers directing duo comprised of Brett Snider and Billy Federighi, recently tucked a pair of unique accomplishments under their gun belts: they sent Lamar Odom into space Power Bar, and helmed the first-ever "Popumentary" for Kellogg's.
"Moon Dunk" takes the accomplishments of basketball star Lamar Odom to new heights, as he rockets into the atmosphere with help from a PowerBar Energy Blast. The script, via Publicis Dallas, "fell into our aesthetic and lo-fi mentality," says the duo, who envisioned the spot as "a kind of Ed Wood movie, something we crafted lovingly with just some paper mache, string, a little paint, and one of the greatest basketball players in the universe."
The spot is being embraced by viewers - well, those who get its tongue-in-cheek tone. "Some people comment on YouTube, saying, 'Didn't they have the money to make it better?!?" say the directors, "but of course, they have no idea what string costs these days." Working with Odom, they note, was a blast - pun intended. "He was gung-ho for anything, jumping off of platforms, it was a lot of fun." they recall.
With a quirky, similar aesthetic - but no stars - is Kellogg's "Popumentary" via Leo Burnett. Putting their own spin on the nature documentary, Gentlemen create a world where Corn Pops frolic in the wild, hunted by chompo-diles (chattering teeth), and ultimately consumed by a Spoon-ephant (a spoon, of course!). It's a spot designed to grab kids' attention but is entertaining for adults as well. "We've done more than a dozen spots with Kellogg's," the directors say, "and each time we get to have a little more fun with the style and improve on what we'd done before."
"We like making things look really good," Gentlemen points out, "but sometimes that means making them look crappy. It's about the right execution for the right brand."
The team entered the spot-making arena three years ago, winning ad contests for Doritos and Converse. Doritos "Mousetrap" aired during the Super Bowl XLII broadcast and has been featured on countless "best of bowl" shows ever since, including CBS' "Super Bowls' Greatest Commercials: 2010" this year.
In addition to PowerBar and their projects for Kellogg's (Leo Burnett/Chicago), Gentlemen's credits include Cici's Pizza (Deutsch LA), Hormel (BBDO), and Kentucky Lottery (Northlich). They also have been counted among shots' most promising new directors and earned inclusion the SHOOT New Directors Showcase.
So what's next for Gentlemen? "Something big and beautiful and with lots of people!" the duo exclaims. "Seriously, we love doing performance-oriented work; and even when we have a robot or puppet or miniature of some sort going on, it's fun to work on a larger scale." To their point, last year Gentlemen directed a pair of stylized spots for Kraft via agency DraftFCB, on which they worked with celebrated cinematographers Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men) and Igor Jadue-lillo (The Kids Are All Right, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy). And with Lamar already in space, the sky's the limit.
Powerbar Credits:
Spot Title: "Moon Dunk"
Air Date: February 2010
Agency: Publicis Dallas
Agency Producer: Jamie Roderer
Creatives: Steve Grimes & Pete Voehringer
Production Company: Bandito Brothers
Directors: Gentlemen
DP: Doug Chamberlain
Executive Producer: Jeff Rohrer
Producer: Wade Brandenberger
Production Designer: Robert Fox
Editor: Keith James, Redcar Dallas
Client: Kellogg's
Kellogg's Credits:
Spots Title(s): Popumentary
Air Date: January 2010
Agency: Leo Burnett
Creative Director:
Agency Producer: Kimberly Cyrille
Production Company: Bandito Brothers
Director: Gentlemen
DP: Doug Chamberlain
EP(s): Jeff Rohrer
Producer: Wade Brandeberger
Editorial: Bandito Brothers
Editor: Siobhan Prior
Editorial EP: Jacob Rosenberg
Telecine: Complete Post
Colorist: Andrew Huebscher
Post/Effects: Bandito Post
VFX/Inferno Artist(s): Brett Novak, David Wilson
Post EP: Jacob Rosenberg
Shoot Location: Los Angeles, CA
Original Story
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