Francois Vogel Dials in Effects for AT&T

Director Francois Vogel of ParanoidUS has shaped a visually compelling commercial for AT&T through BBDO, Atlanta. Entitled Whiz Bang, the spot underlines how AT&Ts 4G network successfully brings people together from almost anywhere in the United States. 

 

Whiz Bang follows a young man as he treks stateside with smartphone in hand. We cut to him in different locales across the country, each scene matched seamlessly with the last as he texts, calls and snaps photos to share his experiences with friends and family.

 

View the spot below:

 

 

Production took place over 9 days shooting in San Francisco, Boston, Lake Tahoe, Austin, Chicago and Boston to garner enough footage to create the hypnotic visual effect. Choreography became the main challenge for Vogel, who came prepared after shooting test footage to show BBDO creatives how the effect would appear in the final spot: “It was important to find a balance between the precise mathematics needed to create the effect, and the roughness of each shot captured in each location,” Vogel explains. “It needed this balance to feel organic and to also make the commercial more fun”

 

Paul Martinez of Arcade Edit, LA cut the spot before Flame artist Stephanie Isaacson at NY-based creative design studio Spontaneous tweaked the effect. Images were shot wider than required to assist her in Flame: “Material was delivered 4K allowing me to crop with no loss of image quality,” explains Isaacson. “The spot was laid out in sequence with the man moving from left to right. The main challenge was making sure each shot matched up to the next, as one wrong tweak caused a ripple effect down the line.”

 

“Memory Lane" by Australian rockers Eddy Current Suppression Ring also works effectively to enhance the feeling of the spot.

 

Vogel previously worked with BBDO’s creative team on an ING spot on location in Prague. Stephen McMennamy, VP / Creative Director at BBDO, Atlanta was happy to hire Vogel again to utilize his unique vision and proven ability to accentuate agency creative:

 

“Francois’ unique use of imagination and geometry enabled us to create something new for AT&T,” outlines McMennamy. “Communication with ParanoidUS during a rather long production process kept us on deadline. It all made for something special, work created in the spirit of keeping things fresh for AT&T.”

 

ParanoidUS has been busy of late with work including Olivier Babinet’s “A World Without Textiles” for IKEA, an endearing two-minute spot that is the first in a new global campaign for agency of record McCann, NY.

 

Wilfrid Brimo’s “Happy House” for NEST via Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco is also of note, featuring classically structured visuals to impart the brand message. The spot unveils the faces of homes effortlessly altered to resemble an array of smiling human faces, imparting an uplifting mood that reflects the joys of owning an energy-saving thermostat.