Toyota Camry's 'Kentucky' and 'Connections', commercials from Saatchi & Saatchi L.A., convey the simple elegance and reliability behind the Camry and those who make them. Directed by Smuggler's Mark Molloy (part of the team behind the award-winning 'Dig out your soul in the streets' doc featuring Oasis), 'Kentucky' is filmed documentary style with real people to convey that the people and parts behind creating Camrys make them as sound a choice as residing in the enduring small town of Georgetown, Kentucky; 'Connections' uses lifestyle vignettes to convey how the Camry instills trust and loyalty among generations of drivers. The Mill L.A. handled FX for both 'Connections' and 'Kentucky'.
"It was a treat to have a hand in a more editorial style piece-'Kentucky'-for the Super Bowl because so often we work on very VFX-driven spots for the big game," says Enca Kaul, our VFX Producer. "Our efforts focused on maintaining the integrity of the beautiful film while blending various Toyota and Camry elements and branding points. We used 3D camera tracking and 2D composition to subtly integrate the imagery."
'Kentucky' features the voice of Sean Cooley, who actually works for the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. He drives his Camry with 411,000 miles on it an hour to and from work each way every day! ''Kentucky' was originally created and concepted as a means to message the Shazam car giveaway tied to our 'Connections' Super Bowl commercial," explains Saatchi's Matthew Curry, Associate Creative Director/Writer. "But as the words and picture melded together, it was clear we had something really special. Something that could stand alone as a set-up for our 'Connections' spot. The Camry story starts in 'Kentucky,' then becomes part of people's moments and memories as you see in 'Connections.'"
The 'Connections' commercial begins with a small Shazam logo and a message that "You could win a Camry," ensuring everyone knows this is the spot where you want to "shoosh" the bar so you can Shazam for a new car. The spot features a mix of actors and real people, and was filmed all around Southern California-from Carlsbad to Joshua Tree to San Bernadino National Forest.
"To ensure 'Connections' was truly representative of the nearly 7 million Camry drivers out there, it needed to feel expansive," explains Saatchi's Brad Burke, Associate Creative Director/Designer. "We scouted locations and casted in a way that could span the country's terrain and also its diversity of people."
Both 'Kentucky' and 'Connections' offer an engaging glimpse of the story behind Toyota's Camry.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi LA
Producer: Sara Seibert
Creative Director: Andre LeMasurier
Account Director: Drew Corpman
ECDs: Margaret Keene, Chris Adams
ACD/Copywriter: Matthew Curry
ACD/Art Director: Brad Burke
CWs: Marcin Markiewicz, Matthew Curry
Director of Integrated Production/Multimedia: Tanya LeSieur
Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Mark Molloy
Executive Producer: Lisa Rich
Producer: Drew Santarsiero
Director of Photography: Bryan Newman
Editing Company: The White House LA
Editors: Rick Lawley, Dan Oberle
Edit Assist: Rachael Waxler
VFX & Design: The Mill
Executive Producer: Sue Troyan
VFX Producer: Enca Kaul
2D Lead Artist: Tim Bird
2D Artists: Pete Hodsman, Remedy Huyhn
Production Coordinator: Kiana Bicoy