SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL MUSINGS

By Nick McMurdy

You don’t really wanna read another list of “Best Commercials,” do you? No? Good. I honestly don’t feel like writing one. I’d rather use this time to talk about why many of the same commercials end up on all those lists in the first place. It’s because of the collective craft and expertise of a variety of filmmaking talents all seamlessly working together in the pursuit of a common goal. In that respect, it’s a lot like football.

Imagine a perfectly executed play-action pass that goes for 73 yards and a touchdown. Sure, the quarterback and receiver probably had great individual efforts, but the success of that play relies just as much on all the other people performing their jobs correctly, too. The coach needs to call the right play in the right situation, the line must block in unison, the running back needs to sell the fake, and the other receivers have to run their routes to redirect the defense away from the intended target. If just one guy doesn’t do his job correctly, the entire play could be derailed. The same principle applies to filmmaking.

I’ll be using an Academy Award-style approach to call out some of my favorite individual efforts in this year’s Super Bowl spots. Let’s get to it.

COSTUME DESIGN

The wardrobe grounds us in the proper place and time, adds a layer of visual interest, and brings out unique aspects of the characters’ personalities. My pick for FAVORITE COSTUME DESIGN is:

INSTACART “Bananas”

This bizarre 70’s-80’s pop duo received an equally bizarre wardrobe that felt equal parts retro and futuristic. The background musicians popped in bright whites and oranges. And the mascots in the back tied everything together. A beautiful nightmare and I can’t look away.

SCORE

Music is truly a universal language. It adds depth, emotion, and soul to a piece in a way that words and visuals can’t. My pick for FAVORITE SCORE is:

LIQUID I.V. – “Take a Look”

Absolutely everything relied on the song. To me, it worked. I loved the different personalities of the toilets and how the voices and sound design reflected each one. Even the porta-potty was muffled as it sang.

VISUAL EFFECTS

Visual effects show us a new and different way of existence by bringing things to life that are not physically possible in our world. My pick for FAVORITE VISUAL EFFECTS is:

XFINITY – “Jurassic Park”

I thought they did a nice job transporting us back to that very specific time and place. The film and effects matched, and they did a nice job de-aging the characters.

PRACTICAL EFFECTS

Practical effects artists breathe life into inanimate objects right in front of the camera. I think they’re like magicians. My pick for FAVORITE PRACTICAL EFFECTS is:

MANSCAPED “Hair Ballad”

I grew up on episodes of Pee-wee’s Playhouse so I’ve always appreciated the craft of puppetry. Each hairball monster in “Hair Ballad” has its own unique mannerisms and nuance, making us feel something for a pile of pubes. I’ve never typed a sentence like that before.

ART DIRECTION

Art direction is all in the details, helping us believe that this time, place, and situation are actually happening. From props, to set dressing, to color palette, to historical accuracy, these artists create another character out of the environment. My pick for FAVORITE ART DIRECTION is:

INSTACART “Bananas”

This world is so damn weird and I love it. It felt like a 1970’s view of the future. The set piece, the costuming, the lighting… it’s all beautifully chaotic and helped the spot stand apart from everything else.

EDITING

It’s one thing to capture great footage on the shoot, but it’s quite another to assemble it in the right sequence and at the right pace. In that way, editors are like drummers, setting the rhythm and tempo of the piece. My pick for FAVORITE EDITING is:

LEVI’s “Behind Every Original”

It’s wall-to-wall butts and it’s captivating. Famous butts, men’s butts, women’s butts, different butts, all grooving in unison to James Brown in a way that never felt repetitive or got stale. It had that unmistakable Levi’s look, feel, and inclusivity that makes you remember it.

ACTING

They’re just words on a page until someone breathes life into them. Renowned acting teacher Sanford Meisner said, “Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” We connect with certain performances because we simply believe them. My pick for FAVORITE LEADING ACTOR is:

LAY’S “Last Harvest” (Dad)

Sincerity is incredibly hard to pull off in a commercial. I thought the actor who played the dad had a nuanced and believable performance. He felt like a real dude coming to terms with this major life transition, conveying depth and emotion with grounded restraint in his choices.

WRITING

As a writer, I’m admittedly biased, but everything begins with the writing. The script creates a blueprint for all the other disciplines so that the final product can blend subtly and clarity in a way that is both entertaining and rewarding for the audience. My pick for FAVORITE WRITING is:

MANSCAPED “Hair Ballad”

Each hair character has its own disturbed POV and cleverly written verse based on what type of hair it happens to be. They did a great job taking the concept up to the edge and almost crossing the line. This would have been a blast to write.

DIRECTING

The director has the unenviable task of wrangling all of these vastly different talents and getting them to believe in a singular vision. Directors captain the ship, and the whole production can either sink or sail based on his/her leadership. My pick for FAVORITE DIRECTING is:

INSTACART “Bananas”

Full disclosure, I love everything that Spike Jonze does. His worlds are always surreal and captivating. There’s not much to this concept except dudes singing about bananas, but the spot draws and holds my interest the entire time because it’s masterfully executed all the way through the big stunt.

OVERALL COMMERCIAL

It stands to reason that my favorite commercial would contain a lot of really great individual artistic efforts. Just like a championship football team, everyone has to play their role to the best of their abilities in order to have success. My pick for FAVORITE COMMERCIAL is:

INSTACART “Bananas”

The spot summed itself up perfectly: “Bananas, just how you like.” The spot was bananas, just how I like. Kudos to one of the people I look up to most in the industry, Spike Jonze. Keep making smart stuff disguised as dumb stuff.

Well, I hear the music playing me offstage. Before I go, I’d like to thank all of the incredibly talented people who have directly and indirectly taught me everything I know about filmmaking. This art has taken me places I never would have believed were possible, provided opportunities beyond my wildest dreams, and given me a purpose to pursue.

On that note, it wouldn’t be an awards show without feeling compelled to inject a social opinion into the mix, so here goes: Film is an intrinsically human and collaborative art. Please champion and support human filmmaking in any way you can. Machines may be able to automate and mimic certain skillsets, but they can’t replicate the lifelong expertise, unique lived experience, and unconventional innovation that a human brings to the role. For all my brothers and sisters who work in film production and post-production, keep making your magic together.

Thanks for reading.

-Nick