Behind the Idea: From Couch to Crouch

With the Winter Olympics a thing of the past, thoughts will inevitably turn to summer and the 2010 FIFA World Cup mania that will grip the nation while England battles its way to glory – we hope. 

Alongside any event of this scale come the inevitable ‘big ads’ from sponsoring companies.  Visa has gotten in early with a new commercial that scores a hat trick for Engine's Robin Wight. 

‘Unlike some, Visa has no footballer on their books to rely on.  Instead the clever creatives at Saatchi and Saatchi had a brilliantly simple idea,’ he says.  A slobby couch-potato football fan runs all the way to the stadium in South Africa, getting him into shape on the way.  Like all the best advertising ideas, says Wight, ‘it can be described in a single sentence.’   

‘Visa gets you closer to the World Cup’ was the original brief to Xander Smith and Jonathan Santana at Saatchi & Saatchi.  They decided to literally show one fan’s journey from Europe to South Africa, armed only with his Visa card.

The shoot took nine days across various locations in Morocco and South Africa – home country to both Smith and Santana. ‘Some scenes were shot in a game reserve.  It was hilarious to see lads from Leeds and London, fresh off the plane, running next to real rhinos with lions around the corner,’ said Smith. The main actor was also chased by an ‘obtuse ostrich’ a couple of times, he adds.

Our hero is actually played by three actors – one lead and two body doubles.  The production team also had a movement specialist on set who taught the actors how to run correctly and in the same way to make it look seamless.

Football obsessed director Chris Palmer used the same tracking shot throughout, always moving form left to right.  The runner subtly transforms from zero to hero as he races to the World Cup in South Africa, ending up in Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. 

‘The transformation of an overweight fan to a goal-scoring hero is handled with polish and skill by Palmer,’ says Wight, who particularly liked the goal celebration at the end.  ‘Maybe Rooney will be able to copy this bit,’ he adds.

Comments

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This was a rip off of the guy dancing around the world (down to copying the actual hopscotch 'dance' at one point). Very disappointing misappropriation which puts me off the product.

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With regard to talent. I also have favorite actors, but, to judge the talent needed specifically for theatrical works, as the film footage - an indicator of talent, writers, directors, operators, and an actor, I'm sorry - a puppet pulled by the threads until your desired result. Let me repeat, I was delighted with the courage, and not from any other aspects.

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Think about it. For flag football, you don't need to work out or develop any skills; you just have to be fast and be able to catch. It basically defeats the purpose of any other position player except the fastest positions like receiver and cornerbacks. It kills the point of being able to bench press 400 pounds when all you have to do is be fast.

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The World Cup begins on June 11, 2010 with the finals played on July 11, 2010. The 32 qualifying teams are (in alphabetical order): Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Paraguay, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United States, and Uruguay.

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You would think people would wake-up after that one, but no -- they keep looking for that pot of gold that will send them to Hawaii for the rest of their lives.

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the fifa world cup mania goes all over the planet is amazing all the money that this can generate .
so many people always wait for 4 year to this party all over the world now the party will be in brazil.

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He who would do well to another must do it in minute particulars; general good is the plea of the scoundrel, hypocrite and flatterer. What do you think?

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