WSL/Samsung employ hipster director AG Rojas to make motivational short…
AG Rojas is the Spanish-born, LA-raised film director for whom the WSL and Samsung have turned to spice, just a little, their peppermint candy sweetness.
Did you ever see Rojas’ Hey Jane, a music video that features a drag queen hooker raising two kids? Gets hell beat out of her etc? Don’t weep, it’s only a movie!
The WSL/Samsung short, however, features an Indian surfer (subcontinental not American), and employs the metaphor of the brave snail overcoming all odds etc.
Voiceover:
“While you were catching up on sleep this morning, there’s a snail out there, right now, who’s giving everything to cross the largest desert of a sidewalk he’s ever seen. Why? Because it beats hiding in his shell.”
Anyway, after the initial snort of laughter about the snail, this short grows on me. Like most Rojas pieces, it’s a colourful slow-mo tableau. Makes you want to surf? Yeah, it does.
The almost-thirty-year-old Rojas reveals his style of filming to one-point-four mag:
“My DP Michael Ragen and I enjoy the challenge of manipulating digital filmmaking to achieve the best possible, natural images. Our first jobs were shot on the RED and now we’re shooting mostly on the Alexa. Also, we shoot digitally because then I can afford to have as many takes as I want of people vomiting.”
Watch The Snail here.
If you liked that, y’gonna like this one for Dick’s Sporting Goods, too…
And this one for Duracell batteries…
Was feeling the thickening right up until the part where Turpel’s voice killed it.
how about #doWhatYouDoCunt ?
Does anyone realize that when a snail moves–he’s just basically looking for food….
You’ve got a chain called ‘Dick’s Sporting goods’ and they don’t do “shouty” ads? Weird.
So the message is: the WSL are snails.
Seems bang on to me.
I’ve got no problem with any kid dragging himself/herself out of the mire through surfing – but when Samsung/WSL use this sought of imagery and wrap it up in metaphysical bullshit for commercial gain with that fucking seppo voiceover, well I just want to punch something!
While it doesn’t rile me up with violent tendencies, like you, I have always found millionaire surf star’s love affairs with photographing & filming social poverty as something warranting reflection. Surf starts with claims to overcoming poverty? Rabbit Bartholomew, Jadson, Adrino, is about it.
Nail on the head. Disguising an emotionally manipulative half-baked fable and attaching it to a self-centered activity to move some units. Give me a break.
You want to punch something when commercials use imagery for commercial gain? How very bizarre.
The initial draft wasn’t approved. Board was deemed not authentic.
A snail would never surf. Because saltwater kills them.
Did no one point that out during the making of the ad?
C’mon Rory. When you find an indisputable truth AND you can use it in an ad, you know you’ve got gold.
‘You may say this is dumb. Snails don’t play Guitar Hero….’
this guy is a genius. that duracell commercial still gives me chills
‘You may say this is dumb. Snails don’t surf. Well, neither did any of us…….until we did.’
This is a profound observation, an essential truth, and so widely applicable.
‘You may say this is dumb. Snails don’t shampoo their hair. Well, neither did any of us…….until we did.’
Fuck, that’s one of my fav Spiritualized tracks. Thanks dude.
Yeah, me too!
Fun fact: everyone in that Dick’s commercial is named “Brock.” Except the girls, who are all named “Brockina.”
Spiritualized on Beachgrit? I’ll take it. That video is great.
It had the feel of an IBM commercial. I was liking it until I heard dumbass Turpel’s nasally voice (from the phone) in the background… fucking Joe ruins everything.