Ad of the Day: PlayStation Vue Helps You Escape From the Evil Clutches of Big Cable

Forget about the Thought Police … here comes the cable company! Big Cable is portrayed as a dystopian, soul-sucking force (not a big stretch there) in "Escape," the first TV spot for Sony's PlayStation Vue from Venables Bell & Partners. As the minute-long ad opens, a dull ochre haze hangs over the land. The grim silence is punctuated by the tinny din of loudspeakers hawking new cable bundles to residents of a drab housing tract. Cable trucks roam the streets like hungry sharks seeking prey. So, it basically looks a bit like Albuquerque … on a good day. Our hero refuses to play a losing game, though. Rather than renew his cable contract when his TV orders him to "COMPLY!," he goes on the run—with white-capped cable guys in hot pursuit. In a cute bit, the all-seeing corporate call center coordinates his pursuit, announcing, "This escape may be monitored for quality assurance." Just as capture seems certain, a manhole opens and our hero descends into darkness and makes his way toward … freedom? Schenectady? Watch the clip to find out: "One of our goals was to create a hero that our target could relate to," Tyler Hampton, creative director at VB+P, tells Adweek. "Gamers are always fighting a system of some kind in their gameplay, and we wanted to recreate that feeling in the spot. People are tired of the status quo and the feeling of being stuck, so there was a rich emotional vein to tap into. As well as identifying the problem, we wanted to lead them to the solution in a gamer way. A secret tunnel was a natural." The spot retains the futuristic flavor of PS Vue's past work from former agency Johannes Leonardo, taking the sci-fi themes in an edgy new direction. Overall, it's a satisfying, cinematic ride from Park Pictures director Lance Acord (the man behind Apple's "Misunderstood," which won the 2014 Emmy Award for best ad, and many other hits.) And if "Escape" falls a tad flat at the finish, devolving into sheer predictability, well, what did you expect? This is a commercial, after all. It's not like cable guys are going to catch up and shove the guy's head inside a set-top-box filled with rats until he agrees to sign a new contract. That only happens in real life. CREDITS Client: Sony PlayStation SVP of Marketing and Head of Playstation Network: Eric Lempel Senior Director, Americas Marketing: Nancy Kim Senior Manager, Product Marketing: Lynda Chen Manager, Product Marketing: Lori Kackenmeister Associate Marketing Specialist: Michele Ewing Director Corporate Communications at PlayStation: Karen Auby Agency: Venables Bell & Partners Chairman: Paul Venables Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness Creative Director: Tyler Hampton Associate Creative Director: Alex Rice Copywriter: Chris Bull Director of Integrated Production: Craig Allen Agency Senior Producer: Emily Moore Production Company: Park Pictures Director: Lance Acord Director of Photography: Lance Acord Executive Producer: Caroline Kousidonis Line Producer: Tracy Broaddus Editing Company: Exile Editor: Kirk Baxter Assistant Editor: Grant Hall, Jess Baclesse Post Producer: Toby Louie Editorial Executive Producer: CL Weaver Editorial Head Of Production: Jennifer Locke Music House/SFX: Walker Composer (Escape): Judson Crane Executive Producer: Sara Matarazzo VO Casting: Sound + Fury Mix: Lime Mixer: Jeff Malen Mix Producer: Susie Boyajan VFX Studio: a52 VFX Supervisor: Patrick Murphy Head of 3D: Kirk Shintani CG Supervisor: Adam Newman 2D VFX Artists: Patrick Murphy, Matt Sousa, Steven Wolff, Hugh Seville, Cameron Coombs, Mike Vaglienty, Christel Hazard, Richard Hirst, Dan Ellis 3D Artists: Adam Newman, John Balcome, Manny Guizar, Jose Limon, Joe Chiechi, Mike Bettinardi Matte Painting: Dark Hoffman Flame Assistants: Gabe Sanchez, Kevin Stokes Roto Artists: Tiffany Germann, Cathy Shaw, Robert Shaw Production Coordinator: Kelly Noecker VFX Producer: Michael Steinmann Executive Producer: Patrick Nugent Design Studio: Elastic Design Art Director: Mike Calvert Designers: Mike Calvert, Jon Forsman Animator: Peter Murphy Design Producers: Jenny Bright, Catherine Yi VFX/Design Head Of Production: Kim Christensen Design Executive Producer: Belinda Blacklock Design Managing Director: Jennifer Sofio Hall Head of Brand Management: David Corns Brand Director: Elaine Chu Brand Manager: Gillian McBrayer

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Ad of the Day: PlayStation Vue Helps You Escape From the Evil Clutches of Big Cable

A way out of your dystopian nightmare

David Gianatasio

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David Gianatasio