A week ago we wrote about Publicis New York and Heineken’s tribute to the return of The Bay Lights with “Sounds.” Now, GS&P is also getting on the celebration with a new spot for Illuminate — the non-profit presenting organization for The Bay Lights — celebrating the relighting of artist Leo Villareal‘s light sculpture, which will now be a permanent fixture on the western span of the Bay Bridge.
The spot opens on a children’s bunny nightlight turning on, followed by a series of objets being illuminated, seemingly without provocation. These range from light-up shoes to pinball components to elaborate displays and even a subtle homage to Pixar. Finally, the ad delivers the message, “from every one of us, to all 25,000 of you” over footage of The Bay Lights. It’s an appropriately direct homage to the structure, which will make its return on January 30, ahead of the Super Bowl. The entire project, including the music, logo, sound design, visuals and editing, was all handled in-house at GS&P.
“We wanted the spot to feel magical, sort of Pixar-ish,” explained GS&P co-chairman and executive creative director Rich Silverstein. “We gave each light its own distinct sound and its own personality.”
“There is a lot of love for The Bay Lights project,” added PJ Koll, director of GS&P’s internal production studio. “When we put the word out that we needed visuals for this spot, there were several directors of photography who were willing to donate their time and talent for this project.”