Culver City’s Pitch won a review launched by the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino last year after the client chose to search for the right shop to assert its status as “number one in visitation in its market.”
The resulting campaign, titled “All Thrill” and created in collaboration with production company Gentleman Scholar, officially launches on Monday and uses three TV spots to summarize the experience you’ll have if you happen to visit the casino.
While most gambling establishments tend to play it safe with generic yuppies and seniors being indulgent, San Manuel wanted to create a more visceral experience.
First, “Anthem” tells us that visitors can expect to enter the establishment through a secret amulet, then ride motorcycles alongside horny bears made of cards to reach the ultimate prize: a woman who spilled a white Russian on her face and just can’t seem to wipe it off.
Next, “Blackjack” uses our favorite simple card game to take us on a trip through a fireworks show and a virtual black and gold castle inexplicably occupied by a princess with gold fingers while the guy who stole King Joffrey’s Iron Throne looks on and sneers at us from beneath his golden crown of thorns.
We are slightly scared.
Finally, we get to Marge Simpson’s nemesis: the slot machines. This actress looks deeply disturbed.
We like the visual M.C. Escher references and the fact that the final shot doesn’t reveal whether the protagonist is happy or completely possessed. Are they not one and the same??
The release tells us that the campaign aspires to use its mix of CG, 3D animation and live footage in order to take viewers on a “wild ride into the interior emotions of casino players.”
We always assumed those emotions went something like this:
“Please please please please please Jesus please OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE, which car should I sell and HOW CAN I KEEP THE SECRET FROM MY WIFE?”
The first step in recovery is admitting that you have a problem.
Client: San Manuel
General Manager: Loren Gill
Chief Marketing Officer: Peter Arceo
Executive Director of Operations: Steve Lengel
Creative Manager: Nora Connors
Agency: Pitch
Chief Creative Officer: Xanthe Wells
President: Rachel Spiegelman
CFO/COO: Pej Sabet
Art Director: David Dubois
Senior Copywriter: Jake Matthews
Director of Broadcast Production: Julie Salik
Production Coordinator: Nick Phillips
Group Account Director: Dave Foster
Account Director: Audrey Jersin
Management Supervisor: Tyler Lesch
Post Production Company: Bicep Productions
Executive Producer/Post: Esther Gonzalez
Mixer: Luis Rosario
Production Company: Gentleman Scholar
Directors: William Campbell & Will Johnson
Executive Producer: Lindsay Bodanza
Head of Production: Rachel Kaminek
Line Producer: Rich Kaylor
DP: Craig Kief
Production Designer: Carl Swanberg
Post Production Company: Gentleman Scholar
Creative Directors: William Campbell & Will Johnson
Art Director: Jordan Lyle
CG Supervisor: Tim Hayward
2D Lead: Tommy Wooh
Producer: Nate Occhipinti
Flame Artist: Paul Heagney, Federico Saccone, Renee Tymn
Editor: Erik Barnes
SLOTS
Designer: Sarah Beth Hulver, Paul Kim, James Levy
CG Generalist: Ben Grangereau, Robert Kim, Johnny Lum
FX Artist: Matt Johnson
3D Animation: James Lane, Sarah Wolfe
Lighting: Rafael Protti, Danny Jenson, Chris Barischoff
Compositor: Will Voss Johnson
Storyboard: Eric Yamamoto, Brad Arnold
BLACKJACK
Designer: James Levy, Janice Ahn, Daniel Uribe
CG Generalist: Ben Grangereau, Robert Kim
FX Artist: Yates Holley, Matt Johnson
3D Animation: James Lane, Sarah Wolfe
Modeling & Texture: Chris Barischoff, Andy Kim, Robert Kim, Kevin Manning
Lighting: Chris Barischoff
Compositor: Travis Button
Storyboard: Eric Yamamoto, Bryan Deloach, Frank Dellafemina
ANTHEM
Designer: Paul Kim
Matte Painting: James Levy
CG Generalist: Ryan Kaplan, Johnny Lum
FX Artist: Kunle Jegede, Yates Holley
3D Animation: James Lane
Modeling & Texture : Andy Kim, Kevin Manning, Robert Kim
Lighting: Erick Schiele
Compositor: JP Rooney, Raul Moreno, Kevin Kim, Michael Tavarez
Storyboard: Bryan Deloach
Music by Elias
ECD: Vincenzo LoRusso
CD: Michael Goldstein
EP: Vicki Ordeshook
Head of Production: Katie Overcash