Ad of the Day: Gus Van Sant Directs Trio of Breathtaking Spots for the BMW i8

Leave it to the auteur Gus Van Sant to take some of automotive advertising's biggest clichés—self-glorifying narration over footage of a luxury car in the desert—and somehow still turn them into something beautifully compelling. Van Sant, best known for his Oscar-nominated directing of Hollywood hits Good Will Hunting and Milk, helmed three new spots for BMW's upcoming plug-in hybrid, the i8. They are, as one would expect, artfully shot, using a shifting focal depth to bring some new perspective to the age-old images of a cutting-edge automobile tearing across barren wastelands. (Thankfully they're not salt flats for once.) And the minimalist visuals definitely help you focus on the car, whose sleek lines and sci-fi detailing are definitely not the usual BMW fare. But it's the narration that truly drives the spots. Featuring actors Michael Pitt (Jimmy from Boardwalk Empire), Sam Hazeldine (Caleb on ABC's recently renewed Resurrection) and Mickey Sumner (co-star of Frances Ha), the ads describe the i8's unlikely evolution from Tron-like concept car to production reality. "I am one no one believed, a vision, a dream, a crazy idea," intones Pitt, who played Kurt Cobain in Van Sant's Last Days. "I am millions of questions, the endless search for answers that no one has found before. Try, error. Try, error. Try, again and again." The ads also bring something truly rare to a luxury car ad: a woman's voice. Most high-priced car ads relegate women to looking elegant in long, flowing dresses while gently caressing the vehicle's curves. If women are shown actually driving a luxury car, it's usually some ridiculous art house scenario where they're fleeing a black-tie gala while throwing a head scarf out the window or some nonsense. So, while it's not necessarily a Sandra Day O'Connor-level achievement to hear Sumner describing the innovative elegance of a hybrid sports car, it's a refreshing change from the ironic modern monopoly of Mad Men manly man voices Jon Hamm and John Slattery. These are best viewed in full screen. [jwplayer xiH74fyb-1kT9Z8rj] [jwplayer xV82nRH4-1kT9Z8rj] [jwplayer t7Ay8FHP-1kT9Z8rj] CREDITS Client: BMW Senior Vice President, Brand Management, Marketing Services: Steven Althaus Vice Presidents, Brand Management, Marketing Services: Andreas Christoph Hofmann, Wolfgang Breyer Head of International Advertising, Online, Social Media: Wolfgang Gross Project Manager, International Advertising, Brand Communication: Heiko Kircher Agency: Serviceplan International GmbH & Co. KG Chief Creative Officer: Alexander Schill Executive Creative Director, Worldwide: Maik Kaehler Creative Directors: Nikolaus Ronacher, Nina Puri Head of Production: Sandra Niessen Agency Producer: Anne Hoffmann Managing Partner, International: Markus Noder Management Supervisor: Jens Hoffmann Account Directors: Melanie Blankenburg, Florian Klietz Production Company: Iconoclast Director: Gus Van Sant Executive Producers: Charles-Marie Anthonioz, Nicolas Lhermitte Producer: Julien Lemaitre Director of Photography: Kasper Tuxen Postproduction: Angus Wall, A52, Rock Paper Scissors Music: B.C. Smith, Allessandro Cortini Sound, Design: Lime Studios Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors Editors: Angus Wall, Jamie Foord, Grant Surmi, Austyn Daines Assistant Editors: Lauren Dellara, austyn Daines Executive Producer: Carol Lynn Weaver Producer: Lauren Wilson Head of Production: Angela Dorian VFX Studio: a52 VFX Supervisor: Andy McKenna 2D VFX Artists: Andy Barrios, Richard Hirst, Steve Wolff, Stefan Gaillot, Matt Sousa, Cameron Coombs, Michael Plescia, Bruno Parenti Flame assistants: Dan Ellis & Kevin Stokes Color: a52 Colorist: Paul Yacono Producer: Daughn Godd Ward Executive Producer: Megan Meloth, Jennifer Sofio Hall Head of Production: Kim Christensen

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Gus Van Sant Directs Trio of Breathtaking Spots for the BMW i8

Leaning on category conventions while upending them, too

David Griner

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David Griner