This Adidas Spec Ad was made by third year German film student, Eugen Merher. He shared it with Adidas before and after production, but they were not interested. Recently, the ad went viral to over 9 million views and I was drawn to the universal emotion of the piece. Essentially a story without words, with the exception of the end tagline, subtle details (i.e. 0:08 chest-rising sigh), music, and techniques, like pacing, color, soft focus, convey the story with no need for narration.
The story is of an older man living in a nursing home, bored (sitting on bed with blank stare, eating routine breakfast while TV drones on in background), yearning to set his spirit free. Nostalgic for his youthful running days, we see him looking out the window, as a runner passes by in the yard, his running memorabilia on his bedroom walls. The discovery of a pair of old adidas trainers in a locker shifts the tone of the piece as sadness turns to hope. The protagonist sets out to run, only to be stopped by facility staff.
As he becomes more determined to run; the filmmaker employs humorous detail, like the potato-sack bench press and an onlooking resident mindlessly watering his TV, to bring levity to the otherwise somber mood.
At 0:57 we return to the opening shot of protagonist staring gloomily into space as he sits on his bed, but his gaze shifts as residents enter with his shoes. A moment of transition. The music and mood open up, as residents line the halls, cheering him on, in slow motion, as he finally runs the length of the hall and outside to freedom. Action / Reaction shots heighten the emotion of the scene, as camera shifts POV between protagonist and spectators.
In my research I discovered, in an interview by AdFreak, that Merher’s video was set aside without much thought as he quickly moved on to keep up with new school assignments. But recently, he showed the fake advert to someone in the industry who suggested putting it to different music. The transformation was immediate. In the words of filmmaker Eugen Merher:
“I had forgotten about the ad by last March, but then we showed it to Sebastian Ritzler of e+p films and he put in some new music by my favorite composer Alex David. All of a sudden the ad became magical in a way. It was entirely different. Sebastian said, “The music will make or break the ad.””
The video is a great example of the significance of sound design. To read more about this viral video and how people are responding to it, check out Huffington Post article Student’s Adidas Commercial is Everything Advertising Should Be.
Elayna, this commercial––no joke––almost made me cry. So much to be said about this story without words! The music sets the emotional tone beautifully. The use of slow-motion as he runs down the halls with a slight grin (0:23) gives viewers a glimpse of hope––all made possible with the music. I also though the use of jump cuts at (0:35) work well as the nurses pull him away from the exit door. This editing choice speeds up the pace, making it more intense after the slow build up to him about to break free. What I enjoyed most about this post is that you included the background of the mind behind it all. This creates a more in-depth viewing experience––a kind of behind the scenes. Thanks for sharing!
This is one of my favorite ads released recently. It is a great video story with strong sound design, slow motion, and color correction. I love the warm tone color along with the break free idea. Good choice!