Single Commercial
This commercial was inspired by a billboard ad I saw one summer while driving to the beach. Although I cannot recall the specific brand, the ad displayed a bunch of beach items (an umbrella, towels, sunglasses, flip flops, and a car mat) laid out next to each other with a slogan that said "all your summer essentials." I thought this was such a creative way to promote such a mundane, and objectively unattractive item, which led to the creation of this commercial...
Setting / Background:
The focus of the shots in this commercial are the lower quarter of a series of 4-door automotive vehicles. More specifically, the scenes will be shot from the same angle, displaying the lower portion of the backseat of a car (essentially from the waist down of all passengers), however, the vehicles will change over time (i.e. one may be a Jeep Cherokee, another a Toyota Hylander, etc. — the make does not matter, but they will all be 4-door vehicles).
In each shot, the car door will be open, and a series of people will be shot climbing into and out of the car. This angle will enable viewers to recognize that different cars are being filmed in different locations, for a portion of the terrain will be visible beneath the car (i.e. in a driveway, on a grass field, in a muddy area, etc.), however, none of the actors faces or bodies will be visible, other than their legs and feet.
The commercial will display the growth / change of a single family over the years; more specifically, the commercial will start of with young children climbing into / out of the cars, and will shift to older actors towards the end. This progression of actors will signify that the children in the family are growing up. Just as the kids are growing and changing, so, too, will the family’s car, however, the weather mats inside their cars will remain the same, suggesting that the weather mats are both durable and effective, and thus can be kept for several years.
Upbeat music will play faintly in the background, but ambient noise from each of the scenes will still be audible.
Sample Shots:
Shot 1: Young children’s feet kicking muddy rain boots against the back of the front seats (ages 4-6)
Sample Sound: Children giggling; boots squeaking; windshield wipers swiping from side to side
Shot 2: Bare, sandy feet climbing in from a day at the beach (ages 6-8)
Sample Sound: Scratching of sand against the leather
Shot 3: Well-worn cleats (covered in dried dirt, with chunks of grass stuck on the bottom) rushing out of the car (ages 8-10)
Sample Sound: A parent saying “good luck out there today!” and/or “don’t forget your water bottle.”
Shot 4: Kids piling into the car with snow covered shoes/boots + a snow covered dog jumping in behind them (ages 10-12)
Sample Sound: Dog barking; a parent yelling at the dog to get down (off the seats) as the kids laugh and say “good boy”
Shot 5: Teens pushing each other as they get into the car after school, throwing half-open backpacks on the ground (some of the contents — notebooks, loose papers, stray pencils — spilling out) and kicking their sneakers off (ages 12-15)
Sample Sound: One teen yelling “shot not middle!” and rushing to be the first to get in while one sibling yells “ow!” after being shoved aside and the other yells “not fair!” when stuck with the middle seat
Shot 6: A boy and a girl dressed in formal clothing (i.e. tux & dress shoes, heels & fancy dress) about to get out to go to prom/a school dance. The boy taps his foot on the ground, clearly ready to get out, as the girl awkwardly crosses her legs/fidgets in her heels (age 15-17)
Sample Sound: A parent saying “no fooling around tonight kids” and a son yelling “Dad!” annoyed/embarrassed in response
Shot 7: A high school graduate jumps excitedly into the car still wearing his gown and resting his cap on his lap and his siblings clim in next to him
Sample Sound: An elated parent saying “We’re so proud of you, honey!!” while one of the siblings says “we’re all shocked you made it” and laughing
Shot 8: Son being dropped of at college — stepping out slowly while family starts unpacking the car/pulling out items that were tightly jammed into the back seat
Sample Sound: Scraping of items against the seats/each other as they’re being removed, son solemnly saying “I’m gonna miss you guys”
Final Tagline:
Scene becomes blurred (can still see colors/shapes in the background, but details are completely indistinguishable); WeatherTech logo appears along with overlaying narrative…
“Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. WeatherTech. Here for you…always.”
— END —