Target x Cars 3
May 2017 ––The Cool Kids at 72andSunny and the home-team reps Tool of North America were collaborating on an amazing sculptural race track designed by the great DJ Neff as part of a cross-promotion campaign between Global Brand Target and the Feature Length Cars 3 release. The giant track is the type that when it comes to wish fulfillment fantasies for kids, the 20 foot wide, by 8 foot high toy race track loaded with tunnels, lights, jumps, loop-de-loops, and corkscrew turns is pretty much the ultimate dream come true. Munkowitz was brought into the project to shoot a commercial of the small toy race cars ripping through the track.
What was so gratifying about this idea is that it offered the opportunity to shoot a compelling car sequence for kids that’s equally as dramatic, thrilling, and charged with kinetic power as any car sequence geared toward adults. The pit-of-your-stomach rush of velocity brought on by racing is exciting at any age, and this was a chance to tap into that insight in a way that speaks to both the distinctive design sensibility of the Target brand and the whimsical spirit of the Cars franchise. What’s more, it’s a chance to do that from a singularly fun starting point: capturing the essence of speed and the electrifying fun of the coolest toy race track ever built.
What was so gratifying about this idea is that it offered the opportunity to shoot a compelling car sequence for kids that’s equally as dramatic, thrilling, and charged with kinetic power as any car sequence geared toward adults. The pit-of-your-stomach rush of velocity brought on by racing is exciting at any age, and this was a chance to tap into that insight in a way that speaks to both the distinctive design sensibility of the Target brand and the whimsical spirit of the Cars franchise. What’s more, it’s a chance to do that from a singularly fun starting point: capturing the essence of speed and the electrifying fun of the coolest toy race track ever built.
The Film
–– 01The Approach
–– 02We wanted to punctuate our storytelling with shots that remind the audience of the true scale of these toy cars and the track. Using a Technocrane allowed the camera to get very high in the space, and granted the team a ton of freedom to achieve compelling perspective moments. This was particularly helpful in the shots of the smaller Target Logo and Bird’s Eye View tracking the cars, and also in capturing the kids at the very top of the structure in the establishing shot where the entire track was one giant Target Branded moment.
What’s more, the dynamic types of sweeping camera movement granted the freedom and flexibility needed to capture the best parts of the kids’ excitement, producing an edit that matched the high-energy car shots with the emotional experience of the kids as they experienced the race. The goal was to have the camera work imbue the toy cars with the impact and intensity of real race cars. Beautiful macro shots of the cars on the track romance their speed and power as they fly down epic drops, cruise around tight turns, and fly over impressive jumps. A blend of POV shots, speed-ramps, and wide angle shots would bring a sense of immediacy to the lensing in the race footage, coloring each turn, weave, tunnel, spiral, twist, dip, and jump with the dynamism of a real race.
With our camera capturing the subtle nuances of the car’s movement in such detail, you truly feel as though you’re sitting inside it. The Technocrane system helped us greatly in that aim, allowing us to capture high-speed moments while getting incredibly close to the cars. Additionally, with invoking wide-angle lenses with close focusing distances created the subtle distortion that makes an object seem bigger than it is. This frame our cars with heroic grandiosity, rendering them feeling larger than life.
Some things are just universally appealing, and a good, old-fashioned race is one of them. There’s always something cool about approaching material intended for children through an adult lens, and that’s exactly what the goal was with this stylishly cool concept for Target and Cars. Honoring the power of adrenaline, the thrill of a friendly rivalry, and the wish-fulfillment fun of this spot with a beautifully curated visual style and rousingly cinematic camerawork. It’s a chance to show the versatility of these products, with a set that is so ingeniously constructed, inviting kids to let their imaginations run wild with what they can build on their own. If we do our jobs right, this will be not only every kid’s deepest dream realized on the screen – but every adult’s, too.
What’s more, the dynamic types of sweeping camera movement granted the freedom and flexibility needed to capture the best parts of the kids’ excitement, producing an edit that matched the high-energy car shots with the emotional experience of the kids as they experienced the race. The goal was to have the camera work imbue the toy cars with the impact and intensity of real race cars. Beautiful macro shots of the cars on the track romance their speed and power as they fly down epic drops, cruise around tight turns, and fly over impressive jumps. A blend of POV shots, speed-ramps, and wide angle shots would bring a sense of immediacy to the lensing in the race footage, coloring each turn, weave, tunnel, spiral, twist, dip, and jump with the dynamism of a real race.
With our camera capturing the subtle nuances of the car’s movement in such detail, you truly feel as though you’re sitting inside it. The Technocrane system helped us greatly in that aim, allowing us to capture high-speed moments while getting incredibly close to the cars. Additionally, with invoking wide-angle lenses with close focusing distances created the subtle distortion that makes an object seem bigger than it is. This frame our cars with heroic grandiosity, rendering them feeling larger than life.
Some things are just universally appealing, and a good, old-fashioned race is one of them. There’s always something cool about approaching material intended for children through an adult lens, and that’s exactly what the goal was with this stylishly cool concept for Target and Cars. Honoring the power of adrenaline, the thrill of a friendly rivalry, and the wish-fulfillment fun of this spot with a beautifully curated visual style and rousingly cinematic camerawork. It’s a chance to show the versatility of these products, with a set that is so ingeniously constructed, inviting kids to let their imaginations run wild with what they can build on their own. If we do our jobs right, this will be not only every kid’s deepest dream realized on the screen – but every adult’s, too.
–– 02
Target Credit List
Production
Director: GMUNK
Production Company: Tool
Managing Partner: Oliver Fuselier
Executive Producer: Sara Dileo
Head Of Production: Amy Delossa
Producer: Jesse Roberts
Prod. Supervisor: David Feld
Asst. Prod. Super: John Hopkins
1st AD: Ryan Lippert
2nd AD: Erik Marshall
Camera Dept
DP: Stephen Mcgehee
1st AC: Steve Cueva
2nd AC: Megan Morris
DIT: Jeff Woodlings
Crane Op: Ron Tatham
Crane Tech: Michael "Hawk" Montez
Electric
Gaffer: Sean Ginn
Best Boy Electric: James Lyons
Electric: Eric Sagot
Electric: Greg Shummon
Grip
Key Grip 5/11: Kenny Davis
Key Grip 5/12: Eric Budlong
Best Boy Grip: Brian Deutsch
Grip: Noah Behar
Grip: Kaiyoti Pesante
Sound, VTR, Script
Sound Mixer: Ryan Canestro
Boom Operator: Ryan Carment
VTR: Adam Delgado
Script Supervisor: Emma Danoff
Vanities
Wardrobe Stylist: Andrea Mcinnes
Wardrobe Stylist: Tandace Khorrami
HMU: Keiko Wedding
Talent
Boy: Nolan Araki
Girl: Alyssa Baldwin
Agency
Group Creative Director: Paul Nguyen
Creative Director / Writer: Garrett Jones
Lead Designer: Victoria Macey
Sr. Brand Manager: Camille Yaptinchay
Brand Coordinator: Kayla Moe
Executive Producer: Zeynap Taslica
Senior Producer: Lizzie Marcy
Experiential Producer: Kaili Kubpart
Print Producer: Veronica Reo
SCPS Unlimited
Track Fabricator: Don Wertz
Track Fabricator: Craig Currie
Track Fabricator: Josh Balster
Production
Director: GMUNK
Production Company: Tool
Managing Partner: Oliver Fuselier
Executive Producer: Sara Dileo
Head Of Production: Amy Delossa
Producer: Jesse Roberts
Prod. Supervisor: David Feld
Asst. Prod. Super: John Hopkins
1st AD: Ryan Lippert
2nd AD: Erik Marshall
Camera Dept
DP: Stephen Mcgehee
1st AC: Steve Cueva
2nd AC: Megan Morris
DIT: Jeff Woodlings
Crane Op: Ron Tatham
Crane Tech: Michael "Hawk" Montez
Electric
Gaffer: Sean Ginn
Best Boy Electric: James Lyons
Electric: Eric Sagot
Electric: Greg Shummon
Grip
Key Grip 5/11: Kenny Davis
Key Grip 5/12: Eric Budlong
Best Boy Grip: Brian Deutsch
Grip: Noah Behar
Grip: Kaiyoti Pesante
Sound, VTR, Script
Sound Mixer: Ryan Canestro
Boom Operator: Ryan Carment
VTR: Adam Delgado
Script Supervisor: Emma Danoff
Vanities
Wardrobe Stylist: Andrea Mcinnes
Wardrobe Stylist: Tandace Khorrami
HMU: Keiko Wedding
Talent
Boy: Nolan Araki
Girl: Alyssa Baldwin
Agency
Group Creative Director: Paul Nguyen
Creative Director / Writer: Garrett Jones
Lead Designer: Victoria Macey
Sr. Brand Manager: Camille Yaptinchay
Brand Coordinator: Kayla Moe
Executive Producer: Zeynap Taslica
Senior Producer: Lizzie Marcy
Experiential Producer: Kaili Kubpart
Print Producer: Veronica Reo
SCPS Unlimited
Track Fabricator: Don Wertz
Track Fabricator: Craig Currie
Track Fabricator: Josh Balster