top of page
the new SPRINTER
by Jb Carlin
Claiming anything as being “100%” is a bold statement. It’s a declaration, a gauntlet being thrown down. As the saying goes, “If you aim for the king, you best not miss.” Put simply, if we’re going all in, then we have to match this claim with equally bold, superlative filmmaking.
It’s our job to make these films absolutely exciting and entertaining, with a fresh confidence that separates our films from all the other content polluting our devices. What that means is that we must have everything in our toolbox to make these films come alive, not only serving the Mercedes Sprinter at the center of it, but also creating experiences that tap into a real emotional center.
The characters and their journeys have to feel organic, tactile, and dynamic, so much so that viewers feel as if they’re in our heroes’ shoes, experiencing the same sense of freedom and confidence in their daily work life, all thanks to their Sprinter. These films have to be executed with the utmost attention to detail. 100% cannot be met with anything less.
Let’s face it, when you think about a Mercedes you think of the illustrious icon of automotive technology. You think of levels of perfection and design and craftsmanship so high that to the average young adult a Mercedes is simply unattainable. Our aim with this campaign is to counter that myth by connecting the Sprinter to hard working entrepreneurs -- both young and mature.
We do that by creating a look and feel that is natural and cinematic with an authentic cast of charming youthful characters who exude a passion and joy for their careers against an aspirational city backdrop.
That is the key to making these films engaging and effective – the right faces and personalities, the right locations, the right light, the right angles and lensing, all working together to create 30 seconds of engaging content that people will want to watch and connect with.
The premises are clear, but worth restating. We are creating three :30’s and four :15’s that are intimate, candid looks at the day-in-the-life of our entrepreneurs. Our films will show how they use their Mercedes Sprinter’s to help achieve the many tasks they take on every single day as a small business owner.
What gives these stories their unique emotional hook is that we really feel the impact of this experience through the eyes of our characters. At first there is tension, but like the hero of any epic adventure, they begin to change.
As we transition from their businesses to asphalt roads, we feel an overall build and escalation in drama, energy and scope, as well as character growth. As the vehicles demonstrate how capably they handle the daily agenda, each driver becomes more confident. The shift in environment serve as natural chapters to help tell each character’s story.
There’s a lot to discuss, and the following pages are just a jumping off point. As we move along through this process, through numerous conversations and discoveries, we will work together to flesh these scripts out even further and in more detail. In the meantime, here are some initial thoughts and ideas I have on how I see these films playing out.
30'' storyline
We open on a Baker in the kitchen of her brand-new bakery. She’s teaching her staff, baking, perfecting, and preparing for her shop to open. We hear her voice over, “When you open a business, you have to be everything.”
We see her put the final touches on a stunning cake or pastry. She’s pleased with the outcome. We hear, “40% baker”.
We cut to her delivering one of her cakes to a home or business. We can see her Sprinter in the background… “30% deliverer”.
Outside her small storefront bakery in a charming part of the city, she snaps a pic with her cell phone, then posts it to Instagram… “30% digital influencer.”
We cut to dynamic performance scenes of her New Sprinter van highlighting some of the new features while it moves through the city. She’s behind the wheel using the Sprinter’s technology. Let’s create a bakery name, like “Buttercup Bakery”, and design a cool logo for the store front, and even skin her van so it appears as if it’s her real delivery van. We hear… “so your van has to be 100%. The new sprinter has arrived. Still safer with attention assist and active brake assist. Beyond larger load capacity up to 4.1 tons.”
For our ending, to wrap it up and come full circle, lets shoot a portrait of her proudly standing in front of her Sprinter, looking confident and strong. We hear,
“Sprinter. 100% for you.”
30'' storyline
We open following our Building Materials Warehouse (Lumber Yard) owner at a construction site. He backs up his New Sprinter Chassis, which is loaded with lumber. We cut to him exiting the driver’s side. He walks around to the back of the Sprinter, puts on a pair of gloves, and begins to unload the lumber. We hear our VO, “When you open a business, you have to be everything.”
We cut to him back behind the wheel of his New Sprinter Chassis driving through the city streets. We hear, “40% driver”.
We cut to him back at his warehouse to see him sitting with a new hire. He’s showing him the ropes, giving him a tour of his warehouse. We hear, “35% RH”.
We see the owner now in his office fiddling with spreadsheets at his desk… “25% financial”.
We cut to performance scenes of his New Sprinter Chassis highlighting some of the new features as it weaves through the city with a new load of building materials in the back. We hear, “So your van has to be 100%. The new sprinter has arrived. Most connected with navigation, safe with double airbag and electric steering and more profitable load with up to 4.1 tons.”
We cut to a portrait of our proud owner standing in front of his Sprinter, which is parked in front of a construction site… “Sprinter. 100% for you.”
30'' storyline
We open following our Hotel Owner/Operator through the halls of his charming boutique hotel. He sees something out of place and walks over to correct it. We hear, “When you open a business, you have to be everything.”
We cut to see him now at the front desk checking in a couple with a smile. We hear, “40% concierge”
We see him now walking a guest through the hotel to their room. On their way, he points out some of the hotels amenities to his guest. We hear, “25% tour guide”
We cut to him now helping two other employees in the rear of the hotel, in the receiving area, unload materials from a new delivery. He instructs his employees on where to put these materials… “25% manager”
We see him now getting his hands dirty, squeezing a leaking pipe with a wrench, still wearing his nice clothes… “10% plumber”
We cut to performance scenes of his new Sprinter Passenger highlighting some of the new features as it moves through the city. He’s behind the wheel. Guests are in the back. We hear, “So your van has to be 100%. The new sprinter has arrived. Still more comfortable. And not only for passengers who drives for long distances. Will be more-quiet with attention assist, cruise control and active brake assist.”
We cut to a portrait of our Hotel Owner standing proudly in front of his New Sprinter, which is parked in front of his new Hotel… “Sprinter. 100% for you.”
For our 15’s, we will focus on detailed imagery showcasing some of the features of the Sprinter - Alarm, Attention Assist, Connectivity and Load Capacity. Our feature footage needs to be stunning and varied, and will capture a sense of scale. From wide shots of our Sprinter to extreme close ups of the vehicles features. These 15’s will feature our characters from our 30’s and we will see them using these particular features.
The life and energy of our subjects in these natural environments will guide us. The cinematography of these films will capture the mood and tone essential for each poignant beat. The unifying look and feel across the campaign will be authentic and cinematic. Although we will be mostly handheld, there will be times where we will want to put the camera on dolly or even locked off. The juxtaposition of these images will further engage the viewers and make the edit pop.
Visually, let’s start close and widen out as the film progresses. We either start close on a character, or we’re tight on a piece of the Sprinter, or looking through a reflection in the Sprinter’s surface or glass – something unexpected and unique to help create intrigue and pull our viewers in, placing them immediately in our characters world. As their scene progresses, wider framing and compositions will allow the film to open-up and breathe.
I’m honestly obsessed about cinematography. I am always looking for new perspectives, new angles and compositions, new ways to move through a scene, and I’m excited to do that with you guys on this project.
We will remain consistent with our themes of energy and life. This KIA commercial http://www.vimeo.com/293420867 embodies a great deal of the tone, raw energy, and authentic spirit I aim to achieve in our films. Smooth pans across wider framing clash with handheld shots and lens flares to form a disjunctive harmony allowing each scene its own breath of life, giving complexity and beauty to the piece as a whole.
Casting is clearly a huge part of getting this right. The cinematic beauty we capture has to mix seamlessly with honest humanity. For our three hero characters, we need to connect with them. It’s all about being authentic – faces and body language that triggers something true in ourselves. We don’t want overly pretty faces, not too anonymous either – no obvious models or preening actors. It’s really about playing these scenes straight, finding a real cast, and keeping their performances honest and sincere. We’ll know them when we see them.
Our locations are characters. They are a huge part of our characters worlds so it’s important that we use real locations that look and feel like these businesses we create actual exist. This can’t feel staged; they have got to be authentic.
Let’s bring style to our Bakery. Let’s defy stereotypes and instead bring more brightness and natural light into her world. After all, she’s a dreamer, not a numbers cruncher.
Same with our Building Materials Owner. We should find a place that’s visually appealing with interesting lighting and architecture.
For our Hotel Owner/Concierge, let’s find a boutique hotel that’s in a really cool part of town, something authentic and real to the city with great texture and charm.
While driven primarily by our VO and music, the use of natural sounds will be a nice touch for these films. It’s a technique that really brings out the humanity and paints a fuller picture of our characters personalities.
This is an exciting project. For me, it all starts with the ideas, then comes the visualization, followed by the process, and along the way, we’ll have tons of discoveries, spontaneous reactions, and creative collaborations together. I love living and breathing the process from start to finish -- from award to edit – fixating on every detail to make sure we deliver something truly outstanding, effective, and memorable.
Because to succeed today we can’t be the thing that interrupts what people want to watch – we have to be the thing they want to watch. My process, my approach, because we are open to discoveries, open to spontaneous reactions, and willing to collaborate creatively, we allow for this to happen, and we will create the work people will connect with. That’s how we move the needle, that’s how we make this campaign work for your client, that’s how we help to push the Mercedes Sprinter brand forward.
Thanks for the opportunity!
THANKS
Jb Carlin
bottom of page