Watch Hyundai Canada's official 2013 Big Game Day Commercial, titled "GASPOCALYPSE" starring the Sonata Hybrid, four 'weekend warriors', and a very generous Hyundai driver.
Last year, the Super Bowl was watched by over 111 million people worldwide with over 16 million Canadians viewing some or all of it. And, every year, the commercials generate almost as much interest as the game itself. Unlike the their American counterparts, very few Canadian companies create original ads to take advantage of these huge numbers.
Hyundai Auto Canada Corp (HACC) has done just that for a second year a row with a 60-second epic called “Gaspocalypse”. The commercial tips its hat to the post-apocalyptic film genre and punctuates the fuel efficiency of the Sonata Hybrid.
“We wanted to create a spot that truly measured up on the Super Bowl stage,” said Gary Westgate, Senior VP and ECD at Innocean Canada. “And the production company pulled out all the stops to make sure it felt like you’re watching a blockbuster movie.”
Adds John Vernile, Vice President Marketing, Hyundai Auto Canada Corp, “We are thrilled to be one of the few Canadian companies committed to creating a unique commercial for the 2013 Super Bowl. People across North America tune-in to the game as much for the commercials as for the action on the field, so there is no bigger stage than the Super Bowl to make a statement about our hybrid’s world class performance.”
Credits: Creative Agency: Innocean Worldwide Canada Executive Creative Director: Gary Westgate Creative Directors: Gary Westgate, Nelson Quintal Art Director: Simon Duffy Writer: Gary Watson Agency Producer: Alina Prussky VP, Group Account Director: Daniel Buckley Account Director: Shannon Beaver Agency Planner: Paul Kron Production Company: Steam Films/Tool of North America Director: Benjamin Weinstein Line Producer: Jason Manz Executive Producers: Krista Marshall, Jennifer Syces Director of Photography: Amira Mokri Editor: Brian Wells Editorial Company: School Editing Colorist/Transfer: Sean Coleman, CO3 Music and Sound Design: RMW Music Producer/Sound Design: Steven MacKinnon, Ted Rosnick via: Glossy
From my friends over at Saatchi & Saatchi, Italy comes a great new ad for the new Lexus GS Hybrid entitled "120 Heartbeats." What starts off as beautiful tranquil moment turns into a heart pounding trill ride on a test track in the Lexus GS. You'll love the lady at about the 2 minute mark...she looks angry but I think she may had one heck of an orgasmic ride.
Lexus GS Hybrid "Heartbeats" Spot Credits:
Ad Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Italy Executive Creative Director: Agostino Toscana. Creative Directors: Luca Lorenzini, Luca Pannese. Copywriters: Marco Dispenza, Massimo Paternoster. Art Directors: Davide Vismara, Giulio Frittaion. Account Director: Camilla Pollice, Lorenzo Foffani. Account Manager: Ilaria Lorenzetti. Head of TV: Raffaella Scarpetti. Producers: Ella Elliott, Manuela Fidenzi. Directors: The Saatchi & Saatchi Creative Team. DoP: Alessandro Bolzoni. Original Music: Stabbiolo Records. Editor: Vilma Conte. Production House: H Films. Sound Design: Top Digital. Post Production: Bloompix.
In an artistic twist on recycling, Lexus challenged four of today's most exciting designers to create innovative fashion items using parts from the Lexus CT 200h (a car that is 90 percent recyclable). The designers created jewelry, clothing, shoes and a very dramatic and Gaga-esque headpiece from gaskets, floor mats and hose clamps.
The Lexus Fashion Workshop will appear in the January 2012 issue of Vogue, on newsstands this week.
Elevating the notion of recycling to an art form, Lexus challenged four of fashion’s most inventive designers to rethink their notions of automotive design for an advertising campaign to appear in Vogue. Using some of the more than 2,000 individual parts of a completely dismantled Lexus CT hybrid, a vehicle that is 90 percent recyclable*, the designers created fashionable works of art as part of The Lexus Fashion Workshop.
From crank bearings to exhaust gaskets, the designers took on the challenge with verve, turning some of the best engineered auto parts into innovative fashion accessories – all while driving home the beauty of recycling.
·“Environmental Crown of Virtue”—A truly head-turning piece designed by Moss Lipow using a transmission starter and exhaust manifold gasket. ·“The Valve Collection”—Designed by jewelry creator Eddie Borgo using valve lifters, crank bearings and hose clamps. ·“Nomadic Sanctuary”—A sleek trench coat, shorts and clutch designed by John Patrick, featuring floor mats made from plant-based plastic, sustainable sound-dampening material, wire harness, leather seat covers and cargo covers · “The Luna Shoe”—Created by Alejandro Ingelmo using armrest leather trim and clear plastic tubing.
“Merging the worlds of luxury automobiles, art and fashion is another example of how Lexus is 'Engineering Amazing' or maybe more appropriately, 'Engineering Unexpected',” said Brian Smith, vice president of marketing for Lexus. “We were able to challenge four designers to turn one of our most progressive hybrid vehicles into innovative fashion pieces, inspiring the designers, and the world, to see things differently.”
The four pieces will be highlighted in a six-page advertisement in the January 2012 issue of Vogue.Behind-the-scenes videos of the Lexus CT hybrid being dismantled piece-by-piece are available at Vogue.com/Promotions/Lexus. Additionally, a series of exclusive interviews with the four designers will be posted throughout December. More here.
Volkswagen promotes the power of the Jetta Turbo Hybrid in this new ad entitled "Passing Lane." Have you ever been stuck behind a slow car on a single mountain road? VW knows who the culprit is. In "Passing Lane", director Simon McQuoid shows off the power of the new VW Jetta Turbo Hybrid in contrast to other hybrids out there by poking fun at the lack of power those cars have.
This woman's face is priceless, haven't we all given someone that very same look at some point? See more great VW spots HERE.
Credits: Creative Ad Agency: Deutsch, LA Production: Imperial Woodpecker Country: United States of America Director: Simon McQuoid Executive Creative Director: Mark Hunter Creative Director: Michael Kadin Creative Director: Matt Ian Art Director: Mark Peters Copywriter: Brian Friedrich
Within the next three years the British company McLaren Automotive plans to start a batch production hybrid supercars.
Future Hybrid McLaren
2012 McLaren MP4-12C
The detailed information about McLaren's supercars is not disclosed yet. According to preliminary data, such car becomes the top of model lines. Thus, in the near future it's planned to add two more supercars which will make a competition to cars Mazda RX-9 or Porsche 977. Today, McLaren has only one model — 600-strong supercar MP4-12C which has been declassified in March of current year and received the eight-cylinder motor in volume of 3,8 litres.
Cost of McLaren MP4-12C in Great Britain makes 175,000 pounds sterling.
Saatchi & Saatchi have just launched 'Toyota Positive', a new ad campaign for the Prius Plug-In Hybrid. The ad campaign launches with a series of films. The first features MTV news presenter Joel Dommett and his sidekick, T4’s Rising Star of 2012 Eric Lampaert. The comedy duo tour London, offering lifts to random passengers with the aim of bringing a little joy to the streets of the capital.
“Toyota Positive is a really fun way of highlighting the launch of Toyota's next generation Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles, using the power of positivity and optimism to discover something better", said Lisa Fielden, Manager, Brand and Digital Marketing, Toyota GB.
“With the Toyota Positive campaign we want to show how a small number of people can create a large amount of positivity. To help people take part, we are offering them a car that runs on electricity, fuel and kindness. All we are asking anyone to do is to come up with a positive idea that brings a smile to people faces”, said Mark Norcutt and Laurence Quinn, Toyota Creative Directors at Saatchi & Saatchi.
One of the world’s most elite (and expensive) cars recently became a canvas for the creative whims of the techie minds at The Media Merchants, a technology-driven production agency based in Vancouver.
In November, the agency gathered influencers in the city’s creative, technology, design, advertising and automotive sectors for The Lamborghini Project, an exclusive audio-visual event centered around projection mapping onto a Lamborghini Reventon.
At $1.5 million, the Reventon is the luxury automaker’s priciest road car. Only 20 have been produced and sold to the public. Using its raw, understated and angular exterior as inspiration, creative technical director Anthony Diehl and animator Stuart Langfield projection mapped a series of real-time visuals on to the vehicle’s dark grey, semi-matte finish.
Initially, Media Merchants conceived The Lamborghini Project exclusively as a projection mapping experience but once they began the meticulous process of mapping animated images onto the car, they realized they had a one-of-a-kind opportunity to do something even more ‘live.’
“One of the surprising and fun elements of the project was getting everything aligned perfectly and then discovering that we had a pretty awesome VJ setup sitting in front of us,” says Anthony Diehl, creative technical director on the project. “Although it wasn’t part of the original plan, we couldn’t help ourselves and took the opportunity to run a live VJ set with visuals created in real-time.”
Diehl and Langfield developed the animated visuals using hybrid 3D and 2D techniques developed specifically for the purpose of projection mapping onto 3D objects. Working from the idea of ‘contrast,’ they sought to highlight the Reventon’s dark, moody and clean lines through a combination of predefined op-art imagery and improvised, real-time effects.
“It’s a scalable technique, allowing us to add or remove projectors for the final execution depending on technical or budget considerations, even after the animated content has been produced,” explains Diehl. “We really tested out the extent of this process on the Lamborghini project and it worked beautifully.”
The video content was created using MadMapper and Modul8 VJ software run off two Macbook Pro laptops networked together for playback sync and then plugged into three 7000 Lumen Panasonic projectors and one 6000 Lumen Christie Projector.
For the music, Media Merchants turned to Mitch Lee of Redemption Audio for a soundtrack that contrasted pure and crisp strings, pianos and snyths with distorted percussion, dissonant noise and an ominous silence. The end result perfectly underscored The Lamborghini Project’s gorgeously subtle symmetry.
Credits: Projection Mapping: The Media Merchants Creative Technical Director: Anthony Diehl Animation Director: Stuart Langfield Sound Design: Mitch Lee for Redemption Audio Post Production: JUMP Studios Videography: Perfect Pictures, Van Media Director of Photography: Dan Dumouchel Lamborghini Reventon: SR Auto Group via: GlossyInc.
Yamaha Silent Sessions presents: HJ Lim Performing extracts from Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2 Most of us listen to our music on the daily commute through a pair of headphones plugged into our smartphone. But that won’t do for chart-topping classical pianist HJ Lim. The South Korean piano virtuoso does things in style with a sleek, ergonomic Yamaha piano. There’s no shuffle mode for her, instead she gets to listen to her own sublime skills by plugging a pair of headphones into this cutting edge, acoustic-digital hybrid.
A previous Silent Sessions saw Jamie Cullum perform "Love Ain't Gonna Let You Down", taken from the album "The Pursuit" silently on the new Yamaha SH Silent Piano, see it below.
Credits: Creative Advertising Agency: Man plus Hatchett (http://www.manplushatchet.com) Director: Giles Smith
Here is a sneak peek into The Perrier Secret Place campaign that brilliantly combines modern day marketing strategies. We received our preview invite kit today which included the stamp to get in, and we were also given a special invite code to share with our visitors here at Great-Ads, find it and the link after the campaign Q&A's and credits below.
Perrier Secret Place Premise: If you were at a Secret and Exclusive party and you wanted to party as long as possible, you’d make sure you were as refreshed as possible. And no one can throw a party and ensure you are refreshed to party as long as you can like Perrier.
Q. Tell us about this latest digital initiative for Perrier? Perrier Secret Place puts you in the shoes of a guest who goes to a very very special evening party. A hidden place in an alley in Paris, behind a laundry mat. An evening where all guests will have the opportunity to live their craziest fantasies. And you'll have the best seat in the house to enjoy since all the characters that you see on the screen are clickable. With one click you find yourself in their skin. Living their fantasy.
Q. How did you come up with this idea? We started from the following insight: drinking Perrier during the evening party is the best way to take full advantage of all the opportunities available to you… and until the end of the night. In Secret Place, not only are you at the Ultimate Party living out the experience of the Ultimate Party Guest from the beginning, but you also live out the ultimate evening of 60 other guests who are in the apartment.
Q. And there is something to win, right? Yes. At the ultimate party, we’ve hidden a very special bottle of Perrier. 5 clues are hidden in the rooms of the apartment. They will lead you to the bottle where you are entered into a drawing to win an exclusive invitation to the wildest night of the world party in St Tropez, New Year in Sydney, Miami Art Basel, Carnival in Rio and the closing of the season Ibiza. Only the most experienced gamers will succeed, believe me... Among thousands of different scenarios during the evening, only one leads to the bottle.
Q. So, it’s a game or an interactive film? Both! This project mixes Brand Entertainment and Gaming. We produced 1 hour and 20 minutes of content that allows all users to experience a unique evening scenario. We also used digital interactivity to inject this dimension of Gaming. This involves the quest of finding the bottle and the opportunity to live the lives of all guests by clicking on them.
Q. Why Secret Place? This was inspired by the emerging phenomenon of speak easy. A party venue at the rear façade that has absolutely nothing to do with the place. This is quite in line with Perrier. Completely unexpected.
Q. How are you using social networks to amplify this experience? In partnership with the agency Buzzman, we worked on a social strategy: Become a fan on Perrier Facebook and regularly you will get tips to find clues that will lead you to the secret Perrier bottle. We'll give you a little tip. Slip into the skin of the young man who looks through the keyhole and live out his fantasy. Or play a game of "Pillow Fight" (Sounds weird, but it is Perrier!)
Q. How will the experience function on the mobile? We have specifically developed an application that runs on iPhone / Android / iPad. This is not a replication of the desktop experience but a concept designed for specifically for the mobile device. By downloading the application you enter the rooms of the Perrier apartment and you can navigate through each room. The challenge: find the Secret hidden bottle of Perrier in the apartment.
Q. What was the biggest challenge to pull off this experience? This is the most ambitious project to carry. We spent 18 months writing lots and lots of different scenarios. Produced a film in which we choreographed each scene so that it is connecting with one another when the user clicks on the characters. Sound design work has also been a real challenge. Imagine having to reproduce the sound of a bottle on a bar as many times as there are people in the room who can hear it.
Q. Where will Secret Place be launched? The experience will be available worldwide but open to 20 countries to play in the major markets for Perrier France, United States and Canada. This is the first time that Perrier launches a project of this magnitude in the United States. The challenge is enormous. Positioning is also a little different there. Much more premium. We really hope that the French touch--its audacious content-- is embraced well there.
Q. What results do you expect? There is a counter on the site that counts the number of lives that all users worldwide will live on the site. 1 life = 1 click on a character. I want to hear from Perrier that this idea made 10 million lives by the end of week five of the experience’ launch.
Q. How is this truly innovative? We believe Secret Place is truly a digital first. Not because it’s the first time you can click on something and enter into his point of view. But, the ambition was really to say: Imagine you enter in any movie theater, have the quality screenwriting and the direction of cinema but also to have permanent control over the course of the story.
Q. What kind of partner did you work with to make this type of project? Fighting Fish is our production partner based in Paris. This is the first time that we’ve made a digital experience for Perrier conducted by the French. This is an opportunity to remind the world that France is in a good position on Digital Excellence.
Beyond the fact that Fighting Fish is based in Paris, it was able to fulfill the requirements demanded by this project. The team assembled to deliver this feature was made up of an interactive-hybrid. On the team was Lawrence King, the director of the experience and who is currently working on his own film. Arnaud XXX is the production designer and there were the script writers. Franck Marchal oversaw the sound design – having conducted several reputable orchestras before working with us. Fighting Fish puts digital at the heart of its "production thinking" and Ogilvy Paris thinks the same way. This allows a real synergy between the film's producers and those who are thinking through its interactivity.
Q. Why is Secret Place the right creative approach for Perrier now? Digital and social are playing an increasing role in Perrier's Communications strategy. They have an important, specific role: communicating the edgier, younger, hottest facet of the brand. Reaffirming that Perrier is a must have brand and product when it comes to partying and socialising. And proving, again and again, that the brand loooooves creativity, surprise and inventiveness. This is what Secret Place brilliantly does in my mind. – Benoit de Fleurian, Managing Director | Ogilvy&Mather Advertising. The digital space has opened up a new opportunity for brands. It's solved a contradiction that exists in the real world. Physically, you can't make an exclusive experience accessible to everybody. But with Secret Place, that's exactly what we've achieved. We give people the opportunity to live an experience they wouldn't normally live, but have always dreamed about. Like those exclusive parties you've always longed to be invited to. And thanks to Perrier, you can live it not once, but multiple times, through the eyes of multiple characters. This is an idea that is only possible thanks to the technology we have at our disposal today, and a bit of creative thinking. — Chris Garbutt, Chief Creative Officer | Ogilvy&Mather Paris, Group
Q. The Director is who? And why did you choose this director? Laurent King. We chose him because of his ability to manage this kind of project: half movie, half digital and interactive experience. It's really important to have this kind of new director that knows how to direct with all the constraints that a digital experience impose.
Q. Where did you shoot and tell me one challenge with organizing the shoot or a challenge that arrived at the shoot? How did you overcome the challenge? We filmed in an amazing appartement in Paris that was almost a piece of art by itself. We loved the parisian kind of architecture of it, with lovely rooms, very different to each other. It's very rare to find a place with different moods and atmosphere in it. Moreover, we were looking for a place where you can imagine secret parties happening in it. The biggest challenge was to choreograph all the action of the 60 guests. It was a real challenge because every character had a link to each other in terms of scenario.
Q. Is there a music track? The track of the experience is played live by the group called "TOYZ".
Q. Would love to hear from one of the party-go’ers at this Ultimate Party... The Host: All Secret Places have their secrets. You understand why I'll keep this one...
Credits: Secret Place, a campaign imagined by Ogilvy, produced by Fighting fish while Buzzman was in charge of the Social Media and PR strategy. Format: Digital/Brand Entertainement Chief Creative Officer: Chris Garbutt Creative Director: Frederic Levron, Thierry Chiumino Copywriter: Baptiste Clinet, Nicolas Lautier, Florian Bodet Art Director: Baptiste Clinet, Nicolas Lautier, Florian Bodet, Chris Rowson, Global Business Leader: Constance Capy Baudeau Account Supervisor: Stanislas Vert Film Producer: Diane de Bretteville Digital producer: Hugo Diaz, Cyril Duval, Sandra Petrus Production company: Fighting Fish, Olivier Dormerc, Cyril Couve de Murvil, Adrien Moisson, Benjamin Przelspolewski Sound Design: Le COMPTOIR DU SON / Franck MARCHAL & Alexandre POIRIER Film Director: Laurent King Story development: Olivier Domerc Story editor: Benjamin Bloch Production manager: Caroline Petruccelli Production designer: Arnaud Roth Director of Photography: Frédéric Martial Wetter Line Producer: Vincent RIVIER Location manager: Timothée TALANDIER Main title music: Toys Client: NWFB head of marketing and category, Muriel Koch. Sparkling Brand Director, Fabienne Bravard. Perrier International Brand Manager Armelle Roulland Social Media & ePR Strategy Buzzman: Georges Mohammed-Chérif (CEO & DC) Hubert Munyazikwiye (Head of Social Media & PR) Nicolas David (Social Media Manager)
Visit www.perriersecretplace.com and use the invite code "PE757 " enjoy the party.
Toyota's "The Station Wagon" ad takes us on wild journey of encounters with whales to dancing guru's, created by Saatchi & Saatchi Italy.
- Curiosity leads you to unusual meetings. It inspires you with new questions. It drives you to new discoveries. Come on a fantastic journey with the new Toyota Auris Hybrid Touring Sports.
Credits: Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Italy Executive Creative Directors: Jason Romeyko, Agostino Toscana Creative Directors: Luca Lorenzini, Luca Pannese Art Director: Luca Pannese Copywriter: Luca Lorenzini Head of tv: Raffaella Scarpetti Producer: Erica Lora Lamia Director: Steve Ayson DOP: Glynn Speekaert Editor: Vilma Conte Post Production: Xchanges Music: Sing Sing Sound: Top Digital
Even today, the world of the ancient Greek gods has lost none of its fascination. Accounts of the deeds of mighty Zeus, his jealous wife Hera, the twins Apollo and Artemis, beautiful Aph-rodite, and Dionysos the god of wine, are as enthralling as ever after more than 2000 years.
A mask of an old man is on display at the Roman-Germanic Museum in Cologne, Germany. The exhibition 'Return of the Gods' will run until 26 August 2012 [Credit: EPA/Oliver Berg]
Greek poets and artists conveyed a vivid picture of the world of these gods. Their work set creative precedents and were a source of inspiration; they also furnished models and a stim-ulus for new interpretations and original compositions by Roman writers and sculptors.
Over a period of more than three hundred years, the Brandenburg-Prussian Electors and Kings in Berlin collected antique works of art, which are now in the museums of the ‘Preußischer Kulturbesitz’ Foundation – the Pergamon Museum and the Collection of Antiqui-ties. For the first time in Cologne, in the exhibition The Return of the Gods, the Olympian world of the Greek gods is recreated with marble statues, stone reliefs, bronzes and luxurious vases from the Berlin collections – a cross section of outstanding European art from early Greek times to the imperial Roman period.
Zeus, Hades, Poseidon
Zeus, the Romans’ Jupiter, was the majestic ruler of the Olympian world. As the lord of the heavens, he carried a thunderbolt as his weapon. Zeus was the father of nu-merous gods and heroes; most of his offspring were not begotten with his wife Hera, but were the result of his many erotic liaisons.
Poseidon was the master of the sea, inland waters and storms. As the “shaker of the Earth”, who made the Earth tremble with his trident, he was held responsible for earthquakes and natural disasters. People also venerated him as the protector of their ships. The Romans called this god Neptune.
Brother of Zeus and Poseidon was Hades, the Romans’ Pluto. He became the lord of the underworld when the gods drew lots to divide the world between them.
All these “Father Gods” are represented as mature, dignified and mighty. Zeus the father of the gods, Hades the ruler of the underworld and Poseidon the god of the sea, are difficult to tell apart when not depicted with their characteristic attributes
Asclepius, the Healing God
Asclepius was the god of medicine and healing. He was the son of Apollo and a mortal woman, so merely a demigod. He was nevertheless worshipped as a god but not regarded as one of the Olympian gods.
Asclepius’ place was among the people. He is represented in the likeness of a Greek citizen: bearded, wearing a robe and leaning on a staff. A snake is coiled around his staff and the staff (or rod) of Asclepius is still the traditional symbol of medicine.
Asclepius had many sanctuaries that attracted throngs of worshippers, where the sick sought cures through healing sleep (incubation). A centre of his cult developed at Epidaurus and another was located on the island of Kos. The physicians of Kos achieved great fame in the 5th century BC. The best known was Hippocrates and, even today, doctors swear the “Hippocratic Oath”.
The cult of Asclepius reached the western part of the Roman Empire in 293 BC when the Epidaurus sanctuary established a shrine to the Latinised Aesculapius on Rome’s Tiber Island.
Hera and Demeter – the Mothers
Hera, the Romans’ Juno, was the sister and spouse of Zeus. As the queen of the gods she watched over marriage and legitimate offspring. She therefore pursued the amorous escapades of her husband with jealous severity.
Demeter, Ceres for the Romans, was the goddess of the fertile earth, of grain and agriculture. According to the “Homeric” hymn to Demeter, her daughter Kore was abducted by Hades and, as Persephone/Proserpina, became his wife in the under-world. Searching for her daughter, the desperate Demeter neglected her responsibilities as the goddess of agriculture, which led to a severe drought. Only after the return of her daughter for two-thirds of the year did she allow everything to grow and flourish again, but Kore-Persephone had to spend one third of each year with Hades in the underworld, during which time nature was also dead.
Demeter and Hera are usually depicted as motherly goddesses, often wearing a dia-dem and veil. When ears of wheat – a specific attribute of Demeter – are not shown, it is scarcely possible to distinguish between the two.
Aphrodite and Hermes
Aphrodite’s sphere of influence was love; her son Eros was the personified god of love. From the 5th century BC onwards, Aphrodite was depicted in ever more reveal-ing clothes: light and flimsy garments accentuated the beauty of the female body. Aphrodite first appeared completely naked in the 4th century BC, as a statue by Praxiteles, whose visualisation of the goddess was widely copied. Venus, the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite, was said to be the mother of Aeneas. Hence she became the mythical ancestress of the family of the Julii, to which both Caesar and Augustus belonged.
Hermes was the messenger of the gods, the god of roads, boundaries and herds-men, the patron of thieves. He guided the souls of the dead into the after-world.
Hermes wore the clothes of a traveller: a short cape, a broad-brimmed hat and boots or sandals. Speed was suggested by wings attached to his hat, shoes or heels. In addition, he carried a messenger’s staff with two snakes (Kerykeion). The Roman equivalent of Hermes was Mercury, the god of commerce and economic prosperity.
Athena – the Patroness of Great Works
Athena was the wise daughter of Zeus. Before his marriage to Hera, Zeus was the husband of Metis, the goddess of wisdom. Zeus then swallowed his consort when she was pregnant with Athena because it had been prophesied that she would bear him a child stronger than himself, who would ultimately depose him. Athena was born when Hephaestus, the blacksmith god, cleaved open her father’s skull.
Athena was the goddess of battle, depicted with a helmet, lance and shield. Another emblem was the “aegis”, a breastplate with the head of the Gorgon Medusa in the centre. Athena was the patroness of the crafts and all artistic activities. She is also said to have invented the flute. While playing it beside a stream, she saw a reflection of herself with her cheeks puffed out, and crossly cast the instrument aside. The satyr Marsyas retrieved the flute and later challenged Apollo to a musical contest.
Many cities invoked the protection of Athena, especially Athens, where she was worshipped on the Acropolis. Her Roman equivalent was Minerva.
Apollo and Artemis — divine twins
The twins Apollo and Artemis were the children of Zeus and Leto. Jealous Hera pur-sued her rival relentlessly until, finally, the island of Delos allowed Leto to give birth to her children there.
Apollo was the upholder of order in human society, slaying wrongdoers with his bow and sending pestilence as a punishment. He defended religious purity. His attribute was the laurel. He was also the god of oracles and divine prophesies, leader of the muses and a master of the lyre. He was depicted as an idealized youth with long hair.
Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and huntsmen, represented unspoiled nature. Known since ancient times as the “Mistress of the Animals” and the “unconquered virgin”, she nurtured and protected young animals, but was also a huntress who killed her prey. Since the late classical period, she has usually been depicted as a young girl in a hunting tunic with a bow and a quiver full of arrows, often accompanied by an animal. Just as her brother was both the god of healing and the god of pestilence, so Artemis was the goddess of childbirth and the bringer of death in childbirth.
The Sanctuary
In the Greek and Roman world, the sanctuary was the most important place for wor-shipping the gods. People would go there with votive offerings and gifts to praise or appease a deity and to ask for favours.
At larger ritual sites there were temples with a cult image of the god. However, the centre of the sanctuary was always the altar where sacrifices were offered. At public ceremonies, cattle were often sacrificed: the priests would burn the bones, fat and hide of the animal as an offering to the gods; the meat would then be consumed by the worshippers at a ritual feast. Individual citizens usually donated smaller animals, fruit or libations. The rites could be accompanied by processions, dancing and music.
An abundance of offerings of various types would accumulate at such sacred sites. Large objects like statues would be set up on display while smaller votive objects, such as miniature figurines or weapons captured from the enemy, were deposited somewhere. In large Greek sanctuaries, Olympia and Delphi for example, there were also treasuries where valuable offerings were stored.
Dionysus and the Theatre
Dionysus was the god of wine and delirious ecstasy. Those who gave themselves to this god had to risk becoming “possessed”. Dionysus was surrounded by a retinue (thiasos) of half-wild hybrid creatures, youthful satyrs, older sileni, and frenzied maenads who often danced to the music of flutes and drums.
Dionysus was depicted as child, as a seductive youth with a body that is sometimes rather feminine, and as an old man leaning on a satyr. His attributes were the ivy, either as a wreath to prevent intoxication or wound around a staff (thyrsos), and a drinking vessel (kantharos). He always symbolised a hedonistic way of life.
Greek theatre originated in the cult of Dionysus. In many places of worship, dramatic performances were part of his festivals. Starting in Athens in the 6th century BC, first tragedies, then “satyr” plays and – after 486 BC – comedies were performed during the Great Dionysia festival. All the roles in the plays, even female roles, were taken by three male actors wearing costumes and masks, accompanied by a choir.
The Pergamon Altar
In the conflicts to succeed Alexander the Great, Philhetairos was able to establish his rule in Asia Minor, at Pergamon. His grandson, Attalos I, took the title of King. The latter’s son, Eumenes II (197-159 BC), defeated the invading Celts and developed the fortress into a Hellenistic city with prestigious marble buildings.
The religious centre was the altar of Zeus, which was visible from afar. A flight of steps led up to a podium and the colonnaded area with the altar for burnt offerings. The podium was decorated on all sides by a frieze depicting the battle of the gods against the giants. The rear walls illustrated the history of the founding of Perga-mon. Acroteria with figures stood on the roof.
The gigantomachy on the Pergamon Altar marks the pinnacle of Hellenistic art. It is the most complete antique depiction of the struggle of the younger generation of Olympian gods, together with Hercules, against the giants, born out of chaos, who were trying to destroy the new world order. Zeus with his lightning bolts is shown fighting a snake-footed giant, an allusion to the victory over the Celts.
RingSide Creative and Cutters Studios divisions Flavor, Cutters and Dictionary Films share their recent Ford Trucks project created through Team Detroit. Entitled "Front and Back," the :30 spot extends the long-running Ford Trucks "Rant" campaign with a bold, powerful homage to heroism and reliability, using a hybrid design and animation style and original live-action footage shot on-location in Los Angeles.
The spot debuted nationally in the U.S. earlier this month and will continue to air in targeted placements online, during high-profile broadcasts and on cable.
Creative Credits: Ad Agency: Team Detroit Group Creative Director: Brad Hensen Creative Director: Beth Hambly Executive Producer: Bob Rashid
Production Company: Dictionary Films Executive Producer: Megan Maples Managing Director: Chris Rossiter Line Producer: Richard Kaylor Director of Photography: Jordan Valenti
Design Company: Flavor Executive Creative Director: Brad Tucker Executive Producer: Darren Jaffe Animator: Chris Anderson
VFX and Finishing Company: RingSide Creative Executive Producer: Dave Peyton Producer: Katie Thompson Lead Creative: Keith Slawinski Creative Artists: Ann Allen, Dimitri Bourdos, Sean Branham, Brian Gustafson, Gwen Michael, Tricia Mitzelfeld, Nick Mouhot, Gabriel Rybicki, Paul Williams Colorist: Rick Unger Finish Editor: Mat Mieras Finish Assistant Editor: Brian Kearns
Editorial Company: Cutters Editor: Chris Moore Assistant Editors: Justin Grosjean, Mike Moore, Executive Producer: Mary Connolly
