Uncomfortably Totalitarian Commercials
October 7, 2008 6:18 PM Subscribe
What is it with Audi commercials? Must they be so disgustingly naziesque? They always print their stupid slogan - Vorsprung durch Technik - in German; never translating, as if it's some sort of concentration-camp mantra, like Arbeit Macht Frei. This latest and much-praised commercial, by the underlings at Bartle Bogle Hegarty, is just the latest bit of intimidation porn that's increasingly fashionable. Is brutal/violent/primal the new purity in advertising? The soul sickens.
This post was deleted for the following reason: oh migs, it is so wonderful to see you here again. that said, this is sort of an over-the-top OMG sort of note to come back on and perhaps you'd prefer a few drinks over in metatalk instead? -- jessamyn
Oh my lord, you've succinctly parodied the chatfilterish mode of esteemed Portuguese author Miguel Cardoso! Good work.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:25 PM on October 7, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:25 PM on October 7, 2008 [3 favorites]
There's nothing wrong with that commercial. I think the bull thing has to do with Lamborghini and the fact that the RS6 has the Lambo V10 in it.
posted by jeffamaphone at 6:25 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by jeffamaphone at 6:25 PM on October 7, 2008
So you're bringing attention to something you don't approve of? And how is a SLYT post to a commercial not a Pepsi Blue post?
posted by cjorgensen at 6:27 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by cjorgensen at 6:27 PM on October 7, 2008
Wow, editorialize much?
posted by no1hatchling at 6:27 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by no1hatchling at 6:27 PM on October 7, 2008
GYOFB. Flagged.
posted by no1hatchling at 6:28 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by no1hatchling at 6:28 PM on October 7, 2008
I think that the Hummer advert (Australia only?) is far more disgustingly wrong and offensive - There's a low, front on, full width shot of a big, black and chrome Hummer, coming straight at you. The image is the one you would scream at in terror, a nanosecond from annihilation, were you unfortunate enough to place your defenceless car in the way of the real thing.
But it's the tagline that hits the spot. "Now Get Lost." Please. Why don't they say what they mean, the crude but succinct message Hummer buyers want to project to the world?
posted by wilful at 6:29 PM on October 7, 2008
But it's the tagline that hits the spot. "Now Get Lost." Please. Why don't they say what they mean, the crude but succinct message Hummer buyers want to project to the world?
posted by wilful at 6:29 PM on October 7, 2008
GYOFB.
You don't understand. THIS IS MiguelCardoso's FB.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:30 PM on October 7, 2008 [25 favorites]
You don't understand. THIS IS MiguelCardoso's FB.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:30 PM on October 7, 2008 [25 favorites]
I quite like the advertisement actually. Not being a US library card holder, can some kind soul get the full text of this for me. I'd be interested in the technical background.
posted by tellurian at 6:33 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by tellurian at 6:33 PM on October 7, 2008
I thought the rules of the site didn't apply to Migs. Great to see you back, La Shana Tovah!
posted by 6:1 at 6:33 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by 6:1 at 6:33 PM on October 7, 2008
Bad post. SLYT with a long editorial? And saying something in german != fascism. (And yeah, I know who MC is, but who cares. Terrible post)
posted by rosswald at 6:35 PM on October 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by rosswald at 6:35 PM on October 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
COPYRIGHT 2002 Centaur Publishing Ltd.
CR: What's your profession?
JS: I'm a stunt co-ordinator and animal wrangler. I also operate a working cow and horse ranch south a Calgary, Canada.
CR: How old are you?
JS: 60
CR: How long have you been doing what you do - how did you get started?
JS: I've been in the film business for 35 years and during that time I've been involved in the making of four academy winning pictures, including Lord Of The Rings as a technical horse advisor and Legends Of The Fall as head wrangler. One of the bigger pictures I started on was a movie called Little Big Man back in 1969. I was hired to ride and supply horses. I guess I got into it because my grandfather had a ranch and I had worked on it and I'd also "rodeoed" a lot in my early 20s as a bucking horse rider.
CR: How did you land the Audi commercial?
JS: Blink Pictures in Toronto contacted the Alberta Film Commission (AFC) looking for a rodeo man that could put bucking bulls and riders together for a commercial. The AFC gave them my name and number. Blink phoned me and stated they wanted the three or four best bull riders in Canada and a selection of black bulls. I said I'd round them up.
CR: How do you know that a bull rider is one of the best?
JS: It's all about how much money a (rodeo) rider has won in the last year. There are about 500 rodeo competitions a year in Canada alone and riders compete for points and ultimately, money. The points won rate the riders so it's actually possible to know who the top riders are at any one time.
CR: Where, when and how long was the shoot?
JS: I lined up a rodeo arena just south of Calgary, about 20 miles from my own ranch and the AFC and the art department did a great job of dressing it. The shoot was in early September and we shot for four nights riding bulls each night. Nicolai Fuglsig was a very demanding director but he knew what he wanted. We all had to be creative and work together to get the shots.
CR: So how many bulls and riders feature in the ad?
JS: We had about 15 black bulls that we worked with and four bull riders that were dressed to look like the same rider. We also had a trained, tame bull that we used for a lot of shots as he could walk right up to the camera which was very helpful.
CR: Can a bull actually be trained to perform the dressage moves we see the bull perform in the ad?
JS: To a point. We got the tame bull to stand still, walk forwards, backwards and sideways to get shots -- although the fancy footwork at the end of the ad was mainly done in post-production.
CR: What exactly does the role of animal wrangler encompass and what were your responsibilities on the Audi shoot?
JS: An animal wrangler handles anything from ants to elephants on a set and is responsible for getting the animals there, feeding them, caring for them, grooming them and also getting the best performance from them as possible, maintaining safety at all times. My role on this job was to put the right riders on the right bulls and co-ordinate the bull action with the camera crew and to make sure that everything was safe. I had great assistance from rodeo stock contractor, Wayne Void (who actually supplied the bulls for the shoot) and his pick up man, Blake Schlosser.
CR: Safety must be very difficult to achieve when dealing with a dozen or so big black bulls of the bucking variety. Were there any accidents or injuries on the shoot?
JS: No, everything went very well and there were no injuries or accidents to man or beast. The most important thing during the shooting of action sequences for film is to keep things safe -- safe for the animals and safe for the riders and of course the crew. It may seem unlikely but there is always a safe way to set things up if you think about it enough.
CR: What's the most bizarre animal wrangling job you've had and what's next?
JS: Well, I've recently had to work out the logistics of herding 50 or so head of buffalo through city streets for a Levi's blue jeans ad. The buffalo have to be painted white. All in all that's a pretty bizarre wrangling job. The job's all ready to roll and another wrangler will actually do the job in the streets of LA. I'm presently working on the X-Men 2 movie.
posted by jeffamaphone at 6:36 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
CR: What's your profession?
JS: I'm a stunt co-ordinator and animal wrangler. I also operate a working cow and horse ranch south a Calgary, Canada.
CR: How old are you?
JS: 60
CR: How long have you been doing what you do - how did you get started?
JS: I've been in the film business for 35 years and during that time I've been involved in the making of four academy winning pictures, including Lord Of The Rings as a technical horse advisor and Legends Of The Fall as head wrangler. One of the bigger pictures I started on was a movie called Little Big Man back in 1969. I was hired to ride and supply horses. I guess I got into it because my grandfather had a ranch and I had worked on it and I'd also "rodeoed" a lot in my early 20s as a bucking horse rider.
CR: How did you land the Audi commercial?
JS: Blink Pictures in Toronto contacted the Alberta Film Commission (AFC) looking for a rodeo man that could put bucking bulls and riders together for a commercial. The AFC gave them my name and number. Blink phoned me and stated they wanted the three or four best bull riders in Canada and a selection of black bulls. I said I'd round them up.
CR: How do you know that a bull rider is one of the best?
JS: It's all about how much money a (rodeo) rider has won in the last year. There are about 500 rodeo competitions a year in Canada alone and riders compete for points and ultimately, money. The points won rate the riders so it's actually possible to know who the top riders are at any one time.
CR: Where, when and how long was the shoot?
JS: I lined up a rodeo arena just south of Calgary, about 20 miles from my own ranch and the AFC and the art department did a great job of dressing it. The shoot was in early September and we shot for four nights riding bulls each night. Nicolai Fuglsig was a very demanding director but he knew what he wanted. We all had to be creative and work together to get the shots.
CR: So how many bulls and riders feature in the ad?
JS: We had about 15 black bulls that we worked with and four bull riders that were dressed to look like the same rider. We also had a trained, tame bull that we used for a lot of shots as he could walk right up to the camera which was very helpful.
CR: Can a bull actually be trained to perform the dressage moves we see the bull perform in the ad?
JS: To a point. We got the tame bull to stand still, walk forwards, backwards and sideways to get shots -- although the fancy footwork at the end of the ad was mainly done in post-production.
CR: What exactly does the role of animal wrangler encompass and what were your responsibilities on the Audi shoot?
JS: An animal wrangler handles anything from ants to elephants on a set and is responsible for getting the animals there, feeding them, caring for them, grooming them and also getting the best performance from them as possible, maintaining safety at all times. My role on this job was to put the right riders on the right bulls and co-ordinate the bull action with the camera crew and to make sure that everything was safe. I had great assistance from rodeo stock contractor, Wayne Void (who actually supplied the bulls for the shoot) and his pick up man, Blake Schlosser.
CR: Safety must be very difficult to achieve when dealing with a dozen or so big black bulls of the bucking variety. Were there any accidents or injuries on the shoot?
JS: No, everything went very well and there were no injuries or accidents to man or beast. The most important thing during the shooting of action sequences for film is to keep things safe -- safe for the animals and safe for the riders and of course the crew. It may seem unlikely but there is always a safe way to set things up if you think about it enough.
CR: What's the most bizarre animal wrangling job you've had and what's next?
JS: Well, I've recently had to work out the logistics of herding 50 or so head of buffalo through city streets for a Levi's blue jeans ad. The buffalo have to be painted white. All in all that's a pretty bizarre wrangling job. The job's all ready to roll and another wrangler will actually do the job in the streets of LA. I'm presently working on the X-Men 2 movie.
posted by jeffamaphone at 6:36 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
Wow, that looked shorter in notepad. Sorry.
posted by jeffamaphone at 6:36 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by jeffamaphone at 6:36 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
In the extended cut, he makes the bull give him a blow job.
posted by stavrogin at 6:38 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by stavrogin at 6:38 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
My name is Inigo Montoya Miguel Cardoso. You killed my father insulted my artistic sensibilities. Prepare to die know the pithy wrath of my writing style!
posted by humannaire at 6:39 PM on October 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by humannaire at 6:39 PM on October 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
Yeah, this post sucks way more than the commercial does. It's worse than your favorite web comic.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:45 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by cjorgensen at 6:45 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
Most of you better watch your fucking mouths.
posted by Divine_Wino at 6:48 PM on October 7, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by Divine_Wino at 6:48 PM on October 7, 2008 [3 favorites]
This is why everybody hates comebacks.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:49 PM on October 7, 2008 [33 favorites]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:49 PM on October 7, 2008 [33 favorites]
As well, don't the Germans have this *thing* for American cowboy culture? Perhaps that's why the ad is the way that it is.
posted by KokuRyu at 6:51 PM on October 7, 2008
posted by KokuRyu at 6:51 PM on October 7, 2008
You didn't save us any wine, man.
posted by ardgedee at 6:53 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by ardgedee at 6:53 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
They really ought to have banned the German language after Hitler lost the war, because, y'know, it always reminds me of German, and you know who was German? That's right, Hitler!
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:55 PM on October 7, 2008 [5 favorites]
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:55 PM on October 7, 2008 [5 favorites]
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posted by tellurian at 6:20 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]