An engineer ventures out during a thunderstorm and literally catches lightning in a bottle to power the Acura ILX in this cinematic spot from Mullen.
Johnny Green of Reset Productions—much lauded for his Under Armour ad last year with ballerina Misty Copeland—directed the automaker's 60-second clip, which also features an orchestral reworking of the Pixies' 1988 track "Where Is My Mind" (which pops up quite a bit in ads).
In fact, Joey Santiago of the Pixies recorded this version with Acura.
"Innovative performance is a core quality of the Acura brand, and the spot captures that essence in a visually compelling and emotional way," says Acura general manager Mike Accavitti.
Brand: Acura
Client: Mike Accavitti, Senior Vice President, General Manager
Client: Ed Beadle, Senior Marketing Manager
Client: Leila Cesario, National Advertising Manager
Car Model: 2016 ILX
Spot Title: "Bottle"
Agency: Mullen
Chief Creative Officer: Mark Wenneker
Executive Creative Director: Margaret Keene
Creative Director, Art: Paul Foulkes
Creative Director, Writer: Adam Calvert
Senior Art Director: Sean Stell
Writer: Natasha Hugeback
Senior Vice President, Director of Integrated Production: Jon Drawbaugh
Senior Broadcast Producer: Meagen Moore
Content Producer: Elaine Russell
Business Affairs, Music Supervisor: Danica Bates
Managing Director: Cameron McNaughton
Vice President, Account Director: Nicole Neopolitan
Account Supervisor: Courtney Calvert
Account Executive: Kylie Mugg
Product Specialist: Curtis Milward
Production Company: Reset
Managing Director: Dave Morrison
Executive Producer: Jeff McDougall
Producer: Betsy Oliver
Director of Photography: Paul Cameron
Editorial: RPS
Editor: Damion Clayton
Assistant Editor: Benjamin Cline
Producer: Rebecca Baker
Color Correction, Visual Effects: A52
Colorist: Paul Yacono
Visual Effects Supervisor, Lead Flame Artist: Andy McKenna
Head of Production: Kim Christensen
Executive Producer: Jennifer Sofio Hall
Audio Post: Lime Studio; 740 Sound Design
Mixer: Joel Waters
Original Music: The Pixies, Joey Santiago
Name of Track: "Where Is My Mind"
Directed by Johnny Green