Motorola is back in the TVC game with its first commercial since 2011 and they are bringing back Hello Moto. The South African take on the TVC is a visually arresting, culturally diverse and uplifting rendering of how people say hello. This is in striking contrast to its American counterpart, which knocks competitors’ devices in a way that only US commercials can.
The US version, similarly created through the international agency Ogilvy & Mather, plays off the lack of enthusiasm and innovation in the mobile phone market where the SA one greets viewers with a refreshing take on the slogan. ‘How do you say hello?’ simply and rhythmically explores how diverse cultures around the world say hello and greet one other.
OgilvyOne Dubai brought in 7Films Johannesburg to create the South African TVC. It was shot in both countries in September 2016. In South Africa 7Films shot 80 per cent in Cape Town between 5 and 7 September at the Pan Africa Market, Yours Truly Café, Hill Crest Quarry, Clara Anna Fontein Nature Reserve and at the Gardens Skate Park. The remaining 20 per cent was shot in Dubai between 15 and 17 September at the business district and old town. The TVC was release on 1 October.
7Films director SJ Myeza-Mhlambi says “The most challenging part of the prep was trying to represent 14 different characters and locations around the world. On a production front shooting 11 different locations in two days was an absolute push. We managed to get seven locations done in one day.” Throughout the shoot he says they were chasing the sun to get the perfect light. “This challenged us on a physical, emotional and mental level. We literally had to run from location to location,” he says. For lighting the scenes they used small HMIs for speed and ease of set up, explains SJ. “We also used Kino Flo’s for their soft quality. However, in most cases we made use of natural light as the natural light of each location suited the narrative.”
SJ says that the look and feel they were going for was that of a rich grade that complimented the characters and their environments. “The piece was very much character orientated so we wanted to bring out the beauty, emotion and humanity in them,” SJ explains. “The environments had to be graded slightly different so that their diversity could be accentuated. We really wanted to go with a cinematic look with a unique identity that is reminiscent of travel, adventure and landscape cinematography. Imagine Red Bull meets National Geographic. It is current, dynamic but at the same rich and natural.”
Filming was done using an Arri Alexa mini, because according to SJ it had the right lightweight design with high quality imagery. Post production was done by Upstairs LUDUS where Mark Ash did the offline edit on AVID and Nicholas Young completed the online. Michele Wilson did the grade using DaVinci Resolve. Sean Williams at Sterling Sound did the sound design.
“This project was done 100 per cent remote from our Johannesburg studio with agency, client and director in different cities around the world,” explains Joe Erasmus, head of post at LUDUS. “Managing the post process was tricky but despite the time zone difference, Amanda Newall and Logan Allanson (from OgilvyOne) were fully committed to executing a world class piece of work in the most efficient way possible whilst meeting a tight deadline.” Erasmus adds that “Mark Ash raved about how great it was working with such a professional and dedicated team. SJ too credits the team, “I was blessed with an amazing team which is 7Films, the agency OgilvyOne and the client at Lenovo were awesome to work with and I am proud to call them my friends.”
SJ who won a Gold Loerie in 2016 for directing Chasing the Dragon has certainly proved his weight with this international commercial. “This was nerve wrecking for me, the amount of detail, preparation that went into this commercial was something that really challenged me,” describes SJ. “This was a very important piece for Moto as it was part of their re-launch campaign. I appreciate that Logan Allison, the creative director, trusted me as a director. He really supported me and believed in me, which was probably one of the most rewarding parts of this shoot.”
SJ goes on to say that “The agency was very professional and had huge expectations. This opened my eyes to the expectation of this high pressure industry. Despite the tight deadlines and pressure the client, agency and production crew worked together efficiently and effectively. I will never forget the Eloquent Elephant which was our second home in Dubai, where long lasting bonds were formed with the team in Dubai. I will hold this dearly in my heart.”
Despite the heat in Dubai being a grueling challenge for the SA teams there, they pulled off a successful shoot. “Dubai was a whole new ball park for me. The heat alone was something out of this world. Having to work in a different country for the first time was a new challenge for me. Inside I felt like a puppy getting released into the wild but I had to behave like a wise elephant leading the team from the front. I had to learn and adapt in a short space of time,” says SJ. “This was probably the hardest thing that I had to do but the most rewarding too. Overcoming these challenges reminded me why I am a filmmaker. The F1 like pressure of directing this commercial forced me into a hypnotic sense of focus and satisfaction. This job made me grow tenfold as a director and for that I am grateful.”
Gratitude and greetings abound from the team of this TVC that depicts a global hi, and it too encourages viewers to show Moto how they say hello. Hello Moto have an interactive commercial as well as website and social media pages.
Key crew:
- Executive Producer: Lourens van Rensburg
- Director: SJ Myeza-Mhlambi
- Producer: Nina van Rensburg
- Production manager: Meagan Taylor
- Production Coordinator: Jamie Moncrieff
- 1st Ad: Shane Knock
- DOP: Kabeer Shaik
- Focus Puller: Luke van Rensburg
- Editor: Mark Ash
- Grade: Michelle Wilson
- Post Producer: Joe Erasmus
