5. Micheal Mann
We now leave the land of the American eccentrics and gravitate toward the commercial work of more mainstream directors. The first thing you'll notice is that as the prestige of the director goes up so does the prestige of the product he or she advertises. No more hipster clothing stores or twee furniture outlets here. The big boy companies with big boy dollars take center stage. And when you're a big boy company who wants a big boy commercial done, you can do no better than hiring big boy director Micheal Mann. Yes, Micheal Mann, director of such classic films as
Thief, Last of the Mohicans, Heat, The Insider and the recent (underrated)
Public Enemies. When not using the canvas of film to bring his unique form of masculine bravado cinema to the masses, he is often called upon by companies to shoot advertisements for their products. His most famous ad was one he did for Nike titled, Leave Nothing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6joglwxWuo You can't get more manly than the NFL, which is probably what attracted Mann to the project in the first place. Even if you can't go for the masculine aesthetic, you gotta admit it's a spectacular piece. One long unbroken shot (heightening tension and drama) is used as we follow the San Diego Chargers' offense down the field one way and then the St. Louis Rams' offense up the field in the opposite direction as the players on both sides strain against fatigue, weather, and many fearsome opponents to score a touchdown. Even with the stylization and special effects, it's still an effective, unflinching look at the violence, strength, and courage needed to play football in the NFL. For those of you who aren't fans of football and like your violence a bit more theatrical, then check out Micheal Mann's commercial/short film for Mercedes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob6jhcfWcgk Titled "Lucky Star", the two minute and thirty second short is a slick pastiche of spy movie cliches wrapped up in corporate intrigue plot. It's hook is how it strokes the male ego through imagined flights of espionage fancy. Essentially, what it says is that Mercedes is a car brand for the man who doesn't play by the rules, and likes to live dangerously. Of course for some men to live that dangerously, it would mean going bankrupt. Thankfully, the guys with holes in their pockets can still stroke their male ego by picking up a Blackberry phone from AT&T. http://vimeo.com/11203265 As advertised in this commercial directed by Mann, the Blackberry Bold 9700 phone is for the Man of Danger on the go. It comes in handy for all sorts of things: calling for roadside assistance, phoning ahead and telling your wife you won't be home for dinner, and outrunning a massive, coordinated cyber manhunt. Hmm.....Harrison Ford could have really used a Blackberry Bold 9700 in the
Fugitive.