Chevrolet - Hail Mary (2007) 0:60 (USA)

How The Spot Came To Be: Conceived by Campbell-Ewald and directed by MJZ’s Phil Joanou, the 60-second commercial features football imagery spanning different eras and different levels of play, from kids playing in an alley in the “30s to New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees celebrating. The entire montage, has been set against the John Mellencamp anthem Our Country, and put together in such a way as to form a single narrative—a Hail Mary pass. The connection to Chevrolet is made subtly as trucks of the appropriate eras appear in the backgrounds of certain scenes. The spot is tied to NBC’s Sunday Night Football. "It’s a celebration of football and Chevrolet, both of which have been a part of American culture for many years," said Campbell-Ewald senior vice president/executive producer Joe Knisely. "Our idea was to do it through one play, because, whether it’s people playing in their front yard or pros in the Super Bowl, everyone can identify with the drama of a long pass late in the game." All of the scenes of amateur football are original production, staged and shot by Joanou. The pro footage was supplied by NFL Films. Salmon’s role was to comb through this mass of material, pick out iconic moments and form them into a single ribbon of action. "The music was key to hitting things just right," said Salmon. "We tried a lot of different approaches, and settled on a non-repetitive motion. One group breaks the huddle. The next group comes up to the line. The only repeated action is the throw." Salmon and Joanou were natural choices for the project as each has a lot of experience in working with football related material. Salmon’s credits include the Oliver Stone film Any Given Sunday as well as a well known series of football spots for Nike featuring comedian Jerry Stiller. Joanou directed the 2006 film Gridiron Gang. "It was a dream team," said Knisely, who also credited Chevy for supporting the project with a lot of creative freedom. "They told us to go out and make football fun."

Agency: Campbell Ewald Advertising (Warren, MI)
CD: Bill Ludwig & Steve Pitsillos
AD: Chris Gorski
CW: Jim Feltz
Exec. Producer: Joe Knisely
Production Co: MJZ (Bi-coastal) Director: Phil Joanou Producer: Paul Manix Editing Company: Hyena Editorial (Santa Monica, CA) Editor: Keith Salmon Post Facility: Online: Pete Mayor , Vendetta, (Santa Monica, CA) Colorist: Bob Festa , RIOT (Santa Monica, CA) Audio Post House: Margarita Mix, (Santa Monica, CA)

Mixer: Jimmy Hite

Music: John Mellencamp "Our Country"