About

'The Checkpoint,' is one of a trio of dramatic, cinematic-style spots cut by Territory founder and editor Terry King for Burrell Communications to introduce the 2013 Toyota Avalon cross-platform campaign, ‘Only The Name Remains.’ Directed by Anthony Hoffman of Believe Media, the integrated package won a Silver 2014 National ADDY at the American Advertising Association Awards (AAAA), a Gold ADDY at the District level and a Silver at the Chicago event - all in the ‘Digital Advertising Campaign’ category. The wins follow the first commercial in the mini-series, ‘The Pick Up,’ taking home a Silver ADDY in the ‘Automotive’ category.

The fast-paced, spy-themed campaign features Golden Globe winner Idris Elba (The Wire, The Office, Luther,) in the role of a secret agent eluding his nemesis as he puts the Avalon through its paces. While his skillful driving and quick maneuvering of the car enable him to get away - it’s the groundbreaking new design of the Avalon that ultimately foils his enemy’s efforts: They simply don’t recognize it as an Avalon. The redesigned of the vehicle is so radically different from its predecessor that ‘only the name remains.’

Lewis Williams, the agency’s chief creative officer, helmed the project, and CD/copywriter, Munier Sharrieff lead the creative team, working closely with King and Hoffman to bring their vision of the dramatic, high-speed, integrated broadcast and digital campaign to life.

"This was a great idea that had an all-star cast both in front of and behind the camera,” says Williams, “It’s storytelling, music and editing at its finest. The agency and our client Toyota are very happy with this one for sure."

The intriguing plot of the first spot, 'The Pick Up,' continues with the 30-second commercial ‘Check Point,’ which follows Elba and a mysterious passenger down an isolated wooded road where they effortlessly get past a road check, thanks to the unrecognizable new look of the Avalon.

King and the crew at Territory, his full service editorial, VFX and finishing facility in metro Detroit, are frequently called upon by regional, East and West Coast clients, to cut spots on location, providing the kind of close collaboration with directors and creatives that invariably takes spots to the next level.

For the Toyota Avalon package, King set up shop at the studio in L.A. during the shoot, where he cut the spots, and then travelled to Chicago to get input from the creative team at the agency. He then returned to Territory’s 13,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility where he made final tweaks before tapping into its full service capabilities, collaborative creative team and fluid, efficient workflow.

The project went from editing to finishing at Territory, with VFX editor/compositor Brent Edwards using the cutting-edge features of its Quantel Pablo Rio along with Adobe Creative Suite and Mocha, to push the creative envelope, delivering both HD and SD broadcast spots, as well as 15-second versions for the digital campaign.

About Territory:
Territory is a full-service editorial and postproduction boutique driven by award-winning multi-disciplined talent committed to the craft of creating visual stories that engages audiences and connects them to brands. We offer a one-stop approach to a full range of editorial, finishing, color grading, VFX, audio and sound capabilities that clients can tap into, enabling us to seamlessly take their projects from rough-cut through delivery.

TERRITORY is a certified minority owned and operated company with accomplished talent and a prestigious roster of national and regional work. To learn more visit our website at www.territorypost.com or contact senior producer Joan Porter at 248.548.1011 or jporter@territorypost.com.

Credits

CREDITS:
Client: Toyota
Product: Toyota Avalon 2013
Type: Broadcast/Digital Campaign
Campaign Title: “Only The Name’
Spot Titles: ‘The Pick Up’: National Broadcast Spot (:60) Digital Spot (:15 Lift)
‘Check Point’: National Broadcast Spot (:30) Digital Spot (:15 Lift)
‘Get Away’: National Broadcast Spot (:30) + Digital Spot (lift :15)

Talent: Golden-Globe winner, Idris Elba

Advertising Agency: Burrell Communications (Chicago, IL)
Chief Creative Director: Lewis Williams
Creative Director: Munier Sharrieff
Art Director: Rachel McClean
Producer: Shirley Porter
Copywriter: Munier Sharrieff

Production Company: Believe Media
Director Antony Hoffman
Producer: Lisa Hollingshead

Editorial + Finishing Company: Territory (LA, Metro Detroit)
Editor: Terry King
Finishing: Brent Edwards
Producer: Joan Porter

Visual FX Company: Territory (LA, Metro Detroit)
VFX Artist : Brent Edwards
Visual FX for Titles : Vitamin Productions (Chicago)

Color Correction Company: Filmworkers (Chicago, IL)
Colorist: Michael Mazur

Music and Sound Design: Q Department
Composer: Guin Frehing

Audio Post: Chicago Recording Company (Chicago, IL)
Mixer: Mark Ruff

Technical Info

Final Cut Pro
Quantel Pablo Rio
Adobe Creative Cloud
Smoke
Mocha
Facilis' 24D TerraBlock

Uploaded
06/19/2014
Duration
00:31
Type of Video