JJ & Maithy Reinvent Honda Civic with Images of Wild, Kinetic Surrealism
October 3, 2005 | Elif SUNGUR
Imagine a surreal, expansive universe bathed in mother-of-pearl colors and populated by kinetic figments that are novel yet slightly familiar at the same time. Hornet (www.hornetinc.com) directors JJ & Maithy capture this theme in a 60-second spot promoting the 2006 Honda Civic. Reminiscent of a Joan Miro painting, the spot takes you on a wild, mesmerizing visual trip that borrows physical forms from the worlds of music, the senses and car mechanics, and casts them in a new light.
Honda picked the Hornet duo along with two other artists as part of its campaign to highlight the all-new, redesigned Civic. Their particular theme for the spot was "rebirth" and it aired on Honda's website this month.
"We wanted to take elements or objects that we are all familiar with and look at them differently," JJ explains. "Our other work probably moves a lot faster, with more camera moves, but for this we slowed it down and focused on what's in the frame and what that means. We wanted to give the viewer time to decipher it."
The spot opens with the profile of a Civic, and the engaging journey begins as the camera zooms into the driver's side keyhole - a portal that launches you into an alternate universe. In the first scene, a slender ribbon of color reveals an opening that pours out a gyrating stream of amoeba-type elements. In another, a couple of Venus flytrap-like creatures have nestled themselves along the landscape while a cascade of pulsating pink orbs swarm from above, attracting their attention. As the traps open, glowing pupils are revealed, recasting the traps as a pair of disembodied eyes with lazily batting eyelashes. Other scenes convey imagery more along the line of surreal machinery: In one, a whirligig of a contraption twirls while undulating limbs, similar to piano keys, causes the structure to emit rippling sound waves. In another, a tower shaped like an ear pumps up and down like an engine piston.
JJ and Maithy concerned themselves less with the flashy pacing typical of car commercials and more with the transformation of the familiar to the unfamiliar.
"We took elements that represented sensory qualities, elements that people could attribute to experiencing this car, whether feeling the new curves with your hand, hearing the unique engine sounds, or just seeing the beautiful exterior and interior," JJ explains. "It was about presenting it in an unexpected, unusual way. We really want people to think differently about the new Civic, thus we had to present something different."
About Hornet, inc.
Hornet focuses on finding, developing, and supporting great creative talent. The Company looks across a range of industries for people with exceptional creative vision. As a result of this director-driven approach, Hornet has been able to assemble an exceptionally talented and diverse team of directors, each contributing a unique style and vision. For clients, this means work that is consistently fresh, innovative, and fits their branding needs.
More information on Hornet may be found at http://www.hornetinc.com.
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