toys are good food

Normally, we don’t watch commercials. We fast forward through them. But sometimes there is one standout commercial that is so special that we watch it, rewind and watch it again and again.

This entry is about one such 30 second gem, that was so mind boggling
that I took time to write this post about it. You will probably want to read the rest of this story so that you can watch the commercial for yourself.

Okay… so I watch Attack of the Show (used to be called Screensavers) on G4 (used to be TechTV). I am not particularly proud of this fact, but I enjoy it. Even Nanc has grown to like this show. — Ha ha, your dirty secret is out now!

The show is about basic geek stuff, such as computers, videogames, and technology.

Obviously, this show attracts a certain type of commercials (you know, the ads that run at 2 in the morning on a cable channel). The one that I would like to talk about today is for a correspondence school. The commercial proposes the following view; “If you like to play videogames, I bet you’d like to make videogames.” Oh yeah, right. I like to eat food. Maybe I could work at McDonalds!

So here’s the deal… let’s talk about the commercial, then click play at the bottom for streaming video goodness. Let’s start with the script. my comments are in italics.

[Setting: an office, with two buds hanging out and playing videogames. ]

Boys with Toys

Greatest American Hero: Awwww, hurry up man… boss is comin’in.
Jock Guy: duuude…I almost got it.

{Dude, where’s my acting career?… Oh, I know… it’s in the Westwood Correspondence commercial.}

That mean ol’ boss!

Lady Boss: Hey guys, finished testing that game yet? I’ve got another one I need designed.

{Upon close examination of the video, it appears as though GAH and JG are playing a Playstation game. If these guys are testing a Playstation video game, what are they going to design next? Something for NES or Atari??}

JG: We just finished level 3 and need to tighten up the graphics a little bit.

{Dude, tighter graphics. Sweet}

LB: Great. [smiles and turns away]

JG: Hey. I can’t believe we got jobs doin’ this.

{Maybe if we’re really lucky, the bong factory will call us about the tester job}

GAH: I know. and my mom said I’d never get *anywhere* with these games.

{It sounds as though GAH has repressed anger towards dear old mom. Of course it was pretty obvious, after he created titles such as “Super Mario I hate my mom Sunshine” and “Doom 3: My Mom”}

Blah Blah Voiceover Guy: Blah Blah voiceover.

Okay, so that’s it. Here’s the thing that I still can’t figure out. This is a commercial with a basic level of production quality. There were many different people involved in this commercial. Actors, directors, lighting, sound, makeup, probably even craft services. Didn’t anybody notice how much money they just spent on a heaping, steaming pile of poo? I digress. watch the commercial below.

Okay, now watch the commercial a few more times… Once you think… “hey, they paid somebody to walk in the background behind the Lady Boss”, then you’re done.