Complete with a
bird costume and
a giant egg,
the story is as
stupefying as the
facial expressions
on the “actors”
Chicago production company Banner Collective parodied Eagle Insurance’s classically horrendous 1993 Eagleman commercial for a new Chicago Blackhawks spot.
Starring former team members Patrick Sharp and Adam Burish, the 36-second commercial is, structurally, an exact duplicate of the infamous original. While successfully delivering the essential information for the Blackhawk’s 2019 Convention (Chicago Hilton, weekend of July 26), it gets weird along the way.
Complete with a bird costume and a giant egg, the effect is as stupefying as the facial expressions on the “actors” at the end of the bizarro storyline.
Below, Banner director Patrick Dahl tells Reel Chicago about the joys and pains of recreating the painful joy that once jammed Windy City airwaves.
Tommy Hawkman's got something for YOU!
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— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 7, 2019
How did the concept evolve? We’ve been talking with the Blackhawks about doing this for a number of years, but with Patrick Sharp and Adam Burish’s immense acting talents at our disposal, now seemed like the perfect time. We’re a huge fan of the original commercial, so we decided to make as close to a frame-by-frame remake as possible. If you time up our spot against the original the cuts should line up perfectly.
What did the original Eagleman spots mean to you when you were a kid? The greatest thing about the release of this spot is the flood of nostalgic reactions. All Chicagoans remember watching this spot in its prime, and I think that’s why people have responded so well: it’s a spot for Chicagoans by Chicagoans.
How did the Blackhawks respond when you pitched the idea? When we pitched the idea to the Blackhawks they were immediately intrigued. John McDonough and Jay Blunk lead a very forward-thinking organization so it didn’t take much convincing. The entire Marketing department and our creative partners at Varyer worked with us to help make the spot a reality.
What was the most enjoyable thing about recreating a spot that ranked on David Letterman’s list of worst commercials? We worked very hard to make it as true to the original as possible, and as a result got to work with Tommy Hawk’s team on props. The just homemade enough egg and the incredible baby Tommy Hawk are their brainchild and it takes the spot to the next level.
What was the most challenging thing about it? The most challenging thing was the weather — it was about 2 degrees at the time we shot, which forced us to be efficient with our time. Thankfully Sharp and Burish could warm up in the Chevy Beretta between takes.
How did the shoot go? We shot the spot in early February on one of those classically cold Chicago winter days. Thankfully we were recreating a spot that didn’t require a huge crew, so we were able to shoot it with a Director, DP, Audio Engineer, Producer and cast. We shot on a C300 and an a7sii, and used Fujinon’s Cine Zooms to help with focus.
About Banner Collective
Banner is a modern, multidisciplinary content development and production studio. We’ve got writers. We’ve got directors. We’ve got editors. We’ve got motion graphic designers. Most importantly, we’ve got heart. Our mission is simple: collaborate with our partners to amplify their business.
Credits
Directed by: Patrick Dahl
Shot and Edited by: Will Armistead
Graphic Design: Varyer
Art Direction: Aaron Asbury
Audio: Grace Aldrich
Producer: Morgan Sharar-Stoppel
Motion Graphic Design: Jessica Conquest
Many thanks to the Chicago Blackhawks
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