Leo Burnett senior copywriter Paul Swiatek and his brother, Mike, an LA director, working collaboratively cross-country, won the “Am I Awake” online music video contest, based on the song by They Might Be Giants (TMBG), the band best known for alternative rock music.
The brothers’ 3–minute video was one of three videos that each won a $1,000 cash prize. At $26, it also the lowest-budget entry among the thousands received.
The project began in February, when Paul Swiatek, who works on the Sprint and Alcon accounts at Burnett, came across the contest on TMBG’s Facebook page.
His brother, Mike Swiatek, a Columbia College film graduate, agreed to get involved under one specific stipulation: “That we spend no more than ten dollars.”
They began a brainstorm on Google Drive that allows them to Skype and write together. “I’ll check it one day. Add something. Paul will check it one day and his add his own stuff,” Mike says.
Given their own self-imposed financial limitations, the first few ideas were almost immediately tossed out.
“My brother’s like, ‘there’s no way we’re gonna drive a car through a garage wall for ten dollars,’” says Paul. “We decided, let’s have one camera, on a bed, and show people sleeping in different positions.
“We came up with something like 250 sleeping positions.”
Mike, who owns a small production company, Cunning Ape, found the location for the shoot in a house under construction in Pasadena.
“It was perfect,” he says. “A five-sided room. We put the bed up against the concave part.”
The video features an overhead shot of a young couple during a night of sleep. Titles for their various sleeping positions are “Spoon,” which transmogrifies into “Loyal Dog,” “Friend Request,” “Free Willie” and others.
During the shoot, the two actors, Leah Huebner and Nate Weisband, suggested a few of their own ideas that made the final cut.
“I really encourage that collaboration,” Mike explains. “Even if somebody has the egregious idea it may lead to something better.”
The editing was handled by freelance film pro Jesse Newman-Lindorf, the person who Mike and Paul credit for really making it happen.
“Jesse is the most supportive collaborator I’ve ever worked with’” says Mike. “He feeds off of Paul’s energy. My energy.”
“He puts up with me and my brother arguing,” adds Paul.
When they entered the TMBG contest, the Swiateks were riding on the success of a late 2013 collaboration for the comedy video, “LeBron James, It’s in My Blood.” It was one of the first videos that launched their work into the six digit viewership stratosphere, appearing on the Funny or Die website, Yahoo video and YouTube.
“Am I Awake” added 500,000 views to the millions that their work has generated since they started collaborating.
