Chicago-based Filmworkers recently provided post services for an Olympics-themed campaign from McDonald’s and DDB, Chicago. The spots connect the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, with the McDonald’s brand by showing medal-winning performances from past games and consumers watching at home while eating McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets. Each spot ends with a shot juxtaposing the winning athlete, celebrating victory by biting a medal, with a consumer, who celebrates by biting into a McNugget. U.S. snowboarder Louie Vito, hockey player Patrick Kane and speed skater Shani Davis are among those featured in the ads.
Filmworkers aimed to give each spot a seamless quality through color-balancing and visual effects. That work was challenging for the 60-second spot, “Celebrate with a Bite,” as it opens with a fast-paced montage of Olympics footage spanning more than five decades. “We had black & white footage, color film from the ’60s and ’70s and video from the ’80s, as well as the new material,” said Filmworkers colorist Fred Keller.
Keller balanced the color using a Baselight EIGHT system. Visual effects director Rob Churchill used visual effects tools to further adjust for variations in grain and other visual textures.
Filmworkers’ affiliate Vitamin created the campaign’s end tag animation, pairing the McDonald’s Golden Arches logo and the Olympics’ five interlocking rings.
