Director: Ian Sciacaluga Product: Specsavers The brief was to produce 2 x 5 second idents for London Underground LCD screen playouts. More

Director: Ian Sciacaluga
Product: Specsavers

Creative Team: Neil Brush, Steve Loftus, Simon Bougourd, Nick Robinson & Kat Mather

The brief was to produce 2 x 5 second idents for London Underground LCD screen playouts. In these two amusing idents, one shows a committed surfer making for the sea but he’s mistaken his surfboard for an ironing board; in the other, an attractive woman carefully mis-applies her lipstick in front of a mirror. Neither script suggests stupidity – just a lack of glasses or contact lenses with the line “Should've gone to Specsavers”.

It was a low budget/quick turnaround job which was commissioned, completed and formatted ready for playout in just over a week. The technical background for this new media – in effect, live action posters designed to communicate with commuters in corridors, ticket halls and exits – is as follows:

• The LCD screens are 57 inch 16.9 in format which are rotated to run in portrait format. The output is HD video with no audio capability.
• HD Video – 1920 x 1080i (Interlaced not progressive scan) Data rates: Multiplex Bit rate 6500 kbps. Constant bit rate.Video Bit Rate 7,000KbpsAudio Bit Rate 5,000Kbps. A silent digital audio stream must be included at 48 Khz (2 channel).

Director’s comment
I wanted to present these idents simply and graphically, so that they are succinctly displayed on the digital LCD screens. Ian Sciacaluga

“We just want to say a big thank you to Commercials Unlimited for all your efforts in creating SURFER and LIPSTICK. The clients are very happy with them and I think you’ve done wonders with no time and no money!” Sam Lock for Specsavers.

Director's Boards

(Shot on location in Lyme Regis)