"Technology has blown open the doors in terms of[Super Bowl ads] because the budgets are so enormous."

A blitz of super commercialsTV: Super Bowl adver-tising is a i i! :Ji-i i i l i artform unto itself. Wit-ness the new spot pit-ting Micharl .Jordan at23 against MJ at 39.

:U ANDREW RATHER

One of ihe most accom-plished directors of televisioncommercials ever, Joe Pytkawould rarely seem al a lossfor how U> make one.

He has created thousandsof TV ads, from Pepsi andMcDonald's spots to thefamed This Is Your Brain onDnifrs" series. His portfolioIncludes more than 30 SuperBowl commercials and the1996 Warner Bros, cartoonmovte Spare Jean, His fee IsS15.MO a day

But when presented lastspring with a concept Tor a

Aa Image from a new Gatoradc ad tbowB the currentMichael Jordan playing against a younger version of himself.

plcllng Michael Jordan how to do It convincingly.*playing basketball against a said Pytka, In & telephone In-younger version of himself — tervtew from bis home nearto air during Super Bowl Los Angeles. "I contactedXXXVII on Sunday — fytka places all over the world"was uncertain he could pull It He found his answer up theo-T block.

•It was almost like an 1m- A short walk from his stu-posslble project. The Idea was dlo near 'Muscle Beach* In

Page 4A: Friday. Jan. 24,2003 : The Sun

Get ready for rushof high-tech spots

(M*. from Page IA\

Pytka visited Dlgtlal Domain,•n eCtecU studio founded by Ti-tanic director James Cameron.Digital showed Pytka a com-puter animation technique that.1 used to Insert actor Vln Diesel•j\ stunts for the action Him.XXX

"I saw the Vln Diesel stuff,and It completely changed mymind. You can take another hu-

Pyikn sold His commercial orJordan at age 23 playing Jordanat 39 will be shown on ABC dur-.nc the first quarter of the Na-tional Football League titlegame between the OaklandRaiders and Tampa Bay Buecn-OMOL,

His work Is the latest exampleof bow technology has quietlytransformed the making of tele-vision commercials — especiallythe big-budget creations shownduring the Super BowL

Technology has blown openthe doors In terms of televisioncommercials for the Super Bowlbecause the budgets are soenormous.' said Andy Dumalne.partner and creative director ofthe Campbell Group Inc.. a Bal-timore advertising agency. Theline between reality and fantasyIs getting thinner by the day. Intour yean, you wont be able to.ell the difference between a realactor and a virtual one*

Time In monoyThe NFL's annual champion-

ihip has become the AcademyAwards for the advertising in-dustry About one In 10 viewersuy they watch the event solelyfor the ads. according to surveysdone for Eisner Communica-tions Inc.. a Baltimore adagency-

For this year's game, 30 sec-onds of national alrUme cost anestimated $2,1 million. Produc-tion expenses equal that

•Every year, the stakes seemlo gel higher and higher, andwhat was acceptable last year Isnow passe.' said Johnnie Se-merad. creative director of theQuletMan visual effects firm InNew York. His work Includes anaward-winning Super Bowl com-mercial Tor Pepsi in 1996 thatreatured a com outer-animatedBib.

Tremendous gains In comput-ing power have 'democratized*•.he industry during the pastdecade. Software developed bycompanies such as Softimage

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Co. and Discreet, both of Can-ada, have enabled small shopsto produce effects that only thebiggest could once afford. Also,high-speed Internet communi-cations have shaved Ume: SomeSuper Bowl ads now are com-pleted and transmitted the daybefore the game.

As Tor the new Jordan com-mercial, the professionals whomade It and others who haveseen it consider It anotherbreakthrough.

Jon Flnnncry and Geoff Ed-wards, creative directors for aChicago agency called Element~" Partners, last spring con-cocted a photo montage or Jor-dan facing a younger version ofhimself as the genesis for on adfor Gatorade. PepsiCo Inc. ac-quired the brand with QuakerOals for $13.4 billion in 2001.

The agency and the beveragemaker liked the Idea - -Shake-spearean.' someone called it —but were uncertain how to exe-cute IL

One director, who didn't winthe Job. suggested splicing oldfootage with current film or Jor-dan. But Pytka, who used ani-mation effects to mingle Jordanwith cartoon characters InSpace Jam, said such an ap-proach would look stale and un-convincing.

Nor could Jordan be made upas hlmseir 16 years younger be-eauw he Is heavier now. Also,applying prosthetic makeupcould take up to eight hours aday. much more Ume than thedirector would have with thestar.

But when Pytka visited Digi-tal Domain In May to see itswork for XXX. be Instantly be-lieved he'd found his time ma-chine.

In August. Digital Domaincarted equipment to Chicago to•acquire data' on Jordan. As hesat on a stool, a revolving three-dimensional camera 'cyber-scanned" him. He was then digi-tally photographed hundreds oflimes

Then came the critical part,Pytka thought. Jordan playedtwo noun of basketball for threestraight days against Kevin Da-ley, a semi-pro player discoveredIn a casting audition. Daley's6-foot-S frame and agility re-minded the ad makers of ayounger Jordan. (Make-up art-ists, however, had U> apply hairto Daley, who Is bald like thepresent-day Jordan.!

The one-on-one play at Chica-go's United Center healed thecompetitive Juices in Jordan.making the commercial believa-ble and — not to be overlooked— suited to the sponsor's mes-sage, 'Is It in you?* Arena work-ers gaped at the dimly lightedscene on the hardwood below,seemingly, of Jordan crossingJordan.

At the end of the commercial,the two Jordans are challengedby an even younger clone. wear-Ing Jordan's University of NorthCarolina uniform.

Tho real deal'*I can't tell you how many

wonderful moments there were *said Fred Ralmondl. visual ef-fects supervisor for Digital Do-main They were talking trashto each other. It was all we coulddo to keep from dying. It wasthe real deal*

Ralmondt worked 20 yeanago on the TV character MaxHeadroom, an actor altered tolook virtual This was the oppo-site feat and more difficult, hesaid: making a digital creationlook and sound truly human,and not Just any human but oneof the most recognizable In theworld. (Jordan, Incidentally, alsoappears on a second commercialduring Sunday's game with ac-tor Jackie Chan for Hanes T-shirts.)

After the Chicago shoot, art-ists at Digital Domain and an-other Los Angeles studio. RockPaper Scissors, morphed Jor-dan's features onlo Daley's body.making sure the muscle reflexes,shading and light kecked as realas possible. Their workstretched from September toDecember.

'After working on this. Itopened up a doorway to me to anew way of thinking about this

stun Now when 1 shoot same-thing, especially with a celebrity.I know if something goes wrongon the set. I can fall back ontechnology to make It belter*said Pytka. who recalled his dis-appointment yean ago when alaser-disc cut of the classicWestern Shane revealed that asiunlman replaced Alan Ladd Ina climactic barroom scene.

It was heartbreaking because1 always Ihoughl that film wasbeautifully done. It destroyedthe film for me.' he said. 'Butwhat they did here Is breathtak-ing*

The Jordan commercial's pathto the Super Bowl was unusualGatorade hadn't reserved air-time during the game and didn'tIntend to. The product doesn'tsell much until April, whenmuch of the United Stales be-gins thawing out and outdoorrecreation begins anew. Gator-ade hadnt aired a Super Bowlcommercial in Its 30 years de-spile the fact that the winningcoach Is often doused with a vatof It at the end of the game

Galorade planned to show thecommercial during the NewYears college bowl games, whichIt did. but was so Impressedwith the result that It boughttime for Sunday, spokeswomanJU1 Rlnney said.

Apple led tho wayElevation of the Super Bowl

commercial as a showcase untoItself dales lo 158-1. 17 years afterIhe first Super Bowl, DirectorRidley Scotl made an epic com-mercial for Apple Computer Inc.lo Introduce the Macintosh ma-chine. At the lime, one In 10households owned a personalcompuler.

Although the commercial pro-claimed a breakthrough piece ofpersonal technology. It em-ployed scant new technology InIts making. Scenes or oppressedmasses liberated by a hammer-throwing woman were mostly afeat of screenplay and directing.

Less than a decade later, therevolution that the commercialportended had arrived. Faster,cheaper computers spawneddozens of post-production stu-

Two Ulchael Jordana square off In a Super Bowl ad titled "23 va. 39." Wort on the ad, createdthrough computer manipulation of digital Images, ttntcBed from August to last month,

One-on-onc with himselfAnwGatorafccontnercaifeaur^acurrOTWcftaeJJoroan ptayrg aganstrrrtsdfnhtsClicagoBulspnwi be shown dumg Super Bowl XXXVB, Here is how Digital Dorn»ofVence.Catf,crealBdtwoHcnaefc:

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dios In Los Angeles. New Yorkand London The top thinkers InHollywood and Silicon Valley —Including George Lueas andSteven Jobs — formed compa-nies Just lo cook effects for com-mercials.

Agencies began winningawards for Super Bowl ads thatenlmaled animals and objects.Beer bottles played football.Progs talked. Bears danced.

The new mastery wasn't al-ways appreciated, A 1997 seriesof commercials In which DirtDevil digitally Inserted Its vacu-

But what technology grvelh.technology also zappeth away.Digital video recorders devel-oped by TiYo and Sonicblue Inc.have expanded the couch pota-to's arsenal lo override commer-cials,

Robert M Greenberg. founderof R/GA Digital Studios and oneof the first effects specialists inadvertising In the 1970s, envi-sions a future when householdsreceive only certain Super Bowlcommercials. TVs. like Internetservices today, will track theirinterests and align commercialswith buying patlems.

But ad creators occasionallyforget that humor and simplicity

— not whiz-bang effect- — lyplcally score highest at the housiparties and packed taverns 01Super Sunday.

'Sometimes while walchlnithe Super Bowl, I swear I'm at iconvention showing off new innovallve technologies,* saltRobert Thompson, a media expert who heads the Center foIhe Sludy of Popular Televisloiat Syracuse University. Thenwas one brilliant commercial ifew years ago showing cowboyherding cuu. but for Ihe life ome I can't tell you want that w&for. Yet I can still remember. 'M;baloney has a first name. IfO-S-C-A-R.1"

DeLay's hard-charging style faces test(Delay, from Page IA\

needs those votes lo gel key leg-islation through,* said James A.Thurber, director of the Centerfor Congressional and Presiden-tial Studies at American Univer-sity.

He *ls leaning over backwardsto that coalition and lo Tom De-

that, he's going lo have a prob-lem with the more moderateSenate * Thurber said

At the same time, DeLayseeks U> centralize power In Uiefractious House by granting newauthority to leaders and com-mittee chairs and by rewardingloyalists. The strategy Is similarto one Democrats used duringtheir 40-year control of theHouse that ended In IKM.

Dol,ay has built up a reservoirof fealty throughout his parly'sHouse leadership ranks, whichIs peopled with his loyalists. In-cluding Speaker Dennis Hastenof Illinois and Rep. Roy Blunt ofMissouri. DeLay's successor inthe No. 3 slot of whip.

'Tho Hammor1

In demanding loyally fromcolleagues, aides and lobbyists,DeLay keeps a close watch onthem. As whip, he amazedfriends and Toes with his abilityto deliver victories on conten-tious Issues with tight vote mar-gins, such as beating back a bidU> federally* the entire aviationsecurity work force.

He has done so with threatsand ultimatums — earning himthe nickname The Hammer* —but also with the kind of sweettalk, bargains and treats, legis-lative and otherwise, that greasethe wheels on Capitol Hill.

"He's tough when it comes tosome of these waffling mem-bers* said Paul Weyrich, presi-dent of the conservative Free

Because of his reputation forfierce conwrvaUxm, Rep. TomDeLay (above) may harm Presi-dent Bush, analysts My.

Congress Foundation.But contrary lo his reputa-

tion. DeLay Is not all arm-twist-ing and Intimidation. To securea wavering lawmaker's vote, bemight secure a project for his orher district or a campaign ap-pearance by a top Republican.

•He's done a bazilllon favorsfor people * says former Rep. BUIFaxon of New York, who Is closeto DeLay. -People respect himand are willing to bend overbackwards to get him the vote,because he has done the heavylifting and the lough jobs andthe dirty work.*

Few favors are too small De-Lay Is known for serving pizzaand barbecue In his Capitol of-fice when the House Is In sessionat dinnertime. He has arrangedfor private cars and flights lohelp lawmakers make Importantvoles or party events.

He Is equally devoted to —and demanding of — the web oflobbyists. Interest groups andfund-raising operatives that in-fluences Congress and elections.

DeLay has built alliances withbusiness groups and trade asso-ciations and has helped deliveron some of their highest priori-ties, such as free-trade Initia-tives and tax cuts.

In return, he has Insisted thatthey lobby lawmakers, donatemoney and even employ Repub-licans, (The House Ethics Com-mittee admonished DeLay In1999 for threatening to punish alobbying group that hired a for-mer Democrat as Its president)

By all accounts. DeLay's tal-ent has been as a behind-the-scenes tactician and enforcer,and not as a unifying force in hisparty. Now that he's majorityleader, allies say his role will belo help sketch a vision for theparty's agenda.

"He's been an inside guy. andnow bell have lo be out there,scheduling and passing thepresident's agenda and. In doingso. massaging It throughout theprocess so that It ts successful,"said Daniel J. Maltoon. a Re-publican lobbyist and ally.

Massaging Is not known asDeLay's strong suit.

'His style Is pretty confronta-tional — I don't think he tries tobe a dlplumu'.,' said Rep. StenyH. Hoyer of Southern Maryland.the House Democratic whip.

iVl ;... SS. whose neat darkhair and Intense eyes match hisdomineering style, says his ap-proach won't change.

"I'm organized and disci-plined, and I am aggressive Intrying lo do what I think theAmerican people want us to do.'he said. 'I have a new role, but 1have the same goals I won'tchange,*

In the early 1970s, DeLay rana pest extermination business InEast Texas. Upset by environ-mental rules affecting the busi-ness. DeLay ran successfully fora seat In the Texas House He

spent six years there before winnlng election lo Congress.

In Washington, DeLay wear

proudly. He opposes abortloirights. He has fought bllterl;against government regulationonce branding the Envtronmental Protection Agency 'the Geslapo.' A bom-agaln ChristianDeLay Is famous for his publlexcoriation of former PresldcnBill Clinton, whose impeachment DeLay relentlessly an<successfully championed.

Colleagues and aides say hi.notoriety for twisting arms is exaggerated. but they acknowledge that he has been a polarizing figure — partly because Iworks to his advantage.

•He's cultivated It lo some extenU' said former Rep Robert SWalker of Pennsylvania, whonDeLay defeated for the post oRepublican whip In 139-1

Among Republican leadenWalker said, •there was a deslnto have somebody who was ihard-nosed guy who was noonly respected but also fearedIt protected some of the olhemembers of the leadership whididn't want to come out a:strongly on certain Issues.'

Poor communicatorDcljiy rejects the notion tha

be Is a divisive figure.'Some people think that whei

you're aggressive, you're meanspirited — that's Just not me* ! . <said. The mispcrceptlon comepartly, he adds, from his poocommunication skills.

DeLay set a severe tone fohis tenure as majority leadeearly on In the new CongressHe Joined with Haslert to pus]through rules this month allowing top Republican leaders udominate the chamber monthoroughly than In the pastThey also eased the gift baithat had prevented lobbyist