The Getty Center: Heads

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Released:	September 2008
Advertiser:	Getty Center
Agency:	M&C SAATCHI
Country:	USA
Category:	Entertainment & leisure Commercial public services
Tags:	Education Plant instead of a head Creativity tv-spot Modified people and freaks in advertising

Credits:

Notes on “Heads” from Sleeper Films’ Peter Martin:
The M&C Saatchi creatives Ron Tapia and Dennis DiSalvo were trying to let people know that The Getty was a great place to get inspired. The idea they came to us with was really simple. Take regular Los Angelenos, going about their business in typical situations all over LA, and replace their heads with art from the Getty. All to set up the line that a trip to the Getty "stays with you".

For us the biggest draw is always the idea. "Heads" was based on a really great insight - quality art isn't something you forget, you carry it with you. We also loved the fact that this deceptively simple idea was going to live or die on the visual effects. If it felt seamless and natural we thought it'd be a home run. We wanted "Heads" to have an observational quality to it, capturing brief moments of everyday life in LA. We felt it was really important that everything in the spot should feel natural and casual so that the only thing out of place was the fact that instead of a regular noggin, everyone's head was replaced by a priceless work of art. We're big fans of almost any American film made in the 70s and in a lot of those movies, you'd get to see Jon Voight or Meryl Streep or whoever walking down a real bustling city street with real people. They'd shoot the actor with some massive zoom lens from a block away so the people wouldn't notice the camera until they already had the shot. It gave the movies a reality we'd love to see more of and it seemed a fitting way to experience some of the art in "Heads".

Title: Heads
Client: The Getty Center, Los Angeles
Agency: M&C Saatchi, Los Angeles
Art Director: Ron Tapia
Writer: Dennis DiSalvo
Producer: Rebecca Silverstein
Group Account Director: Stephen McCall
Account Supervisor: Michelle Wog


Production Company: Sleeper Films, Los Angeles
Director: Peter Martin
Line Producer: Tracy Broaddus
Executive Producers: Alex Blum, Andrea Ruskin
Director of Photography: Eric West
Editorial: Patrick Griffin, Lost Planet, Los Angeles

Visual Effects: Ring of Fire, Los Angeles
Creative Director: Jerry Spivack
Executive Producer: John Myers

Music Composer: Mader