A new commercial in Old Spice’s “the man your man could smell like” series of ads hit the airwaves and the Internets this week. If you’re not delighted, you should be. The commercials are silly, visually interesting, and–according to their star, the very visually interesting actor Isaiah Mustafa–surprisingly low-tech behind the scenes.
Here he is, on a recent interview on G4′s “Attack of the Show.” If you can’t play the video at work, here are some of the highlights:
- There’s no CGI: just a very elaborate set built on a lake in Vallermo, California.
- It’s all one continuous shot, and required “36 or 37″ takes.
- In the first scene, those are prosthetic legs.
- The circular saw is terrifyingly real.
- The waterfall was man-made, and Mustafa wears a harness and wire through the entire shot.
Mustafa won’t reveal how he ends up wearing jeans in the last vignette where he’s sitting on a motorcycle. Mysteries.
And here’s the commercial itself, if you’re wondering what this is all about.
Isaiah Mustafa Reveals Secrets Behind Old Spice Commercial [G4] (Thanks, Joe!)
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Comment Of The Day: Shop Local
I thought that commercial was great. Very imaginative.
Wow. I think I’m missing something by not watching live TV with commercials. That’s pretty awesome. I don’t like Old Spice, but the commercial is definitely entertaining.
I think the only CGI was eliminating the harness/wires. As for the jeans, there appears to be a lot of “junk in his trunk” area while walking into the kitchen to cut the wood. I am guessing they are open back forms covered with jean and shoe material, so the forced perception of the camera makes them look like a real pair of jeans. Either that, or the shorts are fold-away and there are magnets inside so all he has to do is unroll them and the seams will attract each other. F-ing magnets, how do they work?!
Also, I must admit I like the other new commercials with Terry Crews. Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-power!
BLOCK! BUILDING KICK! EXPLOSIIOOONNNN!!!!
It looks to me like it’s another prosthetic shot – a pair of prosthetic legs in jeans sitting on the motorcycle, which he’s standing behind. It worked once.
I agree, I think the jeans are another pair of fake legs. And I’d like to theorize that the “junk in his trunk” required no CGI or special effects. *sighs*
In the interview he specifically says that shot is not prosthetics.
I’d figure, from the way he drops into the hot tub thingy, that he actually slides into the jeans and shoes, and that they had an elastic waistband.
I think that the junk is his harness for the swan dive.
I might agree, but for the short distance he travels, he wouldn’t need a large harness. Just a simple nylon crotch squeezer.
Here’s how it’s done…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGbK0YiOKWo
That is hilarious!
I’ve always liked Old Spice but wonder what women think of it cuz I don’t know any guys that wear it anymore.
Old Spice is one of my favorite scents on guys. Mmmmmmmm.
I think it depends on who she already knows that may wear it. Everything old becomes new again, like names…. one generation will think something sounds/smells “old” and the next will think it is “classic”.
Plus, don’t the Old Spice body washes come in several scents?
Old Spice is soooo intoxicating. Sometimes I just smell the deodorant.
My grandfather always wore it, so it has less than an intoxicating effect on me. It will make me want to provide the wearer with a cardigan and a hot cup of black coffee, though!
Your comment put a big smile on my face. There are worse fates than someone bringing you a cup of coffee and a sweater.
I use Old Spice deodorant/antiperspirant.. I’ve found that most other deodorants smell foul to me, and really I’m the one that has to smell it all the time.
The classic “Old Spice” scent is only a small part of the picture. They still sell the deodorant, but Old Spice is more of a brand than a specific fragrance. I’ve been using the soft solid anti-perspirant for a couple of years now, and I keep using it because it works well and one container lasts for several weeks.
A couple of my uncles wore Old Spice years ago…it evokes memories of childhood, not of hotness. I would imagine a lot of women might have a similar scent-memory of this one.
Think of all the women years from now who will be transported back to childhood with one sniff of CoolWater…
My dad wears CoolWater… I think you’re right.
I wear cool water as well…
I wear it! I have a good supply of Old Spice: http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u45/gitemstevedave/?action=tags¤t=Old Spice
Cute, but I have a quibble: A true swan dive is head first. Plus, his body wobbles just after the dive, making it more obvious than it could have been that he’s wearing a harness. But landing on the motorcycle and the sides falling away were cool.
I think the fact that he floated down like a balloon was a little more offsetting than the slight wobble.
That’s the entire point of the gag. It’s a surrealist bait and switch.
Something tells me they weren’t exactly trying to hide the fact that he was harnessed……………………………………………..
I hadn’t seen this one yet; thank you Consumerist for flaming my Isaiah obsession. I love these commercials, LOL.
(side note: nope, haven’t bought my man any Old Spice yet. I refuse to buy it unless it comes with Isaiah as a bonus gift.)
But if the Old Spice came with a free Isaiah would you still need your man?
It never hurts to have a spare.
Well, if you ever need Old Spice stuff… http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u45/gitemstevedave/?action=tags¤t=Old Spice
Seems like a nice guy, too!
I think these Old Spice commercials are the start for this guy becoming a big star.
He recently signed a talent deal with NBC, so yeah.
I hope so!
I’m assuming he stood behind the motorcycle, which had stuffed legs?
I like the “I’m on a horse!” one better but yeah, I totally get a giggle form watching these Old Spice commercials.
(My ex-boyfriend smelled like Old Spice, though, so I’m just as glad the man in my life now, my husband, doesn’t.)
Charming, and impressive, but just not as funny as “I’m on a horse”.
I still miss Bruce Campbell in these.
Bruce Campbell did Old Spice commercials? The Bruce Campbell?
Oh, yes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af1OxkFOK18
Leo Laporte did an interview with the creaters of the commercial and they reveal how they did the first commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/twit#p/c/32148C5F48B34F59/22/VDk9jjdiXJQ
I didn’t find this commercial nearly as clever as their previous ones, but I suppose that is just me. I actually decided to try their body wash a couple months back because of how creative their commercials were, but Walmart didn’t have it in stock so no dice. I do however use their body spray which is great. I was kinda annoyed that they discontinued the pure sport line but I found out I actually like Aqua Reef a whole lot better.
Can anyone identify the motorcycle in the last shot?
Isn’t it that thing with 2 wheels and handlebars?
It’s definitely vintage, probably a Honda from the early 70′s…
how does the water stay in the breakaway tub? looks cgi to me, too perfect the way it disappears. theres a lot not said in the making of this.
A lot of people don’t realize that for non-trivial stuff like water simulation and other effects that aren’t supposed to look fake, CGI is still very, very expensive. So if you can do it in-camera, it will almost always cost less.
It’s “Valyermo”, not “Vallermo”.