Super Bowl Specials: Dante Ariola

Last year MJZ director Dante Ariola helmed one of the most memorable and commended ads broadcast at Super Bowl XLVII – Soul for Mercedes Benz. Featuring Hollywood actor Willem Dafoe as the devil, and pop sensation Usher, the commercial also features a killer soundtrack in Sympathy for the Devil by Rolling Stones and is a cinematic thrill-ride scaling the heights and perks of fame.

This year, however, the Brooklyn-raised talent is taking a back seat as an audience member and fan of the advertising circus about to ensue, and he’s relishing the prospect with an old school attitude to the in-game broadcast.

Here, he offers an interesting anecdote about directing his first-ever Super Bowl spot, treating the window of opportunity on a project-to-project basis and how the internet has changed the Super Bowl viewing experience and countdown.

What does the Super Bowl mean to you?

I think it just raises the bar because when you’re directing you always have it in the back of your head that a billion or so people are going to be watching. It’s kind of like a much smaller version of the players; they have to go out there and play the game and you have to try and put your stamp on a spot – at the end of the day, it’s the same exercise. But don’t take that too literally; they put a lot more on the line!

What’s your most significant Super Bowl memory?

For me its two separate things; growing up in New York I was a die-hard Giants fan in the 80s and just watching it with my crazy Italian family in Brooklyn. But directing-wise when I first started out and didn’t really know what I was doing I did this Super Bowl spot but I’m not even sure I knew it was for the Super Bowl, and it was kind of weird just watching when it came on and I connected the dots and thought, ‘wow, this thing really is on TV’. Kind of naïve in a way; it must’ve been about 1999 or something but I can’t remember exactly.

How much more pressure is there involved in shooting for the Super Bowl?

I think you’re relaxed if the people around you are relaxed. If it’s fun on the page it’s fun on the stage, to use a cliché. There’s always the unknown but if you’re easy going, it relaxes the people around you and I think it’s the same for everybody.

Stressing out about it and thinking about how much the airtime costs and all this stuff… the audience doesn’t know or care when they watch it, they just want to be entertained.

Will events like this always warrant demand for the traditional 30-second TVC?

I think it’s one of those things where even though they release the spots earlier on the internet now, at the end of the day when you do a Super Bowl spot you know it’s really aimed at the 30 or 60-second spaces during the event. In a weird way it almost feels like a throwback now.

Now you could create something and it could be released on the internet and a lot of people will see it that way, and it’ll air but you never know exactly when or why and this in a weird way has a nostalgic feel, I think that’s what’s cool about it.

How has advertising at the Super Bowl changed over the years from what you’ve seen?

When I was starting out the dot com bubble burst and people were doing some pretty out there stuff. I think it’s changed in that the internet is not an afterthought anymore; it’s definitely changed things.

What’s the recipe for Super Bowl success for an advertiser?

Ha! If I had the answer I’d probably start my own agency.  For me it’s to not play it safe, whether that is with the music or dramatics, to not play it safe is the key.

I think on the dramatic side it probably can get really saccharin sometimes, and to me that’s not my favourite as the comedy can just get really broad. I’d rather it kind of have some global pizazz.

Also I think you’ve got to be careful about pulling on the heartstrings in a way that feels hallmarked, you know? If you look at the Chrysler spot, it feels like it has some gravitas and resonates with Americans – I think you’ve just got to avoid being middle of the road.

What keeps pulling you back to the Super Bowl?

I honestly think it varies from project to project; I’ve had some come my way over the years and although it’s never been the main seam of my career it’s a nice little exclamation point to a year. But I’ve never been like, “we have to get the Super Bowl this year…” It depends on whether it’s a great project.

How high on a director’s achievement scale is shooting for the Super Bowl placed?

For me, it’s never been the highest thing but it’s kind of one of the three things you’re really proud of from that year and it’s the nature and scale of the Super Bowl. They usually want a big idea and as a result it tends to pop up as one of those three spots you want in your pocket for that year. So I don’t think it’s a must by any means but it’s definitely not something to shake a stick at.

What sort of spots or trends would you like to/think you will see at this year’s event?

You know what, to be honest in a nice way, this year, I really just consider myself an audience member. I really have no idea… I don’t think I have ever had an idea of what’s going to be on there. I mean you hear of a couple of things just from being in the business but it’s kind of nice to be surprised and personally I don’t watch any of the spots before they come on during the game.

Where will you be watching and what team are you rooting for?

I’ll be watching at a friend’s house in Echo Park (Los Angeles) and I’m torn. I really don’t have a dog in this fight. Having worked with Payton (Manning) of the Broncos I’m kind of pulling for him but I like the Seahawks too so I don’t know. I just want to be entertained – is that so much to ask?