With Election Day just a few exciting hours away, I thought I’d spotlight this video that’s been making the rounds on Youtube and all over the internet. Yup, the Wassssup boys are back and the past 8 years haven’t treated them too well…
I love how director Charles Stone III took his original Budwesier ad (which you can check out here if your memory’s fuzzy) and amped up the humor with a dark and twisted vibe. He really toed the line perfectly, playing it dark enough to make you cringe, but still light and overexaggerated enough to make you laugh.
Wassup 2008 uses the same structure as the last commercial, but instead of the Budweiser-average-dudes-chillin vibe, the guys are now depressed, losing their homes, and even fighting a war. Seeing one of these carefree Budweiser dudes stationed in full Iraq gear really sends a sobering message: a lot has happened in the last 8 years and nobody, not even iconic commercial characters, remain unaffected.
When all the madness and laughter dies down and it’s back to the original two having a quiet conversation, the silence suddenly feels serious and real. And when the main character (who’s actually the director himself) slowly smiles for the first time, and you see why, the piece ends on an uplifting note that I never saw coming when I first clicked play. Wassup 2008 is a solid short that took an iconic concept and actually added layers and depth to it…and even some hope.
Read about how they pulled it off and what the original ending was supposed to be.
I did some googling around and found that not only did Stone direct both Wassup 2008 and the original Budweiser ad, but that this all started from a short that he made with his childhood friends. The short, titled “True”, made a buzz at film festivals all across the country until it caught the attention of a creative director for ad agency DDB Chicago. They signed Stone and his friends to recreate the short as a Budweiser commercial, and the rest is history. How awesome is that? Check out the original that gave birth to the most memorable catchphrase of the past decade:
After that, Charles Stone III directed Drumline and Paid In Full before coming back to his roots to create Wassup 2008. He rounded up the original cast, 50 volunteers, $6500 out of his own pocket, and finished the spot in 9 days. Since Budweiser only leased the rights, and not owned them, Stone was able to bring his original idea back to life.
Back then, Budweiser only paid him $37,000 for a 5 year lease and Stone took a lot of flack about the low price, but now he says it’s all paid off. As a hardcore Obama supporter, Stone says, “That I’m able to use an idea distributed by a huge company, who made a lot of money off it, so that now when I put out what I want to say, it’s recognizable, and it sparks – that’s worth $1 million to me.”
With over 3.8 million views so far, all I have to say is, “True, true.”
[Now regardless of what you thought of the film, what you think about this blog, whether you lean left or right, just please go out and vote tomorrow. Every vote counts, every voice matters. See you at the polls!]
