General Motors Co. will celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend with a special 30-second ad from an aspiring filmmaker. The spot, which was one of 13 finalists for the Chevrolet and MOFILM film program announced last year, features a father taking his crying baby for a drive in a 2014 Chevrolet Equinox during the middle of the night so the mother can rest. Followed by, of course, breakfast in bed for the mother.
DETROIT, MI- General Motors Co. will celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend with a special 30-second ad from an aspiring filmmaker.
The spot, which was one of 13 finalists for the Chevrolet and MOFILM film program announced last year, features a father taking his crying baby for a drive in a 2014 Chevrolet Equinox during the middle of the night so the mother can rest. Followed by, of course, breakfast in bed for the mother.
“We chose ‘The Extra Mile’ because it’s a beautiful tribute to what Mothers’ Day is all about – a day to honor mothers and show appreciation for all of the special things they do every day,” said Paul Edwards, U.S. vice president of Chevrolet marketing, in a statement.
The Detroit-based automaker today said the spot will air nationally throughout the weekend during a variety of shows, including "Good Morning America" and "The Today Show." It was posted on YouTube earlier today.
The spot, by Jake Viramontez of Los Angeles, was shot in one 13-hour day. It was his first commercial His prior work has focused on documentaries. Viramontez, a recent graduate of the Film department at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., was inspired by a perfect morning described by his sister, mother to his 18-month old niece, and cast his friends and their child in the spot.
“The father is a close friend of mine, and when I was going through the casting process, I was trying to find actors that looked like him, females that looked like his wife, and babies as cute as his,” said Viramontez. “Then I realized, I can just cast them.”
Last June, Chevrolet announced the filmmaking contest and worked with MOFILM to call for submissions from its filmmakers throughout the world. Twenty-four early submissions received mentorship by a panel of celebrity experts and prominent professionals. “The Extra Mile” was one of 13 finalists chosen from nearly 200 scripts and 72 films from 34 countries.
As a part of this Chevrolet and MOFILM program, Viramontez received mentorship from Jon Landau, the Academy Award-winning producer of "Titanic" and "Avatar."