Kipper: Difference between revisions

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| runtime            = 45 seconds
| runtime            = 45 seconds
| product            =
| product            =
| released            = {{Film date|df=yes|1980|10|29|location|ref1=}}
| released            = {{Film date|df=yes|1980|10|29|<!--location|-->ref1=}}
| slogan              = It's a new toy every day
| slogan              = It's a new toy every day
| writer              = Mike Cozens
| writer              = Mike Cozens
| director            = [[Wikipedia:Ken Turner (director)|Ken Turner]]
| director            = [[Wikipedia:Ken Turner (director)|Ken Turner]]
| editing            = Patrick Udale
| editing            = Patrick Udale
| music              =
| starring            = [[Wikipedia:Roger Kitter|Roger Kitter]] (voice-over)
| starring            =
| production company  = [[Wikipedia:Clearwater Features|Clearwater Films]]
| production company  = [[Wikipedia:Clearwater Features|Clearwater Films]]
| producer            = David Mitten
| producer            = David Mitten
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}}
}}


'''''Kipper''''' is a 1980 stop-motion short film made as an advertisement in the UK.
'''''Kipper''''' is a British stop-motion [[Wikipedia:Television advertisement|television commercial]] first aired in 1980.
 
== Summary ==
The advertisement shows a small LEGO mouse
 
when a LEGO cat appears
 
mouse, cat, dog, dragon, fire engine, submarine, submarine-eating kipper (initially misheard as "slipper"), an "anti-kipper ballistic missile", a "missile cruncher", elephant, mouse


== Production ==
== Production ==
Filming took place over the course of seventeen days.<ref name="1981 One Show"/>
''Kipper'' was created at the London branch of the [[Wikipedia:Advertising agency|advertising agency]] [[Wikipedia:TBWA Worldwide|TBWA]] by [[Wikipedia:Copywriting|copywritter]] Mike Cozens and [[Wikipedia:Art director|art director]] Graham Watson.<ref name="1981 One Show"/> Cozens and Watson had joined TBWA in February 1980 and had developed two print advertisements for [[the LEGO Group]] before being briefed on a television project.<ref name="Dye"/> The commercial had to be created on a limited budget; the two did not want to resort to making a "dull" presenter commercial, and spent numerous late nights developing the concept and working with the accounting team to get script approval.<ref name="1981 One Show"/>
The LEGO models in the film were built by [[David Lyall]], a model designer at LEGO UK.<ref name="Bricks n Pieces"/> Lyall built and deconstructed each model in stages, and a few frames of footage were shot between each stage. The largest LEGO model in the film, the dragon, was built out of {{formatnum:20000}} LEGO bricks.<ref name="1981 One Show"/> Additional [[Wikipedia:Stop motion|stop motion animation]] was done by Denis Russo.<ref name="Cook"/>
The advertisement was produced by [[Wikipedia:Clearwater Features|Clearwater Films]]. Clearwater suggested building a set with wallpaper and carpets, but Watson wanted to direct it "simply", using "just the skirting board and a reflective floor."<ref name="Bishop"/>
 
Filming took place over the course of seventeen days, and was done in a single take.<ref name="1981 One Show"/> The LEGO models in the film were created by [[David Lyall]], a model designer at LEGO UK.<ref name="Bricks n Pieces"/> Lyall built each model in stages, and a few frames of footage were shot between each stage. The largest LEGO model in the film, the dragon, was built out of {{formatnum:20000}} LEGO bricks.<ref name="1981 One Show"/> Additional [[Wikipedia:Stop motion|stop motion animation]] was done by Denis Russo.<ref name="Cook"/> Director Ken Turner and his team planned out the timing for both the building sequences and for zooming and panning the camera, having to make sure the camera movement lined up with each stage of the models.<ref name="1981 One Show"/>


TBWA initially considered comedian [[Wikipedia:Mike Reid (actor)|Mike Reid]] for the advertisement’s [[Wikipedia:Voice-over|voice-over]]. They decided on [[Wikipedia:Tommy Cooper|Tommy Cooper]], as his voice had done well in research at the time even among international audiences. Cooper was ill at the time of recording, however, and [[Wikipedia:Impressionist (entertainment)|impressionist]] [[Wikipedia:Roger Kitter|Roger Kitter]] was hired to impersonate him; audiences ended up thinking Kitter's impression was Cooper's voice.<ref name="Robinson"/><ref name="McCarthy"/>
TBWA initially considered comedian [[Wikipedia:Mike Reid (actor)|Mike Reid]] for the advertisement’s [[Wikipedia:Voice-over|voice-over]]. They instead decided on [[Wikipedia:Tommy Cooper|Tommy Cooper]], as his voice had done well in research at the time even among international audiences. Cooper was ill at the time of recording, however, and [[Wikipedia:Impressionist (entertainment)|impressionist]] [[Wikipedia:Roger Kitter|Roger Kitter]] was hired to impersonate him; audiences ended up thinking Kitter's impression was Cooper's voice.<ref name="Robinson"/><ref name="McCarthy"/>


<ref name="Kanner"/>
<ref name="Kanner"/>
Line 39: Line 47:
{{reflist|refs=
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="1981 One Show">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/oneshowadvertisi0000unse_c1w0/page/n95/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The One Show: Advertising's Best Print, Radio, TV |volume=3 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:The One Club|The One Club for Art and Copy]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |year=1982 |isbn=0-960-2628-3-0 |issn=0273-2033 |page=86}}</ref>
<ref name="1981 One Show">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/oneshowadvertisi0000unse_c1w0/page/n95/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The One Show: Advertising's Best Print, Radio, TV |volume=3 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:The One Club|The One Club for Art and Copy]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |year=1982 |isbn=0-960-2628-3-0 |issn=0273-2033 |page=86}}</ref>
<ref name="Bishop">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/artdirectionbook0000roto/page/170/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The Art Direction Book |publisher=Rotovision SA |location=[[Wikipedia:Crans, Switzerland|Crans, Switzerland]] |year=1996 |isbn=2-88046-284-3 |editor-first=Louise |editor-last=Bishop |pages=170-171}}</ref>


<ref name="Bricks n Pieces">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/BricksNPieces-Spring1981-Brickset/mode/2up?view=theater |title=A Merry Old Soul |magazine=[[Bricks 'n Pieces]] |date=Spring 1981 |number=7 |editor-first=Clive |editor-last=Nicholls |editor-link=Clive Nicholls |page=1 |location=[[Wikipedia:Wrexham|Wrexham]], [[Wikipedia:Clwyd|Clwyd]] |publisher=[[LEGO UK Ltd]]}}</ref>
<ref name="Bricks n Pieces">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/BricksNPieces-Spring1981-Brickset/mode/2up?view=theater |title=A Merry Old Soul |magazine=[[Bricks 'n Pieces]] |date=Spring 1981 |number=7 |editor-first=Clive |editor-last=Nicholls |editor-link=Clive Nicholls |page=1 |location=[[Wikipedia:Wrexham|Wrexham]], [[Wikipedia:Clwyd|Clwyd]] |publisher=[[LEGO UK Ltd]]}}</ref>


<ref name="Cook">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofwi0000cook/page/5/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The Guiness Book of Winners and Champions |edition=2nd |year=1981 |first1=Chris |last1=Cook |first2=Anne |last2=Marshall |publisher=Guiness Superlatives Limited |location=[[Wikipedia:Enfield, London|Enfield, London]] |isbn=0-85112-218-3 |page=5}}</ref>
<ref name="Cook">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofwi0000cook/page/5/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The Guiness Book of Winners and Champions |edition=2nd |year=1981 |first1=Chris |last1=Cook |first2=Anne |last2=Marshall |publisher=Guiness Superlatives Limited |location=[[Wikipedia:Enfield, London|Enfield, London]] |isbn=0-85112-218-3 |page=5}}</ref>
<ref name="Dye">{{cite interview |url=https://davedye.com/2023/11/27/blog-cast-graham-watson-1/ |title=BLOG/CAST: Graham Watson #1 |website=Stuff From the Loft |first=Graham |last=Watson |interviewer=Dave Dye |date=November 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817134023/https://davedye.com/2023/11/27/blog-cast-graham-watson-1/ |archive-date=2024-08-17 |url-status=live |access-date=2024-08-17}}</ref>


<ref name="Kanner">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/100besttvcommerc00kann/page/90/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The 100 Best TV Commercials ...and Why They Worked |first=Bernice |last=Kanner |year=1999 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Times Books|Times Books]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |isbn=0-8129-2995-0 |pages=90-91}}</ref>
<ref name="Kanner">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/100besttvcommerc00kann/page/90/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The 100 Best TV Commercials ...and Why They Worked |first=Bernice |last=Kanner |year=1999 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Times Books|Times Books]] |location=[[Wikipedia:New York City|New York]] |isbn=0-8129-2995-0 |pages=90-91}}</ref>

Revision as of 23:26, 17 August 2024

Kipper
AgencyTBWA
ClientLEGO UK Ltd
MediaTelevision
Running time45 seconds
Release date(s)
  • 29 October 1980 (1980-10-29)
Slogan
  • It's a new toy every day
Written byMike Cozens
Directed byKen Turner
Starring
Production
company
Clearwater Films
Produced byDavid Mitten
CountryUnited Kingdom

Kipper is a British stop-motion television commercial first aired in 1980.

Summary

The advertisement shows a small LEGO mouse

when a LEGO cat appears

mouse, cat, dog, dragon, fire engine, submarine, submarine-eating kipper (initially misheard as "slipper"), an "anti-kipper ballistic missile", a "missile cruncher", elephant, mouse

Production

Kipper was created at the London branch of the advertising agency TBWA by copywritter Mike Cozens and art director Graham Watson.[1] Cozens and Watson had joined TBWA in February 1980 and had developed two print advertisements for the LEGO Group before being briefed on a television project.[2] The commercial had to be created on a limited budget; the two did not want to resort to making a "dull" presenter commercial, and spent numerous late nights developing the concept and working with the accounting team to get script approval.[1] The advertisement was produced by Clearwater Films. Clearwater suggested building a set with wallpaper and carpets, but Watson wanted to direct it "simply", using "just the skirting board and a reflective floor."[3]

Filming took place over the course of seventeen days, and was done in a single take.[1] The LEGO models in the film were created by David Lyall, a model designer at LEGO UK.[4] Lyall built each model in stages, and a few frames of footage were shot between each stage. The largest LEGO model in the film, the dragon, was built out of 20,000 LEGO bricks.[1] Additional stop motion animation was done by Denis Russo.[5] Director Ken Turner and his team planned out the timing for both the building sequences and for zooming and panning the camera, having to make sure the camera movement lined up with each stage of the models.[1]

TBWA initially considered comedian Mike Reid for the advertisement’s voice-over. They instead decided on Tommy Cooper, as his voice had done well in research at the time even among international audiences. Cooper was ill at the time of recording, however, and impressionist Roger Kitter was hired to impersonate him; audiences ended up thinking Kitter's impression was Cooper's voice.[6][7]

[8]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The One Show: Advertising's Best Print, Radio, TV. Vol. 3. New York: The One Club for Art and Copy. 1982. p. 86. ISBN 0-960-2628-3-0. ISSN 0273-2033.
  2. Watson, Graham (November 27, 2023). "BLOG/CAST: Graham Watson #1". Stuff From the Loft (Interview). Interviewed by Dave Dye. Archived from the original on 2024-08-17. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  3. Bishop, Louise, ed. (1996). The Art Direction Book. Crans, Switzerland: Rotovision SA. pp. 170–171. ISBN 2-88046-284-3.
  4. Nicholls, Clive, ed. (Spring 1981). "A Merry Old Soul". Bricks 'n Pieces. No. 7. Wrexham, Clwyd: LEGO UK Ltd. p. 1.
  5. Cook, Chris; Marshall, Anne (1981). The Guiness Book of Winners and Champions (2nd ed.). Enfield, London: Guiness Superlatives Limited. p. 5. ISBN 0-85112-218-3.
  6. Robinson, Mark (2000). 100 Greatest TV Ads. London: HarperCollins. p. 34. ISBN 0-00-711123-1.
  7. McCarthy, John (June 14, 2022). "World's best ads ever #88: Lego lays the foundations for 40-year legacy with 'Kipper'". The Drum. Carnyx Group. Archived from the original on 2024-08-17. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  8. Kanner, Bernice (1999). The 100 Best TV Commercials ...and Why They Worked. New York: Times Books. pp. 90–91. ISBN 0-8129-2995-0.