Adequan Canine

treatment written by: Bill Habeeb

Awarded

Someone once said that dogs are the only creatures that will love you more than they love themselves. If you’re a person who’s had the pleasure of sharing life with a dog, that’s easy to understand. They’re forever loyal. They devote themselves to you. They offer you unconditional friendship, companionship, and constant forgiveness. In a lot of ways, they embody all the things that most humans only aspire to be. 

It’s no wonder that we love them, and in this spot we want to capture that bond by telling a story of caring. We’re introducing our audience to a woman who values the good things in her life—and goes out of her way to make sure that they get the best care possible. She understands the value of being proactive, and as we travel along with her on an everyday adventure shared with her dog, we’ll capture a great mix of moments in which she and her companion are actively enjoying some of the rewards that come from her attention and constant care. 

The Casting

A Yellow Lab or Golden Retriever are a perfect choice for the dog we meet in this story. They’re both big lovable dogs that are forever playful and affectionate. They’re always wearing an expression of excitement on their face. And it’s impossible to watch them for more than 5 seconds without smiling yourself. 

Along with searching for a dog that has a great coat, a big smile, and a magnetic personality, we’ll also need to search for puppy stunt double to play the part of the dog in its younger years. In addition to this, whenever working with animals, it’s also key to cast them as soon as possible, so that we can begin collaborating with the trainer to make sure that our hero dogs can give us the moments we want to capture on film.

As far as our woman is concerned, we’ll be looking for someone in her mid-thirties who is relatable, approachable, and real. She possesses a natural attractiveness and a great smile. Perhaps her look reflects the sense that she’s got a bit of tomboy in her. 

She’s most comfortable when wearing her favorite jeans, sneakers, and an old cotton t-shirt. She knows her tools, and understands how to maintain her car. In fact, on the other side of that garage door, I wouldn’t be surprised to find a vintage Craftsman tool box that predates this Mustang, and maybe even a classic Indian or Harley that she’s in the process of restoring. 

Those details aside, we’ll obviously be looking for a woman who is totally comfortable with dogs, so that their interactions always feel honest, natural, and second-nature. There should ever even be a hint that these two have just been brought together for the sake of this spot. I want our audience to feel as if they are witnessing a genuine connection. This love each other—and love every minute of time they spend together. 

The Look & Tone

This spot lends itself to being captured with a cinematic naturalism that is rich, detailed, and beautifully real. We’ll take full advantage of those opening moments to create a clever mislead by getting in close to romance the car. The idea is to create the initial impression that this is a spot for a car care product of some kind. 

Consistent with this, we’ll film this sequence from a mix of angles and perspectives that allow us to immerse our viewers in the lush liquid shimmer of the sheet metal and in the reflections of chrome and glass. 

Ideally, I would also like to use a camera car and Russian Arm for the driving sequence in order to put together a great mix of footage that gives us a fluid feeling of energy and motion. We can supplement that with more intimate and well-observed handheld shots from inside the car—ultimately offering the audience the feeling of genuinely traveling along with our characters, and sharing in this day-in-the-live experience.

The Story

We’ll open on a sequence that acts both as an intentional mislead—and a metaphor. Perhaps, we can kick this off with a shot from our woman’s POV to see her close the hood over a gleaming engine—revealing a dynamic look at a 66 Mustang Convertible. As we discussed, we’ll start with the ideal choice of car—a blue Mustang with blue interior, which will not only look amazing, but also work in a way that supports the Adequan Canine brand colors.

In a seamless series of cuts, we’ll get the camera in close to capture beautiful detailed shots of the car. The woman’s hand polishes the hood or fender with a clean microfiber cloth—which hints at the thought and care she routinely gives this car. 

Maybe as she moves around the front end of the Mustang, we might get catch a glimpse of a a tool tucked into her back pocket—something that looks as old and well-cared for as the car itself. 

In addition to these shots we’ll see close ups on the woman looking at the car and smiling in a way that’s evocative of how much she appreciates the “good health” of this vintage vehicle.

Maintaining this mislead, we’ll get the camera down to a low angle to see her open the driver-side door of the Mustang, and then follow that by cutting to a low angle tracking shot that travels along with her dog (Sam) running alongside the car and hopping into the Mustang.

Cutting close to the dog’s face, we’ll see that familiar look of a dog that’s ready to go for a ride, and then cut to the woman smiling back at her pal. This offers us a nice transitional opportunity in which we can match cut to her smiling in a similar way while looking at her dog years earlier. 

From wider we’ll see a six or seven months old version of Sam as a pup. He’s full of playfulness and energy. His eyes are locked on the toy our hero woman is holding—waiting in eager anticipation for her to toss it into the air…

With a flick of her wrist, she sends a Frisbee or stick spinning through the air. As it leaves her hand, we’ll shift to an over-cranked shot that allows us to ramp the speed down to a super slo-mo moment of the dog leaping into the air. Its ears floating up on zero gravity as it appears to hover for a moment—allowing us to integrate the graphics that highlight the dog’s joints. 

As it reaches the apex of its leap, we’ll freeze-frame—and then transition to a close up of that same image. The camera pulls fluidly back—to reveal that image as a still photo hanging below the rearview mirror of her car.

On the left side of frame, we see our woman behind the wheel, with her companion sitting proudly in the passenger seat—the wind blowing through both their golden locks as they drive along a scenic park road.

Our woman glances over and smiles at Sam. She’s clearly happy, and Sam—he couldn’t be happier. He’s living the life, hanging with his best friend, out for a drive, and experiencing the pleasure of a drive in the way only a dog can. 

Cutting wider, we’ll see the car cruising along a beautiful road as it travels a canopy of leafy trees along White Rock Lake. Sunlight dapples down as it dances over the moving Mustang. 

We’ll punctuate the driving sequence with close ups of Sam sticking its snout out into the breeze, his floppy ears flying back, and eyes half closed as he feels the sensation of the breeze against his face.

Transitioning to a little later in the day, we’ll see the two pulling away from a mini-drive thru. Adding another little smile to the storytelling, we see our woman offer the treat she’s just picked to Sam. This could be our own version of a (Starbuck’s) Puppiccino, a Pup Cup from DQ, or a Pooch-ini from a Shake Shack. (It’s surprising how many places have items like this on a “secret” pet menu, so it can strike a familiar note with our dog-owning audience.)

Filling out this day in the life, we see them arrive at a park. Sam springs out of the car, healthy, happy, and ready to head to their favorite spots.

We find them hanging out on the end of the pier by docked boats. Maybe in another moment, we capture a playful moment of Sam running toward a flock of birds that he sends flying into the air. The two might do a little light jogging, or stop on a walkway for a little kid or a Senior Citizen to pet Sam. 

Maybe there’s a game they like to play in the park—like hide and seek. Our woman could be hiding behind the trunk of a big tree, with Sam searching for her and then getting excited when he finds her.

Perhaps Sam has his own social media page, and we could look over our woman’s shoulder to see her shooting a little video of him staring at the phone, and cocking his head to one side. 

No matter how old, Labs and Goldens always remain a puppy at heart, and they never tire of doing what they were born to do—retrieve. So, maybe we can cover off a few moments ofour hero woman and Sam playing catch. 

Since Sam is a mature dog, it doesn’t have to be anything too extreme—just casually tossing a tennis ball that he chases after. It’s a visually interesting way of highlighting the dog’s health, which can add a hint of energy and charm to the storytelling.

For the concluding moment of our story, I think it would be nice to see the two relaxing in the park, laying down on a blanket by the water’s edge and staring up into the trees… 

The camera is overhead gazing directly downward at them. It jibs high up into the air— for a big Hollywood moment that brings this day, and this story, to a beautiful end, followed by the art card appearing over the scene. 

Summing things up for now…

These are the thoughts I have right now, and as always, they will continue to take shape as we move ahead. That being said, I think the story you’ve created is full of things that can help make it great. We have a classic car, an interesting and active woman, a great blend of scenic locations—and fun and lovable four-legged friend for us to take along on the ride. 

It’s a wonderful combination that can keep our viewers engaged in an endearing little adventure—which I think is perfect for introducing the product and brand to all of us who want to do the best we can for the canine members of our family. 

Thanks again for inviting thinking of us, and I look forward to speaking with all of you again soon.