Mitchum ads have Parkinson directing a stubborn horse

Conceptualised by ad agency Black River Football Club, all three ads run along the same theme - to persuade consumers to buy quality. A faulty watch, a false diamond ring and a ‘not so' thoroughbred horse are used to illustrate inferiority with a voice over saying: “Mitchum – you get what you pay for.”

Parkinson said the professionalism of the lead guy allowed for a one day shoot of all three commercials. The horse however, had different ideas. “We needed it to perform on cue and make mouth movements like a donkey. Tall order, but apparently the way to achieve this, according to the horse expert we flew in from Cape Town, is to either put Vicks Vapour Rub under its nose or peanut butter inside the upper lip. Unfortunately the horse didn't seem to have a sense of smell or taste. It eventually yawned, bored with the director,” laughs Parkinson. “It looked perfect, but unfortunately the camera wasn't rolling. We spent an hour waiting for the next yawn, even yawning to try and trigger it off. Nothing. In hindsight it was very funny. As we broke for lunch the trainer and I persevered by feeding it an apple. A piece got stuck in the side of its mouth which made the horse pull the right expressions. It was then a simple matter of Gavin Hong ‘wizardry' in post to put it all together."