Cullinan creates an authenticity that goes beyond the funny script and creates characters that viewers come to recognize and love - hence his description as the comedy ‘fix-it' man.
‘Wedding' was conceptualised at Cullinan's own wedding last year. “After seeing two single girls at my wedding struggling over the bouquet we devised the idea of a line-out at a wedding with a rugby scrum ensuing, once the bouquet is thrown. The commercial ends with one of the single ladies winning the bouquet, but in the process she's also lost a tooth and scared off the watching bachelors. ‘Guess who's been watching the sports channels?'” says Cullinan.
“We wanted this to look real, so we used real rugby players from the Lions and a touch rugby team called The Eagles. We had a rehearsal with them prior to the shoot to get the sequence of the action smooth and to familiarize them with a set.”
‘Bum' was no less a challenge. This time the concept was based on the fashion/lifestyle channels and Fresh Eye needed a ‘larger' lady for the role.
“Most actresses do not want to be known as the ‘fat girl from the DSTV ad', so we did extensive casting and finally, less than a week before the shoot found our lead who had recently had a baby and was okay with the fact that the she was still carrying some baby weight,” says Cullinan. “And okay with asking ‘Does this make my bum look big?' only to receive a litany of advice on how to dress to hide her rolls. ‘Guess who's been watching our style shows?'”
{{video}}
{{video}}
The new ads flight during April.
