From the moment Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar were announced as the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show performers, the world has been waiting to see what comes next. Now, in partnership with acclaimed filmmaker F. Gary Gray, Pepsi has created an epic Halftime Show trailer entitled The Call in the lead up to what could be the greatest 12 minutes in music entertainment the world has ever seen.
The Story of the Call
Pepsi partnered with LA’s own F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton, Friday, The Fate of the Furious) to direct the trailer which honors the impact all five artists have had on culture ahead of their monumental Pepsi Halftime Show performance. The Call unfolds like a high-energy blockbuster film, inspired by almost two decades worth of iconic music videos and tracks with the most recognizable hitmakers of our generation and proud LA native, Dr. Dre, at the helm.
The lens moves swiftly between Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar spotlighting their individual artistic journeys and influences. Each artist then gets the call from their friend and collaborator, Dr. Dre, to converge on SoFi Stadium in Inglewood for what will become the greatest Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show ever.
The Creatives
From groundbreaking music videos to the South-Central cult classic film Friday and the epic N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton, F. Gary Gray has been the megaphone for culture and hip hop for decades and is the most authentic voice to showcase the journey from the streets of LA to SoFi stadium next month.
The Call is scored by the omni-talented, Emmy-nominated music director and Grammy award-winning writer Adam Blackstone, who compiled the iconic tracks Rap God, The Next Episode, Family Affair, HUMBLE., Still D.R.E., and California Love.
“Each time I collaborate with Dre, it seems to mark an important moment in entertainment history, from projects like Friday, Set It Off, Straight Outta Compton, to now the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show,” shared F. Gary Gray. “As a super fan, I consider it an honor and privilege to authentically build and create this moment with five of the most legendary artists in music history. It’s been a blast!”
Pepsi Continues to Reimagine the Halftime Show
The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show is the single most talked-about moment in music and entertainment, with more than 100 million viewers tuning in for the spectacle in recent years. The creation of The Callmarks a new first for Pepsi as the brand evolves the most exciting 12 minutes in music into a larger multi-platform weeks-long campaign.
Debuting today on YouTube and the new Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show App, 30-second spots of The Call will air nationally throughout the NFL Divisional and Conference playoffs and in the lead up to Super Bowl LVI, setting the stage for an iconic show. Watch below:
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“Now that we are just weeks away from the most anticipated Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show performance of all time, we’re bringing fans closer to the magic of what will certainly be a colossal moment in pop culture history. Given our epic lineup of five superstar talents, we wanted to deliver a cinematic experience that could properly honor each of the artists and celebrate their role in music and culture as they descend upon Los Angeles to deliver a performance for the ages,” said Todd Kaplan, VP of Marketing – Pepsi.
Kaplan adds, “It was critical that we tell this story in an authentic way, so we partnered with the creative genius of both F. Gary Gray and Adam Blackstone to deliver this impactful piece of content. The trailer will be available on our Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show app along with a range of behind-the-scenes footage, fan giveaways, and so much more to ensure fans continue to get hyped for the show in the coming weeks.”
With the launch of The Call, a slew of never-before-seen content is set to drop on the new Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show app in the coming days including:
- Behind the scenes images and videos from the making of The Call;
- New giveaways including limited-edition Super Bowl LVI footballs signed by Dr. Dre;
- Surprise drops featuring one-of-a-kind set props from the shoot that fans can win including: Halftime Show license plate, glam set, calligraphy pen, and chess board.
The Los Angeles Rams welcome the Cincinnati Bengals to SoFi Stadium for Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, February 13. The game will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
CREDITS:
CLIENT: PEPSICO
- Todd Kaplan, VP of Marketing
- J.P. Bittencourt, Sr. Director of Marketing
- Richard Funaoka, Director of Marketing
- Karissa Downer, Marketing Manager
CREATIVE PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT: Direct Focus
- Barry Rosen, CEO/Production Specialist
- Neil Goldberg, VP of Brand Relations/Production Advisor
- Kimera Rosen, Production Advisor
PRODUCTION COMPANY: RadicalMedia
- F. Gary Gray, Writer, Director
- Jim Bouvet, SVP Head of Commercials/Executive Producer
- Colin Moran, Producer
- Cathy Dunn, Head of Production
- Paul Cameron, DP
- Matt McIntyre, Production Supervisor
- Todd Kaufman, 1st AD
- Dominic Watkins, Production Designer
- Mark Maziarz, Creative Consultant
RECORDING STUDIO: Fenix Studios
- F. Gary Gray, Writer, Producer, Director
- Charley McLeod, Associate Producer
- Shaun Hageline, Director’s assistant
MUSIC: BASSic Black Entertainment
- Adam Blackstone, Producer/ Music Director – Soundtrack/ Score Arrangement
EDIT: Cabin Edit
- Carr Schilling, Managing Partner
- Adam Becht, Executive Producer
- Robert Lopuski, Editor
- Liz Lydecker, Head of Production
- Esther Gonzalez, Senior Producer
- Talia Pasqua, Assistant Editor
- Dominique Machain, Assistant Editor
VFX: The Mill
- Warwick Hewett, Senior VFX Producer
- Chanelle Larios, VFX Producer
- Oindrila Mitra, VFX Producer
- Ajit Menon, VFX Supervisor + 3D Lead
- Alexander Candlish, VFX Supervisor
- Simon Holden, VFX Supervisor
- Matt Bohnert, 3D Lead
- Steve Cokonis, 2D Lead
- Andre Vidal, 2D Lead
- Renjith IR, 2D Lead
AUDIO/MIX: Barking Owl
- Ashley Benton, Executive Producer
- Stuart Welch, Sound Designer + Audio Mixer
- Mikayla Petersen, Assistant Mixer
- Kelly Bayett, Creative Director
Roc Nation:
- Jana Fleishman, EVP Strategic Marketing & Business Development / Head of Communications
Shaker Maker
- Emma Quigley, CEO & Founder
- Michael Monohan, VP Music/ Entertainment
PepsiCo Design Team
- Carl Gerhards, Sr. Director
- David Schwen, Sr. Design Manager
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