10th Street pulls off Hot Powerball Spot

The production, a partnership with Wetpaint Advertising agency directed by Mfundo Mkhize of Ola Films, showcases the ridiculous things one could do with Powerball winnings. Despite the extremely short filming schedule of a single day, the collective efforts resulted in a fresh production rich in dynamic performances and striking images.

“We ran into a few stumbling blocks as production time came around,” says Darren Kerr, director and executive producer at 10^th Street. “The biggest obstacle was that we needed to find a commercial aeroplane on short notice, along with an airport where the action would be set.

“The big-ticket prop item, a passenger airliner came right at the end and we managed to secure some space at Rand Airport as well as an office park near Kempton Park,” he says.

Shooting, under the creative eye of Mkhize, was done very quickly, but it proved enough to yield the best performances out of the talented cast members.

The storyline depicts a group of friends waiting in an airport terminal, excitedly exchanging banter about a mutual friend who has recently won the Powerball jackpot. The vivid comical repartee centres around speculation on whether the friend has secured first class tickets for their exotic group holiday. As they approach the landing strip, the friend appears at the foot of an airstay connected to a private jet. The friend boisterously shares the news that not only will they flying private, but that he has just bought the plane with his Powerball winnings.

“The success of the production was thanks to fruitful concept discussions with the agency in October as well as Mfundo’s approach to humour and story,” Kerr says. “We shot the commercial around the end of November and it was flighted over the December period.”