Kommitted’s founder and director Nathan McGuinness has reteamed with Microsoft and McCann Worldgroup San Francisco for the latest piece of the software company’s Windows Server¬¨¬®‚àö√ú 2008 campaign.

In a pair of whimsical new :30 and :15 spots, McGuinness adds a human touch to the face of Microsoft’s Windows Server 2008 product. In the spot Deployment, one IT pro is packed with camping gear, prepping for a large, global deployment project. The other calm, collected IT pro inquires about the gear, stating he has his own project as well, and shows the other IT pro how his deployment will work better.

Showdown, the second spot, features dueling IT pros intent on one-upping each other with their web deployment strategies. What becomes clear in both spots is that one of the most effective ways to effortlessly manage, finish and deploy web applications is through Windows Server 2008 with IIS 7.0 technology, underscored by the appearance of the iconic, CGI created Windows Server 2008 robot “IT 24-7” at the end of each spot.

When asked why Microsoft chose to run this particular advertising campaign, Microsoft Group Marketing Manager Colette Stallbaumer said, “We wanted to let Web designers and developers know that it’s possible to run both their ASP.NET and PHP apps on the Windows platform. We wanted to get that message out in a way that would really resonate with the people out there working with the web.”

Says Kommitted Executive Producer Marc Siegel, “The agency was keen on taking the action of this campaign out of the server room and into the real world, which gave Nathan plenty of room to stretch his live action directorial skill set.” Earlier phases of Microsoft’s Windows Server 2008 campaign, which included the spots Imitator and Rodeo, both helmed by McGuinness, revolved primarily around the hero CGI robot IT 24-7.

“Working with Microsoft and the same creative team at McCann gave us the ability to experiment and expand on what we accomplished in the previous campaign. This time we went for a more organic approach,” says McGuinness. “Utilizing real locations and minimizing the green screen lent itself to the actors having an easier time finding their key moments. The end result was incredibly fun and inspiring.”

A holdover from the last campaign is the Windows Server 2008 robot IT 24-7, which was brilliantly animated by Pitor Karwas and his skilled team at VFX and design studio Asylum. The creative will run internationally from April 6 to the end of June 2009.

About Kommitted:
Production company Kommitted Films was founded in 2005 by Director Nathan McGuinness, the Academy Award and Bafta nominated Co-Founder/Creative Director of the VFX company, Asylum. Shortly after, in 2006, veteran Executive Producer Marc Siegel was brought on to expand the directorial roster, feature film slate, and music video presence. Over a short time period, Kommitted Films has numerous recent high-profile spots for Target (peterson milla hooks/MN), Nintendo (Leo Burnett/Chicago) and Blackberry (RIM) (Arc Worldwide/Chicago).

The Creds:
Client: Microsoft
Spot Title: Deployment, The Showdown
Air Date: April 6, 2009

Agency: McCann Worldgroup San Francisco
Executive VP/Chief Creative Officer: Rob Bagot
SVP/Executive CD(s): Josh Denberg, Paul Hirsch
SVP/ACD/Copywriter: Doug Green
SVP/ACD/Art Director: Michael Furlong
VP/ACD/Art Director: John Reid
Senior Broadcast Producer: Annie Uzdavinis
Senior Integrated Producer: Jose Rivera
Integrated Producer: Monica Velasquez
Software Architect: Todd Spatafore
Interactive Developers: Dan Magsino, Michael Trueman, Jacqueline Vo
Senior Interactive Designer: Ariel Chang

Prod Company: Kommitted
Director: Nathan McGuinness
DP: Sal Totino
EP: Marc Siegel
Producer: Jodi Fisher
Prod Designer: Aron Beroud

Post/Effects: Asylum
VFX Animation Supervisor: Piotr Karwas
Lead Inferno Artist: Miles Essmiller
EP: Michael Pardee
Producer: Ryan Meredith
Production Coordinator: Emily Hoovler
Bidding Producer: Michael Hanley
Compositing Supervisor: Tim Davies
Inferno Artist: Colleen Smith
3D Animator(s): Craig Van Dyke, Samir Lyons
3D Animator/Lighter: Michael Shelton
3D Lighter(s): Mathew Maude, Michael Sean Foley
3D Tracker(s): Eddie Offerman, Michael Lori
3D Rigger: Omar McClendon
Rotoscope Artist(s): Elissa Bello, Laura Murillo, James Lee
Lead Matte Painter/Designer: Tim Clark

Editorial: Cosmo Street
Editor: Katz
Assistant Editor: Sean Lagrange
EP(s): Yvette Cobarrubias, Jerry Sukys

Telecine: Company 3
Colorist: Stephan Sonnenfeld

Sound Design: Machinehead
Sound Designer: Kip Smedley
Creative Director/ Sound Designer: Stephen Dewey
EP: Patty Chow Dewey

Audio Mix: Eleven Sound
Engineer/ Mixer: Jeff Payne
Asst. Engineer: Luis Rosario
EP: D.J. Fox-Engstrom

RELATED LINKS:
www.kommittedfilms.com