Protagonist Films' James Bartolomeo Casts Century 21 Agents in a New Light

May 5, 2011 - PRLog -- BALTIMORE—James Bartolomeo of Protagonist Films has directed a new, national campaign for Century 21 that portrays its agents as “smarter,” “bolder” and “faster” than other real estate professionals. Conceived by Philadelphia agency Red Tettemer + Partners in its debut for the brand, the new spots present scenes of bright, young Century 21 agents, punctuated by shots of dogs, ostriches, chess matches, circuit boards and other things that serve as visual metaphors for their drive and savvy.

It’s all presented with a breathless energy that is meant to distinguish Century 21 from the stodginess of most real estate companies and most real estate advertising. “We wanted to focus on Century 21’s agents: to make them the heroes and revitalize their image,”explains Red Tettemer executive creative director Steve O’Connell. “We want consumers to think of Century 21 agents in a new light and galvanize the agents themselves—make them proud of the company they work for.”

Bartolomeo spent several weeks casting and scouting locations for the shoot, which was conducted in Tampa, Florida. Due to the sheer number of vignettes, Bartolomeo chose locations that could work for both interiors and exteriors and represent different geographic and demographic housing options. “We planned the shoot carefully in order to spend as much time shooting and as little time traveling as possible,” he explains. “And on my shoots, I always try to leave time every day for discovery, so if someone has an idea or notices that the light from a certain angle is particularly lovely, we can do it.  Despite the long shot list I faced each day on this project, I did my best to shoot at least 10 percent more.  It was a wind sprint from call time to camera wrap.”

While the compressed production schedule was a challenge, so were the compressed narratives. Each spot featured more than a dozen vignettes none much more two seconds long. “We knew the kinetic pace of the edit would be quick but I still wanted to create emotionally-vested characters and tell stories with depth and some level of complexity that could come across in just a couple of seconds,” Bartolomeo says. He noted that he often had the actors improvise long scenes that moments could be drawn from. “We wanted it to be authentic, to capture the energy and the humanity of the actors playing the agents,” he notes.

“Jim understood the vision we were looking for,” adds O’Connell. “With a shoot like this, the finished product lives in the execution—and Jim knew how to push the execution to make it great.”

Bartolomeo credited Red Tettemer’s team for remaining flexible during the production and open to changes and new ideas. “They were interested in seeing things differently and taking risks,” he says. “For a director, it’s wonderfully liberating to have a partner like that.”


Credits
Client: Century 21
Titles: What are Agents Made Of?, Why Call Us?, What’s Special About Our Agents?
Agency: Red Tettemer + Partners, Philadelphia. Steve Red, Chief Creative Director; Steve O’Connell, Executive Creative Director; Todd Taylor and Bill Starkey, Creative Directors; Mark Garman and John Connor, Copywriters; Joe Mosca, Producer.
Prod. Co:  Protagonist Films, Baltimore. James Bartolomeo, Director; Lynne Hall Quinn, Producer; Jake Smith, Sales Rep.
Editor:Vic Carreno.

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Protagonist Films is located in Baltimore, Maryland. For more information, call Jake Smith (443) 438-3266 or visit www.protagonistfilms.com.