"Mechanical Bull" was the first to air in November. Caught in one take by Mike Mills of The Directors Bureau, the 30-second spot opens with a professional rodeo rider dismounting a mechanical bull.

He is followed by our hero, Scoot, who is dressed in boot cut jeans and sneakers. His friends convince him to take a turn on the male bovine. The second he mounts the beast he is thrown clear across the ring. Brushing it off, he rises and welcomes the applause while the tagline reads: "Levi's Not Just for Cowboys - Boot Fit Jeans."

"Levi's wants to get away from the perception that the boot cut jeans are for cowboys," says art director Tom Gilmartin. "The truth is that boot cut jeans are loose enough that you can skate or do whatever you want in them. The flexibility of the jean is probably more comfortable for someone who is going to go outdoors and do activities."

"It's got the charm of a skateboard video wipeout scene," adds copywriter Susan Treacy. "You're not really sure if he's going to fall or not and then he does a face-plant."

Location scouts visited the infamous Saddle Ranch on the Sunset Strip before settling on the Elks Lodge in Arcadia just outside Los Angeles.

Line producer Mala Vassan elaborates, "The reason Mike liked the one in Arcadia is that it was simple and it felt more real. We did do some set decoration and we put the bullring in there but he really liked what it had innately - that it wasn't a real cowboy bar. We didn't want to go that far. It's hip that it's not cowboy."

"I think the biggest challenge was knowing that it was a one-shot and that we had to get the timing correct," continues Vassan while explaining that nothing was left to chance. "Mike is very planned usually so we try to go to the nth degree to make sure there are no surprises on set and he mapped it out."

Mills is only half-joking when he comments that DP Joaquin Baca-Asay captured the one-take on the first take. "I have a tendency, when it comes to anything involving a stunt or physical joke, to want to get it in one take," says Mills. " In showing how the whole movement is achieved, you underline the humor. It feels more real than sculpted. There are no tricks."

"Mike doesn't really like a lot of cuts anyway," continues Vassan, "he was going for a sense of immediacy and real-time. To cut back and forth would have lessened the suspense."

The commercial is deceptive in its simplicity. Each second was choreographed while someone counted down the 27-seconds on set. Because none of the actors were stunt people, the producer had Scoot signal he was all right with a small gesture each time he was thrown from the bull.

To get everyone in the mood, Mills hired a bluegrass band and had them play on set. Apparently, the festivities ended when local bingo players stormed the lodge with their blotters.

CREDITS:

Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day, San Francisco

Executive Creative Director: Chuck McBride

Associate Creative Director: Jon Soto

Agency Producers: Jennifer Golub, Betsy Beale

Production Company: The Directors Bureau

Director: Mike Mills

DP: Joaquin Baca-Asay

Executive Producer: Lisa Margulis

Head of Production: Carl Swan

Line Producer: Mala Vassan

Music: Reverand Horton Heat

Editor: Haines Hall, Spotwelders

Online/Fire Artist: Jim Bohn - Sea Level