Austrian directing duo Rad-ish recently burst onto the US commercial scene with high-profile car work for Mercedes through Merkley Newman Harty, New York and Nissan through TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles.

Most recent is Mercedes' "Reincarnation." The 60-second spot opens with a vintage 1960s Mercedes slowly being crushed into a cube as a sad scrapyard owner looks on. A flashback ensues, following the life of the car through successive waves of the second half of the 20th century before it's eventually reborn, straight off the assembly line, in the form of a slick new C-Class.

The spot is rife with vintage Americana and is the first commercial filmed in the US by Moritz Friedel & Cristoph Chrudimak, a.k.a. Rad-ish, repped in the US by bicoastal Go Film. Creative directors Laura Fegley and Dawn McCarthy of MNH explain the Mercedes concept.

"The brief was to position the C-Class as a 'real' Mercedes, because it is the entry level Mercedes and people think of it as being the 'baby Benz.' We wanted to show the C as having the same heritage as every Mercedes that came before it, the 'soul' of a Mercedes," says Fegley.

Both attribute the success of the commercial to the fact that it has an "emotional and dreamy" feel.

"I think it looks fantastic thanks to Rad-Ish. They got the concept immediately and instantly started coming up with interesting film treatments," enthuses Fegley. "The troublesome part of the spot was how to handle the life's car flashing before its eyes. I think Rad-ish found a really wonderful and organic solution."

Their solution resulted in the transitions between different eras of the car's lifespan, as viewed through the car's windshield from the driver's POV. Each historical period the car passes through is fanatically detailed.

Like many US creatives, the MNH team was drawn to Rad-ish after seeing the stunning 10-spot Nissan campaign the duo directed in Iceland for TBWA/Chiat/Day. Their first high-profile gig in the US, the campaign made use of innovative camera techniques, insane running footage and Rad-ish's patent smoothly blended special effects.

TBWA/Chiat/Day creative director Chris Graves says he recognized Rad-ish's visual quality and found their ideas "fresh" and "smart" and therefore their input was key in many of the scripts and ideas that ended up in the final spots.

"Their reel was initially compelling, in that it was varied and thoughtful and never missed an opportunity to do something unusual; whether through art direction, camera moves or cinematography," comments Graves.

The first US efforts for the pair included effects-heavy Nintendo Gameboy work through Leo Burnett, Chicago, shot on location in Vienna (see Boards Online, June 2001).

Rad-ish co-own Fish Productions in Vienna and are also represented by Gang Films, France, Players in Canada and Neue Sentimental Films, Germany.

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