Commercial Reel: Schmidt’s Beer

Description

It isn’t often that you have the opportunity to follow the development of a television advertising campaign from beginning to end, but this is one of those rare occasions. Ed Benedict designed a series of spots for Schmidt’s Beer with director Paul Fennell in the mid-1950s. This reel is a complete collection of spots that chart a fascinating evolution. The pitch becomes focused, and Benedict’s style evolves from round cute animals, to simple stick figures, all the way to hyper stylized characters similar to his designs for Tex Avery’s “Field and Scream”. Benedict’s layouts in these spots are brilliant, and even though Fennell’s animation is by necessity simple due to the limitations of television budgets, it is still rhythmic, snappy and very fun.