Director James Rouse of Outsider helmed this stirring ad for Strongbow beer, in which throngs of blue 
collar laborers congregate on a hilltop, preparing to charge into “battle.” From the roofers to - yes - the little, cable dish fitters, each brave soul knows that when his daily service to mankind is done, it will indeed be “Bowtime.”
Recalling epic fare such as “Bravehart” and “300,” Rouse’s spot was shot in England, on a hill above Halifax, a lovely old Victorian mill town, the perfect setting for an inspiring pre-dawn address.
Rouse and company cast long and hard for the lead in “Bowtime,” eventually selecting actor Matthew Flynn for the role. “It’s obviously a very performance-heavy piece, with wall-to-wall dialogue,” Rouse notes. “We needed someone with gravitas, who could deliver a genuinely impassioned speech. The subtext of this is that people’s lives are on the line, that their sacrifice matters, juxtaposed with the conclusion that it’s all about having a cider at the end of the day.”
Rouse points out that “Bowtime” relies more on the dramatic than the comedic. “We weren’t asking the audience to laugh,” says the director. “We played this with a completely straight tone of voice.” It’s an approach reflected in much of Rouse’s work, from the much-lauded Discovery Channel “I Love the Whole World” and Remington “Fashion Show,” to the recent “Extreme Shepherding” for Samsung.
“I don’t mind saying that this was a much sought-after job and I really had to fight for it,” Rouse recalls. “Sometimes the more challenging the bidding process, the better the job - because so many people care about it and want it to be great.”
Spot Title: “Bowtime”
First Air Date: May 24, 2009
Agency: St Luke’s
Creative(s): Julian Vizard, Alan Young, Enrique Reija, Borja Alvaraz, Tim Collins
TV Producer: Jessie Middleton
Production Company: Outsider
Director: James Rouse
Producer: Benji Howell
DP: Alex Melman
Editing House: Work Post
Editor: Art Jones
Post Production: MPC/London
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