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This is the transcript of the commercial that I wrote for my Sports Management 200 Sociology class. I wrote an additional 5 or so pages to accompany the commercial with the material we were required to break down (theories, ways of viewing, etc.), and if you guys would like me to post that part as well, let me know. Here is the commercial:
Our ad begins with a slightly dark view of a man sleeping in his bed, only to grow brighter as the door opens. A voice exclaims “Kelly, wake up”. The time in the bottom right corner reads “6:00 A.M.”. As the man arises from his sleep, looking a bit tired still, text appears in the bottom right corner once again, reading “Kelly Pavlik, Youngstown, OH”. As these words fade off screen, they are replaced immediately after with the words: “WBC/WBO World Middleweight Champion”. As the boxer arises from his sleep, he does not present the token picture of a world champion: He is tall, standing 6 feet 2 inches, lanky, pale, and at 25 years of age, balding. As Kelly walks downstairs, his mother Debbie Pavlik kisses her son on the cheek and says “Good morning, hunny”, identifiable with any mother who cares for her son, no matter their age. He replies “morning,” with a light smile on his face as his father Mike Pavlik, Sr., tells him that his breakfast is ready, and Kelly sits down at his parents’ table and eats. The soft piano of Canadian singer Rita McNeil’s “Working Man” begins to play in the background as the camera pans around the kitchen. His parents’ house, which he grew up in, seems to reflect no real changes despite the fact that their son is a famous championship caliber athlete. The walls are light blue, with no fancy granite countertops or tile floors. It is here Kelly stays while training for his upcoming title defense. The camera shot is a close-up of his face. Although he is tired and eating, he appears remarkably focused. As that particular scene concludes, his mom tells him “Make your bed before you run,” to which he seems unenthusiastic.
The scene cuts to Kelly jogging lightly through the streets of Youngstown, Ohio. As he lightly runs through the streets, he treads in slow motion for a few moments, and Rita McNeil’s voice is heard singing, though low when accompanied by Kelly’s breaths while he runs. Her voice exclaims, “It’s a working man I am,” which mirrors the surroundings Kelly sees as he runs: The depleted steel mills of Youngstown, as well as residents beginning their early morning commute to work, with an enthusiastic wave as the champ goes past. While he says hello to his fellow neighbors, the chorus of Rita McNeil’s recording, with numerous voices exclaiming “It’s a working man I am” echoes again, in a sense making it seem that Kelly and his fellow working men are joined together, as the voices are. Kelly lightly treads past a man in work boots and shorts, sealing an asphalt driveway, to which he exclaims “Hey, coach,” and is met with a “Morning, Kelly”. The scene then cuts to Kelly resting on his parents’ couch, watching cartoons with his young daughter, as his mother walks in and exclaims, “Kelly, stop leaving your stuff on the floor, I told you once already.” His mother then tosses his world title belts, vivid in color with one Teal, the other Maroon, onto his lap. He replies with a hearty laugh, “Alright, sorry”. He is then seen starting up a game console and playing “Don King’s Prizefighter”, as himself, knocking out numerous opponents.
As the light feel of “Working Man” by Rita McNeil fades, it is overshadowed by Rush’s “Working Man, as Kelly drives to the gym passing stands that read, “Team Pavlik Shirts sold here!” and numerous other cars that beep in excitement when seeing Kelly in traffic. As he arrives at the gym, the man seen working driveways earlier is inside watching young fighters sparring and hitting the bags. As Kelly sees him, he exclaims once again “Hey, coach.” This man is Jack Loew, his trainer since he was 9 years old. He says “Time to work, Kelly,” to which the champ nods, and begins walking slower and slower as the camera focuses in on his face similarly to when he was eating. Rush’s “Working Man” quickens the pace as Kelly puts on his workout clothes, laces up his boxing shoes and wraps his hands. The tempo immediately increases more, as Kelly walks towards the speed bag mounted on the wall, and as he looks upwards, his eyes dart into the center of the frame as if he is staring at the viewer, and the guitar of Alex Lifeson begins. A quick paced, gritty montage of Kelly hitting the Heavy bag, hitting a 600-pound tire with a sledgehammer, jumping rope, and hitting the speed bag begins. Alongside the fast-paced music, his nickname (“The Ghost”) his record off 33-0 (29 Knockouts) and clips of Kelly in the ring for his fights begin appearing on the wall, as if projected by a machine. Various clips of his fights against Edison Miranda, Jose Luis Zertuche and Jermain Taylor appear accompanied by voices of HBO commentators. “He put Zertuche to sleep with a right hand!” echoes as Pavlik puts out his opponent on his feet, followed by Jim Lampley exclaiming “This is stoppage time!” while Pavlik pins Miranda against the ropes. The montage culminates with Kelly hitting the Heavy bag with a thunderous right hand, and the music (synched with his final shot) immediately cuts off to a cell phone ringing. His mother is on the other side, and says “Kelly, come home for dinner.” He smiles, and says “okay.” As the champ walks down the stairs, the light piano and sweet voice of Rita McNeil’s “Working Man” once again plays him out of the gym, as the screen goes black and the words appear: “Men At Work”, which fades, and is followed by the Nike swoosh.
Our ad begins with a slightly dark view of a man sleeping in his bed, only to grow brighter as the door opens. A voice exclaims “Kelly, wake up”. The time in the bottom right corner reads “6:00 A.M.”. As the man arises from his sleep, looking a bit tired still, text appears in the bottom right corner once again, reading “Kelly Pavlik, Youngstown, OH”. As these words fade off screen, they are replaced immediately after with the words: “WBC/WBO World Middleweight Champion”. As the boxer arises from his sleep, he does not present the token picture of a world champion: He is tall, standing 6 feet 2 inches, lanky, pale, and at 25 years of age, balding. As Kelly walks downstairs, his mother Debbie Pavlik kisses her son on the cheek and says “Good morning, hunny”, identifiable with any mother who cares for her son, no matter their age. He replies “morning,” with a light smile on his face as his father Mike Pavlik, Sr., tells him that his breakfast is ready, and Kelly sits down at his parents’ table and eats. The soft piano of Canadian singer Rita McNeil’s “Working Man” begins to play in the background as the camera pans around the kitchen. His parents’ house, which he grew up in, seems to reflect no real changes despite the fact that their son is a famous championship caliber athlete. The walls are light blue, with no fancy granite countertops or tile floors. It is here Kelly stays while training for his upcoming title defense. The camera shot is a close-up of his face. Although he is tired and eating, he appears remarkably focused. As that particular scene concludes, his mom tells him “Make your bed before you run,” to which he seems unenthusiastic.
The scene cuts to Kelly jogging lightly through the streets of Youngstown, Ohio. As he lightly runs through the streets, he treads in slow motion for a few moments, and Rita McNeil’s voice is heard singing, though low when accompanied by Kelly’s breaths while he runs. Her voice exclaims, “It’s a working man I am,” which mirrors the surroundings Kelly sees as he runs: The depleted steel mills of Youngstown, as well as residents beginning their early morning commute to work, with an enthusiastic wave as the champ goes past. While he says hello to his fellow neighbors, the chorus of Rita McNeil’s recording, with numerous voices exclaiming “It’s a working man I am” echoes again, in a sense making it seem that Kelly and his fellow working men are joined together, as the voices are. Kelly lightly treads past a man in work boots and shorts, sealing an asphalt driveway, to which he exclaims “Hey, coach,” and is met with a “Morning, Kelly”. The scene then cuts to Kelly resting on his parents’ couch, watching cartoons with his young daughter, as his mother walks in and exclaims, “Kelly, stop leaving your stuff on the floor, I told you once already.” His mother then tosses his world title belts, vivid in color with one Teal, the other Maroon, onto his lap. He replies with a hearty laugh, “Alright, sorry”. He is then seen starting up a game console and playing “Don King’s Prizefighter”, as himself, knocking out numerous opponents.
As the light feel of “Working Man” by Rita McNeil fades, it is overshadowed by Rush’s “Working Man, as Kelly drives to the gym passing stands that read, “Team Pavlik Shirts sold here!” and numerous other cars that beep in excitement when seeing Kelly in traffic. As he arrives at the gym, the man seen working driveways earlier is inside watching young fighters sparring and hitting the bags. As Kelly sees him, he exclaims once again “Hey, coach.” This man is Jack Loew, his trainer since he was 9 years old. He says “Time to work, Kelly,” to which the champ nods, and begins walking slower and slower as the camera focuses in on his face similarly to when he was eating. Rush’s “Working Man” quickens the pace as Kelly puts on his workout clothes, laces up his boxing shoes and wraps his hands. The tempo immediately increases more, as Kelly walks towards the speed bag mounted on the wall, and as he looks upwards, his eyes dart into the center of the frame as if he is staring at the viewer, and the guitar of Alex Lifeson begins. A quick paced, gritty montage of Kelly hitting the Heavy bag, hitting a 600-pound tire with a sledgehammer, jumping rope, and hitting the speed bag begins. Alongside the fast-paced music, his nickname (“The Ghost”) his record off 33-0 (29 Knockouts) and clips of Kelly in the ring for his fights begin appearing on the wall, as if projected by a machine. Various clips of his fights against Edison Miranda, Jose Luis Zertuche and Jermain Taylor appear accompanied by voices of HBO commentators. “He put Zertuche to sleep with a right hand!” echoes as Pavlik puts out his opponent on his feet, followed by Jim Lampley exclaiming “This is stoppage time!” while Pavlik pins Miranda against the ropes. The montage culminates with Kelly hitting the Heavy bag with a thunderous right hand, and the music (synched with his final shot) immediately cuts off to a cell phone ringing. His mother is on the other side, and says “Kelly, come home for dinner.” He smiles, and says “okay.” As the champ walks down the stairs, the light piano and sweet voice of Rita McNeil’s “Working Man” once again plays him out of the gym, as the screen goes black and the words appear: “Men At Work”, which fades, and is followed by the Nike swoosh.
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