- Brand - Sky Q
- Spot - Fluid Viewing
- Music Title - I’ve Gotta Be Me
- Artist - Sammy Davis Jr
- Composer - Marks
- Publisher - Warner Chappell
- Master Rights - Warner Chappell, Charley Acquisitions
- Music Supervisor - The Sync Agency
- Ad Agency - Brothers and Sisters
- Creatives - Andy Fowler, Aaron Wilmer
- Film Company - Biscuit
- Film Director - Johnny Green
- Post Production - The Mill
- Air Date - 12/02/16
Sky is relying on a little-known 1960s showtune by the late Sammy Davis Jr to underpin Fluid Viewing, undoubtedly its most ambitious TV technology campaign ever.
In the ad, Sky Q’s next generation home entertainment system is depicted as a futuristic stream of liquid droplets seamlessly connecting every screen in the house.
The film took a year to make and involved 52 digital artists, 105 liquid VFX shots, over 4,000 individual simulations and 45,000 hours of rendering to perfect.
In the search for a suitable soundtrack, agency Brothers and Sisters experimented with a range of styles from folk to French techno before choosing I’ve Gotta Be Me, a surprise 1968 hit for former Ratpacker Davis, lifted from an otherwise unremarkable Broadway musical Golden Rainbow.
“We wanted to position Sky Q as something that enhances your life, rather than just a brand new piece of tech,” says Creative Director Aaron Willmer.
“As well as being so relevant lyrically, I Gotta Be Me is a joyous celebration in a non-cheesy way, as only those old big band tracks can be.
“We tested it at different stages during the year and even tried remixing it but nothing came close to the warmth and humanity of the original.
Sammy Davis Jr, who died in 1990, was not the only world class artist to hear gold in I Gotta Be Me, which was sung in the original stage production by crooner Steve Lawrence.
Ella Fitzgerald, Della Reese, Tony Bennett, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and Michael Jackson have all recorded it or performed it live.
The title also featured in the blockbusting TV series Glee while versions by Duffy and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder were synced to commercials for Diet Coke and Dr Pepper in 2009 and 2012 respectively.
