Is this commercial for real?

General Questions
#1

I keep seeing that Powerade commercial where the camera’s looking out the window at a hurricane-force storm, with gigantic waves pounding the beach…suddenly, out of nowhere comes a surfer, who disappears as the wave crashes down on top of him, only to miraculously reappear seconds later, still on his board. All accompanied by a news reporter-sounding narrator.

I guess the narration could be an overdub for dramatic effect, but the footage itself looks pretty damn real. Anyone got the straight dope on this? Was this stunt filmed specifically for the commercial, or was it some random idiot who got caught on tape?

#2

That, and I’d like to know if the woman jumping the bridge in the Powerade commercial was real too.

#3

They both looked pretty fake to me. The wave one uses cinematography methods that would only be done if it was faked, and on the bridge jump neither the jump nor the landing are quite right. Google isn’t helping much.

I never knew anyone took these things seriously.

I’ve e-mailed someone to ask, hopefully they’ll reply.

#4

I have no proof, but yes, they’re fake. The woman jumping the bridge, the surfer, and the first in the series (the guy throwing the football out of a stadium) are just exaggerations intended to show the “power” of this product. They are physically impossible tasks.

#5

Commercials are full of fake stuff these days. Do they think we are stupid or what? Most of us are too intelligent to believe this trash, so why this question of Is this commercial for real?

#6

You can even see when the girl is “swapped” in the commercial if you look.

Watch for her to run behind the van. I believe this is when the “real” footage ends, and the runner becomes computer generated.

Surfers do surf waves that size, but you could not surf out of that wash. I am not sure if that is a video of someone wiping out, with the part where he makes it through edited in, or if it is footage of a wave with the surfer generated onto it.

#7

I would disagree on this point. Most DOPERS are too intelligent to believe this, yes. But your average schmuck on the street? Oh, yes. They’ll believe it, without question. Don’t forget, there are people who already believe that wearing certain shoes will make you jump higher, or run faster… and usually, the better you want to ‘perform’, the more expensive the shoe.

#8

I am quite happy with the fact that I am not a schmuck on the street :cool:

#9

I guess I must be “your average schmuck on the street”, because I was wondering if it was staged or not, never thought that it could be totally computer-generated. It just looks too GOOD to be pure CG, and with all the insane Xtreme sports these days, Hurricane Surfing doesn’t seem too far-fetched. :rolleyes: (I haven’t seen the bridge-jumping one, maybe that one’s more obviously fake.)

Still, I’d be more satisfied with a firm yea or nay on this, if anyone’s able to find one.

#10

I guess I must be “your average schmuck on the street”, because I was wondering if it was staged or not, never thought that it could be totally computer-generated. It just looks too GOOD to be pure CG, and with all the insane Xtreme sports these days, Hurricane Surfing doesn’t seem too far-fetched. :rolleyes: (I haven’t seen the bridge-jumping one, maybe that one’s more obviously fake.)

Still, I’d be more satisfied with a firm yea or nay on this, if anyone’s able to find one.

#11

They are fake. The one with Michael Vick, new Atlanta Falcons QB throwing the ball out of the stadium is quite impossible. It is preceded by several clips of him throwing the ball at receivers who are knocked forcibly backward from the impact. The whole campaign is kinda cute in a “Blair Witch” sort of low-tech way, but it is just a joke.

There is NO WAY a QB can throw a football OUT OF THE STADIUM and no receiver has ever been KNOCKED BACKWARD several feet trying to catch a pass. Um, people don’t sweat the neon Gatorade colors and Halle Berry never unzipped her head to become Barry Bostwick, either. Never heard a real duck say “AFLAC!” I’m pretty sure those Chevy trucks aren’t really 500 feet tall and drive through working areas, and no one herds cats or runs with the sqirrels.

Oh, cats don’t ACTUALLY talk about the new litter in the box, either. That’s actually fake trickery.

And there is no Santa Claus.

#12

You take that back, or I shall trout you to within a yard of your life!

The best kitty litter contains diamonds, too.

:smiley:

#13

Damn, Derleth, I thought you might call me on the Santa Claus thing, but not the cat thing.
They actually talk about what we look like coming out of the shower.

Them ain’t diamonds, either. I have it on VERY GOOD AUTHORITY that they are just CZs.

Sorry to piss in your punchbowl.

#14

IMHO, the surfing one is not badly done. I can see how people would think it was real. The Michael Vick one and the woman jumping the bridge are very obvious fakes. Wonder how long it will take for these to show up on Snopes.

#15

What about the one with the baseball player who runs through the outfield fence chasing a flyball? That one looks real, and I think I’ve seen it before.

#16

I just assume everything on television is fake to begin with, and work backwards from there.

#17

That one is real. I’ve seen it on sports tapes. Can’t remember how bad the guy got hurt, though.

#18

They aren’t diamonds, they’re flavor crystals!

#19

Actually I will pay more for basketball shoes, based on
1)Weight
2)Support

I always look for the lightest possible shoe, which tend to be more expensive, and do affect the quickness of my feet.

#20

Dude, Mike Vick could do that!

No, I’m just a big Virginia Tech fan. It’s totally fake.