Photo courtesy of Tanner+West
Tasked with creating the “story of a lifetime,” Owensboro-based ad and design agency Tanner+West won a national award for their TV spot for Glenn Family Services that tells the heartwarming story between the written lines of a loved one’s obituary.
Tanner+West won Best Brand Film at the Muse Storytelling Film Festival earlier this month. Their “Between the Lines” spot showed “strong storytelling most closely aligned with the mission of Muse to inspire filmmakers to create work they are passionate about.” This spot also garnered a 2018 Regional Emmy award and multiple Telly and Addy awards.
The TV spot, filmed in 2017, depicts nearly 60 years, and Tanner+West and crew spent an extensive amount of time on wardrobe, styling, locations and finding the perfect vehicle.
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When owner Jason Tanner came to him with the project, video producer David Grinnell drew on his own personal experience at a funeral home in a neighboring city, as his mom passed away when he was 16.
“I remember thinking that was the worst place in the world,” Grinnell said. “There’s no connection there to what my mom was and what she felt like to me. So I approached this spot with the perspective of trying to think ‘What would I have wanted that funeral home to do or be for me?’ I wanted that connection, so we started with that.”
For the TV spot, the connection was a red 1953 Ford Sunliner. It starts with a young soldier driving home in that car to see his girlfriend, who has been waiting for his return. The car can be seen as the spot cuts through the years — from the proposal to their first home to the kids growing up.
When the husband passes away in his later years, the wife covers up the car as she looks at an old photo.
On the day of the funeral, Glenn Family Services surprises the widow by bringing in the car, creating a personal touch as a voiceover says: “It’s so much more than words in the obituary. It’s reading between the lines to craft uniquely personal tributes honoring the story of a lifetime.”
“You don’t really notice it the whole time, but it’s always there,” Grinnell said of the Sunliner. “Then at the end, Glenn is able to bring that red car in and creates that special moment for the widow and that connection and she has all the good memories that we’ve already seen. It’s just a little thing like that that sets Glenn apart from other funeral homes.”
Grinnell noted that beyond the concept, it was a challenge doing a spot that spans multiple generations. It requires multiple sets of actors, as well as older wardrobe and hair styles.
“The challenge is to stay within budget but create a bigger-budget look,” he said. “We didn’t hold anything back, and we were able to bring in Lesa Miller who is the best in the business to help us accomplish that.”
The community also starred in this commercial as Tanner+West relied on local landmarks to ensure the film was authentic to Owensboro.
“Our film starts at a beautiful farm house in Philpot that our friends David and Jeffie Hawes let us use. Then we moved to Frederica Street to a house owned by Ryan and Chivonne Rutman. Later we filmed at English Park and Smothers Park,” he said. “It was a team effort and many of our friends and even our own kids helped and were extras in the commercial.”
Tanner, who also co-owns and co-founded Owensboro Times, added: “To have clients that are the best in their industry trust us with their message is a big honor. More than any award, getting to work with great clients like the team at Glenn Family Services is why we do what we do.”
Glenn Taylor, Chairman of Glenn Family Services, said Tanner+West did an excellent job of taking the concept and creating the spot.
“We help families tell the stories of a lifetime,” Taylor said. “It finally struck us that we need a story to tell our story. The commercial was the story of those individuals’ lifetimes, (it shows how we) take the time to read between the lines, to listen to what our families are saying, to do more than just tick off boxes on a checklist — that’s what we’re about.”
Taylor said he was impressed by the way that Tanner+West could create the storyline for that.
“I was impressed by the way they could produce it in a way that was genuine,” he said. “It turned out that I wasn’t the only one impressed.”