"Quiet Please"

25 June 2025

55s

New balls please.

The splendidly weird vibe generated by Tom Emmerson for this marvellous commercial for New Balance derives from a terrific script based on a mad idea, great casting, and the director's unnerving aesthetic. The combination works towards creating a film that captures and retains your attention from fast to last, even if you need the press release to know who's who, celebrity-wise.

Successfully bringing something like this to life required Emmerson and all his HODs to be at the top of their game, and, form the looks of it, they were... and then some.

The sheer ambition is impressive, A tennis match where one player eschews a tennis racket in favour of his football skills would be a sufficiently strong idea for most people but to place this contest within a box sat on the table at a fancy restaurant where another group of diners interrupt the game with their laughter takes it to a completely different level.

Making it look so trippy and strange feels almost like an afterthought, but one that wraps the whole thing in a compelling veneer that demands your attention like a slap in the face. Brilliant stuff.

UK

Sportswear