Dirty Rascals flaunt Bazooka

When four street-smart creatives abandoned the mainstream to set up indie agency Rascals during 2009, some questioned their timing.  As it turns out, their timing was superb.Flipping the bird to the recession, Rascals set about presenting clients a fresh agency model, promising results in the face of an evolving ad sector and a dynamic business environment.

“Feedback from the market is that we’ve hit the sweet spot”, says well known and by far the best looking rascal, Gilda Kirkpatrick.  “Collectively, we’ve considerable experience, deep skills base and a great deal of value to offer our clients.  Demand is strong, which is fantastic.”

One of the first projects to be produced by the Auckland creative shopwas a viral PR campaign for New Zealand independent music label, DirtyRecords. Dirty boss Callum August approached Rascals to set up thelaunch for artist PNC’s single, ‘Bazooka’, and his new album.

TheAotearoa hip hop star, whose credits include a Vodafone New ZealandMusic Award in 2007, and a slew of Pacific Music Award nominations, wassigned to the Kingsland-based label by co-founder, DJ and chart-toppingproducer, P-Money.

Rascals’ scheme was to stage the theft ofPNC’s famed Raptor mascot – a bright red dinosaur suit that features inmany of the artist’s videos and on album covers – and shoot a musicvideo following the suit’s unsanctioned exploits through New Zealand.

TheDirty PR campaign generated radio and blog buzz, with press releasepleas issued for the return of the suit.  The mischievous burglars alsostaged an auction for Raptor on Trade Me.

Spokes-rascal ColinMitchell, infamous for his direction credit on the show ‘My Brothersand I are Porn Stars’ (WTF?), said that Trade Me were “pretty goodabout it, but pulled the auction when they heard because ‘sellingstolen goods is illegal'”.

The thrill-seeking Raptor, seen inthe music clip touring the country “doing crazy shit”, is eventuallyreturned to PNC’s house, complete with a video journal of its escapades.

Rascalduo, Alex and Leighton Dyer who, Mitchell says “are definitely brothersand not a gay couple, as some people might think”, are no strangers tostreet-style production techniques, drawing on a long history offilm-making and publishing in the skate community.

To help sellthe underground feel, ‘Bazooka’ was assembled as a mosaic of footagefilmed on a range of disparate appliances including the P2-HD, aheadcam, harbour bridge security cameras, mobile phones and three orfour random handicams.

Rascals pulled in Digipost who assignedcolourist Gerard Ward to the grade.  Ward spent time tweaking thepictures, pumped the colours and giving the piece a gritty cartoonflavour. Compositing, VFX and mastering were also done at Digipost.

DigipostGM Stephen Douglas says it was great to have Rascals in house:  “Wealways enjoy a creative project and this one was definitelyimaginative.  It goes to show that we can take care of business nomatter what the brief is”.

“Using a top post house isjuxtaposed to the raw underground nature of this work’, adds Mitchell.”It’s a metaphor for Rascals’ fresh thinking – we’re here to challengethe rules and we were thrilled with the result.”

For more information on Rascals contact Colin Mitchell, +64 21 421 566, colin@rascals.co.nz