Cinematographer Chris Rejano Talks Super Bowl Picks and Pans

What were your favorite spots from the advertising extravaganza that is the Super Bowl? How about your least favorite? Let’s see how your answers line up with what acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Rejano had to say about the great and not-so-great offerings from Sunday night…

SCREEN: What was your favorite spot of the night?

CHRIS: As a cinematographer I’m always going to lean toward the thing that moved me visually. Coming from a narrative background I always look to then dramatic end of storytelling. So the spot that felt the most cinematic to me was the Jeep commercial featuring Bruce Springsteen. It was an immediate mood and every frame was gorgeous. That to me makes it an emotionally effective commercial. Although that being said… Tracy Morgan makes me laugh every time. So that’s a close second.

https://youtu.be/c1m0Lpt8h6c

SCREEN: What was your least favorite spot of the night or a spot you felt could have been more successful?

CHRIS: I have to say that I didn’t dislike any of the spots per se but I felt like Robinhood might have done themselves a service by not pushing that spot out there in light of all the press they’ve received in recent weeks. I mean look at it in contrast to the Reddit 5 second spot that forced the entire country to rewind and pause just to watch the spot. Pretty clever.

SCREEN: What would you like to see more or less of in terms of advertising in next year’s Super Bowl?

CHRIS: I think that obviously something that is necessary every year is full spectrum representation. Not only race but also in regards to gender identity and sexual orientation. But from a technical point of view I think a greater variety of aesthetic would be nice. Many of the spots were structured similarly and honestly looked similar as well. In past Super Bowls Ive always enjoyed the uniqueness of each commercial but this year I didn’t quite get that feeling.

SCREEN: Any final words here, Chris?

CHRIS: It was nice to see a lot of new companies advertising this year. There was a diverse mix of advertisers and that felt refreshing. But I really want to commend the cast and crews of these commercials because I know how hard they had to work with on set Covid-19 restrictions. It’s not easy. Bravo to all of them and to the unions that helped get everyone back to work safely.