The Beatles Rock Band: Abbey Road

The Beatles Rock Band game was launched with a television commercial produced by GARTNER and directed by Marcel Langenegger and created byRDA Integrated, New York in partnership with MTV Games (a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks) and Apple Corps. Ltd., “Abbey Road” utilizes state-of-the-art technology and never before seen archive footage to bring the 1969 Beatles legendary album cover to life with John, Paul, Ringo and George joined by hundreds of adoring fans.The game’s success (it sold out one quarter of its inventory in the first week) and its steady climb in sales (the game is now outselling Guitar Hero 5) is no revelation. What hasn’t been told until now is the story behind the production of “Abbey Road.”The adventure began in June, at E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Expo) in Los Angeles, where Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr made guest appearances. GARTNER Partners/Executive Producers Don Block and Rich Carter and director Langenegger were there as well, and embarked on the first of many, many meetings with the team behind The Beatles Rock Band game.RDA was aware of Langenegger, whose ’08 feature debut, “Deception” (20th Century Fox), starred Hugh Jackman and who has helmed notable spot work for Mercedes, Intel, Nissan, Microsoft, and Doctors Without Borders, for which he won a Gold Lion at Cannes. It would take more than a great reel, however, to best the competition and nab the assignment. “Marcel really impressed the team with his amazing depth of knowledge about the Abbey Road shoot,” recalls Block.
After winning the job, Langenegger was granted access to the actual Abbey Road archives. In London, he worked closely with the agency and Apple Corps to source archival footage that enabled him to bring the actual 1969 Beatles back to appear in the commercial.Over the course of production and post, Langenegger would meet with Apple Corps at the highest levels, collaborating with Giles Martin (son of famed Beatles producer Sir George Martin) who produced the title’s music, and ultimately gaining the approval of McCartney, Starr, Olivia Harrison, and Yoko Ono, at several stages of the projects development.The two-month endeavor involved GARTNER recreating Abbey Road in Hollywood. “Everything we shot was based on specs from the original day,” says Carter, adding that the input of all parties was extremely constructive and helpful. “We presented body doubles for The Beatles, for example, and Marcel wanted them to be just right. The double for George was changed based on input from Olivia Harrison.”“The first 24 hours online were crazy,” says Carter of the grassroots response to the ad, which aired live during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards on September 13th and is part of a Global media campaign continuing through the 2009 holiday season. “The Beatles have been introduced to a new audience and a new generation. It’s an honor for all of us to be a part of that.”