Cavaliers F LeBron James' new Nike ad about Cleveland "is getting a lot of national buzz" after the spot was shot in the city "under a shroud of secrecy earlier this month," according to Clint O'Connor of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. The ad -- which was created by Nike's ad agency, Wieden + Kennedy, and directed by Brandon and Emmett Malloy -- was shot Oct. 6 at Cleveland State Univ.'s Wolstein Center, "which was masquerading" as Quicken Loans Arena, with about 500 extras. The project took "several days," and extras in the spot "received precise instructions on what kind of gear and shoes they could wear." Ohio resident Kathi Buck, who was an extra in the spot, said, "You could wear a Cavs shirt, but it had to be made by Nike or the NBA. If you weren't wearing Nike shoes, it had to be a brand where the logo didn't show." Emmett Malloy on Friday said, "This one feels different than any other commercial I've seen. I feel that my brother and I preserve reality really well. We wanted it to feel genuine and real." Malloy added that shooting in Cleveland "was a big advantage." He said, "Having 500 people come down, all the Cavs fans, it just feels more emotional." James "joined the shoot near the end, after about three days of footage had been shot." The spot was shot in black and white, which "was an attempt to give the commercial a more classic feel." Malloy: "It was also a way to block out all of the colors of what everyone was wearing and make people feel more like one." Cavaliers F Kevin Love, who "has an endorsement contract with Nike competitor Adidas, is not seen" in the spot (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 11/1).
