Commercial being broadcast without FX stem, has anyone else seen this? - Social Sound Design

Commercial being broadcast without FX stem, has anyone else seen this?

2012-05-30T02:14:51Z

So I just saw a commercial for Fed Ex. It takes place in the woods with a fairytale theme. All the squirrels and frogs are CG animated and singing. It is one of the better commercials I have seen that features the sound design and story.

I saw this commercial a few months ago and was very impressed by the sound design. I just saw it again and ALL of the sound effects are gone. There are moments when thing literally "pop" from fantasy into their real life counter parts. Nice magical shimmers. All gone in the version I just saw.

Has anyone noticed or experienced their material being subtracted in this way? It was quite shocking to see this. Here is the ad I am refereing to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6_4wfEmPpc

Answer by Chris Bishop for Commercial being broadcast without FX stem, has anyone else seen this?

2012-05-30T13:43:17Z

Do you happen to know of a link to a version with the FX in there? I can see what you're saying about the missing FX, and I'd say it's purely an aesthetic choice. With the bushes and flying pixies and animals moving...the mix would get very cluttered...there's so much going on! Somebody higher up may have just heard it and thought "Too much, too confusing, cut it back." Happens all the time in mixing for film and television. In fact, it's usually the FX that get cut to make room for the MX. Why? Not sure. But music drives the story, and with such a friggin' cute song as that one, it kinda doesn't surprise me.

Answer by Brad Dale for Commercial being broadcast without FX stem, has anyone else seen this?

2012-05-30T17:09:53Z

this is probably one of those age old situations where the post audio team did a bang up job on sound design and the client axed it saying it was too much. had they not done any sound design and left it music and dialog, the client would have complained and asked for sound design and it would have stuck in the mix. :)