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Guess? “Cheat” 1996

Guess? “Cheat” (1996) is a Guess? commercial directed by Andy Morahan for Paul Marciano Advertising, produced by Great Guns. It won 18 awards, including D&AD 1996 Yellow Pencil — TV & Cinema Advertising / Cinema Commercials, British Arrows 1996 Craft Gold — Best Crafted Commercial Of The Year and Clio 1996 Gold — Television/Cinema / Art Direction.

A black and white commercial for Guess? jeans, featuring a series of dramatic, film noir-inspired scenes with various characters discussing trust, relationships, and secrets, culminating in a provocative tagline.

Video: GUESS on YouTube

Shot by shot

  1. A man and woman sit in a glass-enclosed balcony overlooking a city skyline, captured in black and white.© Guess?0:02
  2. A man in a white shirt and suspenders drives a car, looking forward with a serious expression, in a black and white shot.© Guess?0:06
  3. A man with dark hair and a light shirt is seen in profile, looking out a window, in a black and white shot.© Guess?0:11
  4. A young woman in a leather jacket holds a piece of paper, looking off-camera with a neutral expression in a dimly lit interior.© Guess?0:14
  5. A young woman with long hair and bangs looks directly at the camera with a concerned expression in a black and white shot.© Guess?0:21
  6. A man in a suit and a woman in a blazer walk side-by-side, looking forward with serious expressions in a dimly lit interior.© Guess?0:25
  7. A man and woman are seen in a medium closeup, with the man's face in profile, as they appear to be whispering to each other in a dark, intimate setting.© Guess?0:33
  8. A person's head and shoulder are visible in the foreground, looking at a small monitor and film reels on a desk in a dark room.© Guess?0:37
  9. A man with dark hair and a striped shirt drives a car at night, looking forward with a serious expression.© Guess?0:42
  10. A blonde woman with heavy makeup looks up at the camera, with shadows cast across her face, in a black and white shot.© Guess?0:44
  11. A woman with blonde hair and dark lipstick looks directly at the camera, with shadows cast across her face, in a black and white shot.© Guess?0:49
  12. A young woman with long hair and bangs looks intensely at the camera, her mouth slightly open, in a black and white shot.© Guess?0:51

Stills © Guess?. Made by Paul Marciano Advertising, Great Guns and Andy Morahan.

Every shot, full-quality frames and clips, and search across every commercial. Free account.

The idea

Film noir-inspired mystery with fragmented dialogue and suggestive imagery for Guess? jeans.

Tagline: “My girls look so good that people ask me, is it fair? And I have to tell them, quite frankly, no.”

film noir aestheticfragmented narrativemysterious charactersprovocative dialogueblack and white cinematographysexual tension

The cut

Length
63 s
Shots
45
Average shot
1.4 s

What creatives use Guess? “Cheat” for

  1. 01Reference frames for your treatment

    Pitching something with the feel of Guess? “Cheat”? A screenshot from a video player won't hold up in a deck.

    Download any frame of this spot at full quality, with its credits, or search every spot for the same look.

    A man and woman sit in a glass-enclosed balcony overlooking a city skyline, captured in black and white.© Guess?A man in a white shirt and suspenders drives a car, looking forward with a serious expression, in a black and white shot.© Guess?A man with dark hair and a light shirt is seen in profile, looking out a window, in a black and white shot.© Guess?A young woman in a leather jacket holds a piece of paper, looking off-camera with a neutral expression in a dimly lit interior.© Guess?
    Frames from Guess? “Cheat”

  2. 02Shot list example: how it was cut

    You need the structure of a great spot, shot by shot, for your storyboard.

    Every shot of Guess? “Cheat” in order, with its length, framing and what happens in it.

    A man and woman sit in a glass-enclosed balcony overlooking a city skyline, captured in black and white.© Guess?A man in a white shirt and suspenders drives a car, looking forward with a serious expression, in a black and white shot.© Guess?A man with dark hair and a light shirt is seen in profile, looking out a window, in a black and white shot.© Guess?A young woman in a leather jacket holds a piece of paper, looking off-camera with a neutral expression in a dimly lit interior.© Guess?A young woman with long hair and bangs looks directly at the camera with a concerned expression in a black and white shot.© Guess?A man in a suit and a woman in a blazer walk side-by-side, looking forward with serious expressions in a dimly lit interior.© Guess?
    Length: 63 s · Shots: 45 · Average shot: 1.4 s

  3. 03Ad ideas: every spot built on a film noir aesthetic

    Before you present an idea, you need to know who has done it, and how.

    Guess? “Cheat” is built on a film noir aesthetic. Search the library by idea to see every spot that uses it.

    Jil Sander “Jil Sander by Wim Wenders”© Jil SanderVancouver International Film Festival “Subtitles”© Vancouver International Film FestivalItv “Great Characters Make Great Drama: The Patriarch”© ItvBud Light “Pole”© Bud Light
    Jil Sander · Vancouver International Film Festival · Itv · Bud Light

More commercials by Andy Morahan

  • Ford "Galaxy - Airport" (2024) commercial still© FordFord “Galaxy - Airport” 2024Dir. Andy Morahan
  • Remington "How the World Gets Ready" (2024) commercial still© RemingtonRemington “How the World Gets Ready” 2024Dir. Andy Morahan · Addiction
  • Toyota "Beach" (2024) commercial still© ToyotaToyota “Beach” 2024Dir. Andy Morahan
  • Volkswagen "Golf Plus - More Room" (2024) commercial still© VolkswagenVolkswagen “Golf Plus - More Room” 2024Dir. Andy Morahan

Award-winning fashion & luxury commercials

  • Burbery "Burberry "Open Spaces" (2022) commercial still© BurberyBurbery “Burberry "Open Spaces” 2022Dir. Megaforce · Riff Raff FilmsCiclope Grand Prix 2022
  • Burberry "Festive" (2020) commercial still© BurberryBurberry “Festive” 2020Dir. Megaforce · Riff Raff FilmsEpica Grand Prix 2021
  • Kenzo "Kenzo World" (2016) commercial still© KenzoKenzo “Kenzo World” 2016Dir. Spike JonzeEpica Grand Prix 2016
  • River Island "Lou Dalton" (2016) commercial still© River IslandRiver Island “Lou Dalton” 2016Dir. Fred RowsonCiclope Grand Prix 2016
  • Wren "First Kiss" (2014) commercial still© WrenWren “First Kiss” 2014Dir. Tatia Pilieva · Tatia PllevaClio Awards Grand Prix 2014
  • Jack & Jones "Making The Cut" (2014) commercial still© Jack & JonesJack & Jones “Making The Cut” 2014Dir. Martin Werner · &Co.Eurobest Grand Prix 2013

Questions

Who directed the Guess? “Cheat” commercial?

Andy Morahan directed it, produced by Great Guns, for the agency Paul Marciano Advertising.

Which agency made Guess? “Cheat”?

Paul Marciano Advertising created it for Guess? (1996).

What awards did Guess? “Cheat” win?

18 awards, including D&AD 1996 Yellow Pencil — TV & Cinema Advertising / Cinema Commercials, D&AD 1996 Yellow Pencil — TV & Cinema Advertising / Television Commercials up to 60 Seconds, D&AD 1996 Yellow Pencil — TV & Cinema Advertising Crafts / Direction and D&AD 1996 Yellow Pencil — TV & Cinema Advertising Crafts / Editing.

What is the tagline of Guess? “Cheat”?

“My girls look so good that people ask me, is it fair? And I have to tell them, quite frankly, no.”

Sources for the credits and awards

britisharrows.comdandad.orgaicpawards.comweb.archive.org