The Komodo dragon is the newest addition to the Metro Toronto Zoo and in eight new spots by Spy Films he is wreaking havoc on the lives of a peacock, rabbit, pig, hyena and deer.

Second City actors dressed as the fearful prey tell us about the dangers of the world’s largest reptile using humor to punctuate their points of view.

Spy president Carlo Trulli says there was a lot of room for development on this project, which is one of the reasons the spots work so well as a campaign.

Taking a minimalist approach to the shoot ­ no fancy lighting, a small crew and a small budget ­ the focus of the spots is on the performances, ideas and script rather than on a lot of production baggage.

‘We were able to maximize it,’ says Trulli. ‘Each one of the characters worked together as a group and as individuals. They all had a role to play in an individual commercial so they all had their own voice and point of view.’

Trulli describes the project as being like a work in progress since they were rewriting scripts during shooting. ‘It was one of those projects where you watch it unfold and look at your best opportunities to make it better.’

While most of the shooting took place around Toronto and at the zoo, some was done on location in an old church by director Gord McWatters using a hand-held Bolex in order to achieve that guerrilla-style look.

McWatters attributes the smooth shoot to the great script and a rehearsal during which they had an opportunity to get the filming down pat. The only real challenge came with the time restraints of shooting that many spots in three days before the light changed. Glen Keenan was the dop.

Agency was TBWA Chiat/Day and agency producers were Janice Bisson and Carmelle Prud’homme. Aubrey Singer wrote the spots. Cash Cashman produced for Spy and post was handled by Brian Williams of Panic & Bob.