A Super Bowl debut; one director's Big Game story

As soon as I finished reading the script, I was in. I could see it in my head immediately — a very specific, structural pace, launching into these big, musical spectacle moments, then intercutting with these hilariously awkward down-beats. 

State Farm using Livin’ on a Prayer as the backbone felt instantly funny, but also smart — this idea of people realising they’ve been hoping everything works out, instead of actually feeling confident in their coverage. I just really loved the concept right away.

This would be my first Super Bowl ad, so I knew immediately that I was the underdog.

I’m a huge fan of both Danny McBride and Keegan-Michael Key, too. They’ve played some of the most iconic characters of the last couple of decades, and I knew this idea lived right in their wheelhouse. They’re incredible at playing characters with unflappable (but completely unwarranted) confidence, which made them perfect for this exaggerated 'Halfway There' world. What made it even more exciting was realising they’d never actually shared the screen before. The idea that I might get to be there the first time they ever worked together was wild.

Above: The finished State Farm spot, Stop Livin' on a Prayer, directed by Dan Opsal. 

On top of that, it was a State Farm Super Bowl spot. State Farm has a long history of big, amazing Super Bowl commercials, and the stage doesn’t get much bigger than that. But what really hooked me was that this wasn’t just a spot, there was a clear message underneath it. The idea that having insurance isn’t the same as having State Farm, and that settling for something that only gets you halfway there isn’t enough, felt like a great thing to tackle on a stage this big. I was just excited to be part of that legacy.

Directing a Super Bowl commercial has been this golden pony that I’ve wanted to be a part of for a long time.

But this would be my first Super Bowl ad, so I knew immediately that I was the underdog. Still, I really wanted it. Directing a Super Bowl commercial has been this golden pony that I’ve wanted to be a part of for a long time. So I went for it.

TMA and State Farm came up with this amazing concept, so I wanted to do them proud. I immediately started poking around for ways to juice things up, how to push some of the comedy and spectacle moments a little further. There was a beat in the script where a flatbed truck was supposed to back into a garage door and dent it, and I remember thinking: What if we collapse a front porch instead? A little bonus kaplowie! never hurt anybody. It wasn’t a small ask, but to their credit, the agency and State Farm were really open to pushing things and making it bigger.

Above: The stellar cast of Opsal's debut Super Bowl spot included [clockwise from top left] Danny McBride, Keegan-Michael Key, Hailee Steinfeld, 'Jake from State Farm', Jon Bon Jovi and KATSEYE. 

I usually do my own animatics (DanOmatics™) for every job, but this was different. I was so obsessed with nailing the structure that I needed to work it out for myself before anything else. It was a full 60-second animatic built from rough Photoshop images, very loosely animated, with my own terrible singing of Livin’ on a Prayer laid over it. It was a really clear way to visualise it. But, once I finished it, I thought, maybe we should just submit this as part of the pitch — if nothing else, it’ll give them something to remember me by.

A few days later, Franchesca McDowell, my EP at Hungry Man, called. She and I had been working really closely on the bid and the treatment and, honestly, we both kind of assumed we weren’t getting it. She had this ho-hum sort of vibe on the phone and said, “Well, bad news… you’re gonna be busy this month.” It took me a minute to believe it. I don’t think it fully felt real until I got on the kick-off call with TMA and saw their smiling faces.

Not long after that, we found out Hailee Steinfeld was on board. I’ve been a huge fan of hers since True Grit, and she was exactly what this spot needed — that grounded voice of reason to balance Danny and Keegan. I’d also already booked Autumn Durald Arkapaw as my cinematographer, who had just shot Sinners with Hailee (and was nominated for an Oscar), and who I had wanted to work with for years — so it ended up being a really nice reunion for them.

Above: Opsal on location for the State Farm Super Bowl shoot. 

Bon Jovi was always part of the idea, but once we heard Mr. Jovi himself was making a cameo with Jake from State Farm, it just blew the top off. And then KATSEYE locked in. I mean, when you think of Bon Jovi you immediately think of KATSEYE. It’s a no-brainer.

Once we got into prep, things actually felt surprisingly calm. There was a really seamless flow between me and the creatives at TMA and State Farm. There was so much excitement for the project that we just wanted to start rolling. But day one on set was when it really hit me.

There’s always a lot ping-ponging around in my head on shoot days, especially on something this big, but as soon as Danny and Keegan showed up in full 80s rocker-wear, curly wigs and eye-liner, I knew it was all going to be ok. As the scale and stakes get bigger on something like a Super Bowl spot, my philosophy stays the same. I’m a huge prepper — I spend weeks thinking through every scenario, every shot, every version of every line — but the whole point of that prep is to give us the freedom to leave space for magic on set.

Especially with comedy, and especially with people like Danny, Keegan and Hailee, my job is to set the stage and then get out of the way. We’d make sure we nailed what we needed, but I always wanted to give them room to play. Some of the funniest stuff comes from those moments where you just say, “Okay, now say whatever you want.”