Supplementing the Talk to Google campaign for the Google app was a steady stream of work that we were constantly refreshing. Used sometimes on TV, but mostly as :15 preroll films, we always began with an app capability -weather/translation/calendar/general knowledge/etc. And then, we’d scoured the Internet to find existing footage to record the script over. As a production method, it was pretty tedious and difficult. But when we got it right, it was felt effortless and tonally awesome and fun.
We also experimented with different formats. We got the opportunity in the UK to write :10 contextual ads to be shown during Heston Blumenthal’s Valentine’s Day special in partnership with Channel 4. We got to see a rough version of the show, and went from brief to on-air in under 3 weeks. Though we didn’t produce them, we consulted the French market who replicated the format with a partnership with their local TV channel.
Google asked us for a few rounds of work that were straight, simple and more instructional as :10 prerolls. They wanted them for the download window around Christmas time. Tat gave us a month to pull together a production method to create 5 films for the UK and 5 films for Germany. We shot them all, but after going through it, we began experimenting with stock footage.
Made with Rey Andrade, Matteo Gallenili. Tobin Nageotte