McDonald’s “Filet ‘O Fish” finds one filet ‘o fish trying to teach another filet the proper pronunciation of filet ‘o fish. Their exchange is long and drawn-out–the commercial, part of a five-spot, Internet-based campaign stretches on for more than a minute–and this is exactly what makes it so ridiculously funny. Just when you think it’s going to end, it continues, with the filet ‘o fish in the role of teacher becoming ever more frustrated with his pupil’s lack of ability to get it right.
Aaron Ruell, who directed all five spots, admitted that initially he wasn’t quite sure why Chicago’s Leo Burnett was interested in hiring him for the job. “I vividly remember on the very first call just asking them, ‘Why do you need a director for this?’ It was just still shots, and I never do tabletop,” recalled Ruell, who works out of Uber Content, Hollywood.
But as the discussion went on, Ruell came to realize that his real contribution would be in finding the right actors to voice the characters and in directing the voiceovers. “These spots either work or they don’t based on the voiceovers,” Ruell surmised.
With Ruell on board, the casting process began, and it didn’t go so well at the start because casting directors, seeing that the scripts called for talking food, assumed that talent with silly, cartoon-like voices was needed. “And that’s not how we wanted to go,” stressed Leo Burnett’s Victor LaPorte, senior VP/creative director/art director, who conceptualized the campaign with his partner Scott English, senior VP/creative director/copywriter.
Sans food Rather LePorte and English–as well as Ruell–envisioned more normal voices in the roles. So in an effort to draw the type of talent they wanted, the scripts were revised, with any reference to talking food removed, and sent out to casting directors again. This second attempt yielded more appropriate candidates.
One of the talents Ruell brought in for a tryout was Keith Wilfort, a Scottish guy he had met once on a location scout. According to Ruell, English thought it would be funny to hear Wilfort say, “filet ‘o fish.” And from there, the “Filet ‘O Fish” spot, which was not part of the original campaign, was born. “We were writing it as we were recording the talent in the booth at Margarita Mix,” Ruell says, noting, “I think all of us knew that was the money spot. That’s the way it works in the ad world. The stuff that isn’t planned, the stuff that just kind of is more serendipitous than anything else, always becomes the stuff that is most memorable.”
While the recording process was rather fun, Ruell said he has a new appreciation for those who direct voiceover work on a regular basis. “It’s a lot more difficult than I had anticipated for sure,” the director acknowledged. “Everything has to come through in the voice, especially when you’re talking about products or characters that aren’t moving.”
With the voiceovers recorded, Ruell and DP Doug Chamberlain shot the visuals for “Filet ‘O Fish” and the other spots at a fully operational McDonald’s in Industry, Calif., used solely for the purposes of filming.
Side by side Ruell shot his stars–the two filet ‘o fish–sitting side-by-side on a food preparation counter. The goal was to make the food look appetizing but not to go over the top. “McDonald’s had several stylists there, and they made the [sandwiches] to perfection–they were adjusting shreds of lettuce with their tweezers,” Ruell said.
The sandwiches don’t move at all during the spot. Was there ever any thought of animating them in some way? Maybe giving them moving mouths? “The creatives, Scott and Victor, had no intention of doing that. Nor did I. That’s a different type of comedy and one that doesn’t really appeal to me for this kind of spot,” Ruell remarked. “It seemed to make most sense, to be funnier to just have these inanimate, immobile products, yet they’re talking, which throws you for a loop.”
Jim Staskauskus, of Optimus, Santa Monica, cut “Filet ‘O Fish.” The editing was more complicated than one might assume, according to Ruell, who explained, “For the comedic timing to work properly, it’s all about holding back certain lines or moving them and then matching them with the cut, so it was kind of tricky because the comedic timing had to be dead on.”
One has to wonder why we adults find this kind of humor so funny. After all, it is talking food. “It’s in a sense an extension of childhood, when you used to pick up inanimate objects and goof off with them,” mused Leo Burnett executive creative director John Montgomery.
Might “Filet ‘O Fish” and the other spots featured in this Internet campaign migrate to television? “That becomes a client question,” Montgomery said, adding, “If something catches fire, there’s always a possibility.”
