Fred Armisen wasn’t expecting his commercial directorial debut to come in the midst of a pandemic. Yet somehow during these unpredictable times, it seems fitting that the unexpected would happen. And it did so in a major way with a client-direct campaign for GoogleStore.com–which also marked Armisen’s first gig since coming aboard the roster of RadicalMedia for representation in the ad arena.
Armisen, known for his comedy chops, did far more than just direct. He also portrayed assorted characters highlighting how Google products can serve its users on many fronts. A new film premiered for each of 30 consecutive days. Each film promoted a Daily Special for purchase of a Google device such as the Nest Hub, Pixel phone or Chromecast. And for customers wary of venturing out to brick-and-mortar shops, the campaign positions the online Google Store as a viable option.
The 30 scenarios were shot over six straight days in Santa Ana, Calif. Armisen took on the personas of Kai, Bob, Derek, Vinny, Sven and Miles–each with his own distinctive quirks. He also portrayed supporting characters like a plumber and a pizza delivery guy. In one spot Armisen takes on the role of a man trying to keep in touch with his father–while also playing the father.
The capabilities of Google devices are reflected in Armisen’s portrayals. In one piece for example he’s an artisan/exec of some sort working remotely from home, talking to his office team–only to have his off-camera wife and kids interrupting constantly by blending smoothies at a high decibel level. The noise follows him from one room of their house to the next–at least he’s able to roam about freely, always connected thanks to Google’s Nest “Workspace Expander.”
Like the “Workspace Expander,” various Google products are showcased in different lights to correspond what people turn to them for. The Nest cam becomes the “Bird Spotter,” for instance, while the Nest Hub is identified as the “HairDo Doer” and the “Homework Helper.” Armisen actually cuts his own hair in the Hairdo Doer scenario.
Google’s smart-home products are brought to the marketplace in this campaign with a playful sense of humor. The work in a sense reflects why Armisen found himself busy as a director during a COVID-19 stretch when most filmmakers were biding their time. Indeed when GoogleStore.com came up with the campaign concept and premise, Armisen seemed a natural choice given his talent for creating and performing as different characters in sketch comedy–as evidenced by his work on Saturday Night Live and Portlandia, not to mention the mockumentary series Documentary Now! That talent is underscored by his earning 14 Emmy nominations over the years for those three shows as a producer, writer and actor. And his directorial acumen has been displayed in episodic work for Portlandia, the well-received short film Guide to Music and South by Southwest, and a Kings of Leon concert for the digital series American Express UNSTAGED.
The latter garnered a Silver Clio in 2014, and was produced by RadicalMedia. Armisen had a favorable experience on that project which factored into his decision to join Radical last year to direct commercials and branded content.
Pandemic production
Working with a skeleton crew during the pandemic, Armisen adapted while learning not to take things for granted. For example, he worked with a wig person remotely to help fashion the look of his different characters. But at times he wasn’t sure if he had the wig fitting and sitting well on his head. He didn’t have a professional there to comb it out properly to make it look natural. It all came under the category, he said, of things that “look easier than you think” until you don’t have your colleagues on hand to do them.
Little adjustments also had to be made with the few crew members who were present on the set. With his DP, Sal Totino, wearing a mask, Armisen couldn’t judge from a facial expression whether or not he got the shot. Armisen had to wait for Totino to say “yes” before moving on to the next setup.
At the same time, there’s a benefit at times to stripping some elements away. “There’s no fancy trailer for me to have lunch in,” he said, noting that the vibe is more like a student film where you have to multi-task and be on top of everything. In TV, Armisen said he was used to having a bunch of writers on set, mulling over some jokes–which can be a great dynamic. But there’s also some advantage to being the lone person who needs to get these pieces done. Being in a rush, multi-tasking and feeling a little pressured can be “overall, good for efficiency,” he assessed.
Armisen said he benefited greatly from RadicalMedia handling key details that he didn’t have to concern himself with. This freed him to focus on direction and his own on-camera performance.
The support people at Radical “took care of everything,” related Armisen, including arranging for his regular COVID-19 tests all the way to lining up the right cinematographer–the aforementioned Totino, ASC, AIC, who’s accomplished in both short and long-form fare. On the former score, Totino has lensed assorted commercials spanning campaigns for the likes of Nike, Jaguar, Jack Daniels, The GAP and H.I.S. Jeans, and music videos for such artists as Radiohead, REM, Bruce Springsteen, Sound Garden and U2.
Among Totino’s feature credits are Frost/Nixon, Cinderella Man and The Da Vinci Code for director Ron Howard, Any Given Sunday for Oliver Stone, Bird Box for Susanne Bier, Everest for Baltasar Kormákur, and Spider-Man: Homecoming for Jon Watts.
In addition to Armisen and Totino, other contributors to the GoogleStore.com campaign for RadicalMedia included exec producers Frank Scherma and Gregg Carlesimo, and line producer Kathy Rhodes.
