To promote DellConnect, a tool that lets Dell service and support associates diagnose and repair computers over a broadband connection, Dell is running a viral film, “Nerd Buddy,” which features computer nerds strapped to the backs of Dell computer owners, which is the wrong way to fix a computer.
“Every other computer product out there requires specialists to visit your house or you have to send your computer somewhere, so we came up with the idea of putting a tech guy on the owners’ backs 24 hours a day,” said Brandon Wilson, interactive art director at Bernstein-Rein/Kansas City, which created the two-minute-and-nine-second film that was produced by Sparks Productions/Toronto.
The humorous film stars a scientist, who explains nerd buddies as “the future of computer technical support,” before one is delivered to a customer’s house in a packing box. Scenes of nerd buddies in action riding on the backs of customers follow, until the scientist realizes it would be better to separate the customer from customer support and connect them remotely … and DellConnect is born.
The film was shot in Toronto in February with JVC GY-HD110 HDV cameras, “which were perfect for this because it’s a smaller format camera that shoots 16 x 9 but 4 x 3 center cropped for the web. It gives you the opportunity to shoot in HD for a better look,” said the film’s director Mitchell Gabourie.
The key to the shoot was to build rigs so the actors playing the nerds could sit on the backs of the computer owners without harming them. “The FX house built two support rigs, one like a bicycle seat on a pogo stick and another larger rig with wheels for moving shots, allowing our actors to function normally and seamlessly with their nerd buddy fused to their backs,” Gabourie said. “We simply green screened the rigs and painted it out later.”
The scientist who stars in the film was found through a casting call. “We went through 170 to find the scientist,” Gabourie said. “We wanted someone who was pretentious but likable, with an Ivy League or British manner, like someone you might see in a BBC documentary.”
“Nerd Buddy” is Dell’s first attempt at viral film, Wilson said. “They’re a conservative company, they focus on products and benefits and this is new territory. Since it’s new, Dell gave us the freedom to be looser and we had fun with the entertainment value and did a softer sell than they’re used to,” he said. “It was a lot more abstract. You wouldn’t do it in traditional advertising. The web lets you drive deeper and tell a more involved story than a TV ad.”
The film plays at www.projectnerdbuddy.com, the site Bernstein-Rein created for DellConnect. It also runs at YouTube along with short 8 to 15 second clips that promote the film. The target audience is Dell computer owners, 18 to 35 years old.
Director Hans Emanuel Joins Caviar For Commercials and Music Videos
Production company Caviar has signed director Hans Emanuel for U.S. commercial and music video representation. The film and advertising director fuses his keen--and Berlinale Film Festival Award-winning--eye for cinematic storytelling with a commercial background across multiple genres including beauty, automotive, dance, and visual effects-heavy projects, to produce creative for clients like Kia, Nivea, Nissan, L’Oreal, BMW and more.
Caviar executive producer Salim El Arja noted, “Hans has a unique ability to blend stunning visuals with heart and humor, rooted in his confidence as a craftsman. This allows him to focus on drawing exceptional performances from actors--including celebrities--and crafting films that are not only visually striking but also deeply engaging and often hilariously comedic. His sensibilities align perfectly with Caviar’s vision, and we’re excited to collaborate with him on work that pushes creative boundaries.”
Emanuel added, “Caviar is a renowned name, certainly since I began my career. They have a solid reputation for quality work, and I’ve always respected them as a company. Life is about where destiny makes you flow with the people you need; thanks to a series of projects, I was introduced to Florence Jacob with Caviar Paris first, and the rest is history. I feel they can support my career growth with their comedic expertise and filmmaking prowess.”
Prior to joining Caviar, Emanuel had been repped by production house Stadium. He was born and raised in Santa Monica, Calif., to a Mexican-German mother, benefiting from a culturally diversified upbringing that carried through his education interests. Knowing he wanted to be a filmmaker from the start, he began his career in the luxury and beauty field,... Read More