A few years ago, goofy gags, exaggerated characters and wacky storyboards had Billy Kent’s name written all over them. Kent still directs comedic spots, but is now known for character-driven and reality-based fare.
"When I started out, I became good at slapstick. It got to the point where I could do it in my sleep," says Kent, who works out of Crash Films, Santa Monica. "Now it’s more about the people than it is about the gags and effects. I wanted to be challenged by doing subtler, dryer, more character-driven spots."
Kent’s new approach is on display in Infoseek’s "CIA" via Ingalls-Moranville Advertising, San Francisco, in which scary government agents try to strong-arm a frightened man who knows too much. As it turns out, the guy’s not a spy—he’s simply been using the right search engine. Other spots in the Infoseek package include "Aliens" and "Psychic Powers."
Kent recently directed a quirky five-spot campaign for Washington Apples via McCann-Erickson, Seattle. In the ads, a do-gooder on a motorbike delivers the fresh, crunchy fruit to grateful people in need of an energy boost. For instance, in "Hikers," two hikers are too weak to continue on their trail, until Apple Guy receives their exhaustion signal and brings them apples.
The Apple Guy brings to mind another of Kent’s more offbeat spots—IKEA’s "Shopping Cart Chair," also via McCann-Erickson, in which a demented, vaguely Teutonic man in hot pants demonstrates the various functions of his one-of-a-kind furniture purchase. Like the Apple Guy, the chair-lover casts himself as the dynamic hero of some private adventure; both are enthralled with themselves.
The Right Look
"To really succeed at comedy, people have to have an emotional attachment to what’s going on," says Kent. "I want to be able to pull the audience in and have them feel something."
The casting, Kent explains, is a significant part of getting the desired emotional response. "I spend a lot of time trying to find the right person. I believe that all projects live or die by the casting," he says. "Getting the right person to bring forth the core of the emotional idea—whether that’s a great actor or the face of somebody we can relate to—is essential."
The success of Kent’s Washington Apples campaign rested on the choice of the ideal Apple Guy. "The agency did a good thing to spend more money on real talent," Kent says. "Greg Pitts is an amazingly good actor; he is the Apple Guy. His personal sense of humor comes through to make the spots charming, not dopey and saccharine."
Kent says his favorite spot is "Office," which begins with Apple Guy aboard his scooter. After his radar detector indicates an emergency, there’s a cut to a busy office where one worker is nearly passed out under his desk. The Apple Guy zooms to the building, avoiding several near-death encounters on his way. He races up the elevator, delivers a set of twins, and arrives at the sleepy worker’s desk with an apple. The slacker takes one bite, perks right up, and heartily thanks the Apple Guy. The hero’s response: "My pleasure, worker bee!"
"The charm of the spot is brought out by the performances," Kent says. "The other spots are good and entertaining, but they don’t bring you into the people as much because they’ve got the effects and they’re more about the gags."
After the Apple spots, Kent says he took the month of January off
