In the world of box office results, director Jeff Tremaine ranks high—albeit for what some might regard as lowbrow humor. He has helmed four features—jackass: the movie, jackass number 2, jackass 3D, and Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa. Each debuted at the top of the box office totem pole and a well kept secret is that they have all generally been favorably reviewed by critics.
It all started with Tremaine turning out some skateboarding videos. “They were less about skateboarding and more like crazy lifestyle videos featuring pranks and crazy stuff,” said Tremaine who took the work to his childhood friend, filmmaker Spike Jonze. Tremaine, Jonze and extreme sports devotee Johnny Knoxville then teamed to, as Tremaine recalled, “make a TV show out of this nonsense,” The jackass series gained life and a strong following on MTV, setting the stage for a franchise that has been a resounding success with audiences.
Tremaine laughed that while Jonze has been a mentor, “I’m not trying to emulate him. He does sophisticated and smart things. I do the opposite. But there are parallels in that we work in different types of projects [features, TV, commercials, shorts, music videos]. And Spike has been a great asset to me as I develop my skills as a director.”
Those skills operate under the radar on more narrative fare not typically associated with Tremaine, including an ESPN 30 For 30 documentary, The Birth of Big Air, which delves into the life of Mat Hoffman, a BMX riding legend. Furthermore, Tremaine is working on a Motley Crue biopic.
The director’s filmography also spans music videos (for such artists as Turbonegro, Andrew WK, Weezer) and commercials (Nintendo, Orbit). On the latter front, a Bubblicious spot he directed for JWT Tokyo helped Tremaine earn inclusion in SHOOT’s 2006 New Directors Showcase.
Recently Tremaine upped his commercialmaking game with his highest profile gig to date, Bud Light’s “Epic Night” which debuted on this year’s Super Bowl, featuring a surprise evening of offbeat fun and adventure for an unsuspecting guy. Out of BBDO New York, “Epic Night” played to favorable response on TV and the longer online version has drawn not only additional eyeballs but more acclaim.
Reflecting on the biggest challenge of “Epic Night,” Tremaine said, “We did it ‘real.’ Our mark, Ian, had no idea he was being filmed and much less in a Super Bowl commercial. This was a huge, highly coordinated production; we had 58 cameras shooting in over 10 locations, and we had to figure out ways to hide all those cameras and leapfrog cameramen to stay ahead of Ian the whole time. Another challenge was directing the A-list talent [Don Cheadle, Arnold Schwarzenegger, et al], without ever seeing them, through earwigs and microphones. Ultimately, this was the effort of about 600 people against one guy, and to pull it off without a hiccup was truly a miracle.”
Focus group ruse
Casting Ian without him knowing was also a creative art unto itself. “We hired a casting company that casts not for actors but for people who sit in focus groups,” revealed Tremaine. “We asked a huge focus group a bunch of boring questions, observing people in order to find the one who would fit the bill of what we wanted for ‘Epic Night.’ Ian was that guy. He stood out as the unsuspecting guy who came out of a long session where we were boring people out of their minds with mundane questions. We had a good gauge on him as a person and felt he was someone our audience could relate to.”
The irony is that a focus group was the creative means to yield the right guy for a project that was way out of the box. Often focus groups are cited for killing creativity. In this case, a focus group helped facilitate an ambitious creative idea.
“Epic Night” also wound up serving as a trial balloon for Tremaine as he got an extended taste of working with HeLo, the production house behind the Super Bowl project. The experience was so favorable that he wound up signing with the shop for spots and branded content. Tremaine was first approached by HeLo EP Justin Moore-Lewy for a documentary on daredevil Evel Knievel. They continue to collaborate on that project while now exploring opportunities in the ad arena.
As for what’s next, Tremaine has directed an online campaign for MasterCraft Boats. He is also producing and directing a big stunt for Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards telecast, slated for March 29.
Tremaine’s creative chops extend to TV series beyond jackass. He created and executive produced over the years such series as MTV’s Wildboyz, Rob & Big, Nitro Circus, Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory and Ridiculousness, and Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim show Loiter Squad.
As a director, Tremaine said he’s attracted to ad content, particularly in comparison with feature filmmaking which can be a drawn-out process. “Commercials are very short term and exciting for a director. You get into it real deep, thick and fast. I love the speed and being able to see a finished product after a tight turnaround time. The challenge of telling a story in a short time-frame and collaborating closely with others can be very fulfilling.”
