Directors active in features, TV, branded content and commercials often observe that experience in one discipline informs their work in another, a crossover dynamic which makes them better feature-length filmmakers, for example, for having done concise short-form fare.
However, Christopher Guest–who directs commercials and branded entertainment via production house GO–doesn’t subscribe to that notion. Guest, whose directing/writing feature filmography includes such gems as Waiting for Guffman, For Your Consideration, A Mighty Wind and Best in Show, also sports an extensive commercialmaking track record which dates back to the late 1990s. He made his first major ad splash back in 1998 when his offbeat comedic campaign (“Billiards,” “Bowling,” “Golf” and “Squash”) for the FOX Network’s coverage of National Hockey League games via Cliff Freeman and Partners, NY, won a Cannes Gold Lion, a Grand Clio, and an AICP Show honor for Advertising Excellence. He has directed select ad projects ever since, most recently for Ford Transit out of Team Detroit, an about to debut project for Bank of America via Hill Holliday, and a round of PetSmart commercials and shorts from GSD&M in Austin, Texas.
While he’s enjoyed his short-form endeavors, Guest doesn’t see them as somehow having honed his feature filmmaking chops. “I work the same way in commercials and branded content that I do in my films,” he noted, citing his penchant for taking an idea and leaving room for improvisation. “In a conventional commercial, the director gets and follows a script. In my way of working, the commercials have a basis for an idea and then we improvise to develop and realize that idea. Just as in my films, I cast the people who can do this kind of work. There’s an outline, points that have to be gotten across, but through improvisation comes the dialogue. Not every agency is willing to work in this manner, to take that leap of faith.”
But if the agency creatives are willing to commit to the promise of improvisation, they can realize considerable returns–both in terms of charming, authentic quality and at times some quantity. “I’ve done this a lot and in a day you can cut six, eight or 10 commercials from the material we get,” shared Guest.
Vetting process
GO managing director Gary Rose–who’s worked with Guest from his early spotmaking days at Moxie Pictures right through to the director’s current tenure at GO (which began in 2003)–said he’s become adept at vetting agency creatives to see if they indeed would be a good match for an improvisational approach. “I can tell on the phone if they are comfortable with what Christopher does and understand what he can bring to the work,” related Rose who found such a connection and commitment at GSD&M for the PetSmart campaign. He noted that GSD&M producer Monique Veillette had worked years back with Guest on ESPN’s “The Rick” campaign which starred Mike O’Malley. “She was with [ad agency] Ground Zero at the time and is experienced in Christopher’s work in free-flow improvisation,” said Rose. “The trust was there that we could deliver for PetSmart.”
PetSmart’s “Partners in Pethood” campaign spans spots and shorts, including an anthem piece featuring Anna Faris hosting a dog birthday party replete with canine party hats, a bone-shaped cake, costumed puppy photo albums and overwrought pet-rearing discussions in which human parents engage in one-upmanship as they extol the virtues of their respective doggies. Some of the ad work debuted during the Academy Award telecast, including a spot in which a timid set of first-time pet parents cautiously dote on their two adopted puppies, at which point an uninvited brazen mother-in-law, portrayed by Jennifer Coolidge, crashes the proceedings. She climbs in through a house window to meddle in how to best raise the pups.
Guest brought cinematographer Kristian Kachikis on board to shoot the PetSmart campaign.
“Sometimes I work with DP Roberto Schaefer [ASC. AIC] who does my features; sometimes other people if he’s not available. Kris is someone I’ve worked with. We did some other spots this past year. I need a cinematographer who can adapt to working the way I do with improvisation. The work is virtually all hand held. There are other issues in terms of panning and adjusting. There’s no script so you have to react to what’s being said and figure out when and where to move the camera. Kris gets it.”
Saturday Night Live alum Guest has directed over 100 commercials and garnered more than 40 awards, including multiple Cannes Gold Lions, The Grand Prix Clio, and D&AD Awards. His “mockumentary” style of comedy–famously displayed in This is Spinal Tap which he wrote with Rob Reiner, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer–has been applied to such brands as DirecTV, FOX Sports, Nike and Ford.
Additionally, recent work for PetSmart and Ford offer real, extemporaneous funny moments.
As for what’s next, another round of PetSmart could be in the offing and Guest is developing a feature film.
Rose noted that Guest’s style and approach have translated successfully to spots and branded content–and that the latter, offering more time than the standard :30, has enabled the director to mine even more of the potential in improvisation. Rose recalled that Guest had a unique take on commercialmaking when he first pitched the director about possibly diversifying into the ad arena back in the late 1990s. “I don’t remember how that meeting came about,” said Rose. “But I do recall at lunch talking about commercials and long form. Chris said that 30 seconds is the perfect amount of time to tell a joke–and quipped that taking 90 minutes for a joke was a bad idea.”
