Accommodating
a talented cast
with a light touch,
director Ron Lazzeretti
sets a stage
for the action
to flow naturally
STORY director Ron Lazzeretti uses real-life humor to show how GE Appliances is making life easier in a new series of spots out of FCB Chicago.
The campaign represents the first work by FCB since it was named agency of record for GE, which had been with BBDO, New York, since 1920.
A pair of spots — Shelfie and Sippy Cup — showcase the advantages of GE appliances through humorous family interactions. Drawing on real-life experiences, they achieve credibility through actors “who fit naturally into the roles,” according to Lazaretti.
“When the spot’s cast properly, I don’t have to be prescriptive with the actors,” he explains. “I simply create an atmosphere where they do what they do.”
SHELFIE
A woman poses for a “shelfie” in front of her high-capacity GE refrigerator.
SIPPY CUP
A man is chided by his wife for letting their daughter drink from a measuring cup.
Directing with a light touch enabled Lazzeretti to not only create a refreshingly honest, slice-of-life mood, but also to make way for “a little magic to happen.”
“Even working with a very young child, we got some great stuff,” he recalls. “There’s a moment near the end of the spot, where the dad throws his hands in the air and shrugs as if to say, ‘I don’t know,’ and the little girl spontaneously mimicked his action. It is as if she is saying, ‘Me neither.’ It was something that we couldn’t have planned, but the environment we created allowed it to happen.”
Credits
Titles: Shelfie, Sippy Cup
Client: GE Appliances
Agency: FCB, Chicago
Ecole Weinstein, EVP, Executive Creative Director
John Regan, VP, Creative Director
Tor Lemhag, VP, Creative Director
Chloe Lebamoff, Copywriter
Sarah Hollis, Art Director
Jennifer Neumann, SVP, Group Management Director
Kaya Much, VP, Management Director
Ally Khajenouri, Account Supervisor
Valerie Bonner, Producer.
Production: STORY.
Ron Lazzeretti, Director
Mark Androw, President/Executive Producer
Cliff Grant, Executive Producer
Peter Keenan, Producer
Steve Morrison, Editor
Send your campaign updates to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.