Have you seen this Adrian Brody commercial for Jameson whiskey? Thank god I'm lazy! I was working on one Google Chrome tab, having forgotten to close another. Suddenly, I'm hearing Adrian share his thoughts with a librarian. I realized it was on the other tab, and clicked over, ready to close the page, but heard the conversation, and I was hooked.
Of course, I know it's just a script, but I loved the simplicity of the story. The simplicity felt real, which is what kept me watching. It was a small moment, which made it feel more powerful. Both characters listening to each other, and talking, thinking, contemplating, laughing, and flirting. They behaved honestly, and normally. And, I loved it! Just watching a couple people, was entertaining. There was a tension. Their was an attraction that kept me hooked too (I'm also a sucker for Before Sunrise and Before Sunset because of the romance and attraction. I could watch those movies every day. In fact, maybe I will watch Before Sunrise again).
I felt like I was watching an improv scene and the improvisers realized they didn't have to race to another location, or plant a bomb that would go off in 3 minutes. That would be some really manufactured tension. Instead, "what are these two characters going to do with their lives," was enough tension. Everything they needed for the scene was between the two of them.
I always hope to skip over Youtube commercials. As soon as those five seconds of pre-roll are over I'm skipping the Budweiser ad (I'll watch the Geico ads), but I stuck around and watched a 8 minute commercial. Bravo Jameson. You got me.
I was lucky to have forgotten to close my Youtube tab. Otherwise, I doubt I would have seen it. That reminds me of improv too. Improv is such an intimate, and impermanent art. Each scene is for small audience. You can record improv, but everyone agrees, "there's something missing," in the video. It's not the same. There's something special about being in the moment as improv happens. I felt like I was in the moment watching the Jameson commercial, feeling I was special that I didn't miss this film among all the other produced works. A rehearsed work that made me feel in the moment? That might sound ridiculous, but that's what happened in my head.
Enjoy!