Since its unveiling at the 1939 World’s Fair, it has been the most sacred piece of technology in the world… I’m talking about the television. Every screened device is a modification of the TV, getting perpetually smarter and smarter. As we showcase the latest innovation on this hallowed ground, a couple key things stand out to me…
Firstly, this is a subtextual extension of a successful Samsung campaign, which pits the venerable brand as the common sense alternative to the Apples of the world. We not only have the opportunity to expand that conversation to Smart TVs in a cool way, but elevate it with an extra dose of slice-of-life humor.
Secondly, the comedy makes these tutorials approachable. They are philosophical adventures in normcore; a curated collection of relatable moments that humanize features through great comedic performances.
And that’s what I love most about these. They’re designed to inform through comedy, ostensibly finding a backdoor to educate about cool new features by entertaining first. I like to call this particularly special batch: “edu-tainment.”
CASTING
Samsung has an uncanny knack for finding TV comedy caliber funny actors, but who feel so real you could legit bump into that character on your way to work. And that’s exactly what we need here. We are giving a cross section of the general public. Characters from all walks of life; all ages, shapes, sizes. Everyone in this world is fiercely likable, real, and read-the-phonebook funny. They’re the heightened version of everyday people and easy to relate to.
Say what you will about LA, but I strongly believe shooting in New York gives us access to the best talent pool in the world. Even focusing on non-union talent will work in our favor. Non-union actors are more accessible here. They look and feel more like everyday people, but many are at the top of their game because they need to be to survive.
CHARACTERS
With 25 principal talent to cast for 11 total clips, we have to create real relationships in a short period of time.
“BABY INTERFERENCE”
DAD, late 20s to early 30s. This is the consummate man’s man. He’s a roguish, athletic type. Masculine. There will be facial hair, but it will be earned more than ironic. You get the impression he works with his hands or does some kind of job where strength is a virtue. Until you put a baby in his hands. This newborn will be handled with the lightest of touches. You can tell this guy is a huge sports fan, but he clearly loves the baby more.
“CANCEL BAND PRACTICE”
DAD, late 40s to early 50s. Rather than being stodgy, this dad actually likes garage rock. He is less offended by the noise than what’s making it. If these guys were trying to be the next Ramones, he’d be stoked. They sound more like the next Duran Duran. He was suspicious when he asked a friend of his son what instrument he played, and the kid answered, “My laptop.” Still, he’s a fair man. He’s not cutting them off to be mean. He’s cutting them off because they agreed to finish practice before NCIS: NEW ORLEANS was on.
SON, late teens. He begged his parents for an electric guitar. They bought it for him. He does not know how to play, but he does know how to look cool wearing it. He is 100% certain this band is going to make it.
SON’S BANDMATE, late teens. He’s a DJ, focused on banging out sick beats on his laptop. If he hadn’t insulted Led Zeppelin the first time Dad met him, their band would have more time to practice. This kid is a mish-mash of trends and styles. He’s too much.
THE SPOTS
As requested, we selected three highlights to give you a sense of our approach. Also, please note that none of this is gospel – just very much enjoying the freedom to play in the comedy space these scripts afford us.
“INDECISIVE LIFE”
The name of the game for many of these is leaning into the archetypes. I’m a big fan of this one, not only because the conceit of the character arcs are so clear, but the composition is dynamic in its use of time passage as a device. It’s almost like a montage from 500 Days of Summer in terms of tone…
We open on the wife getting ready for a big night on the town. She’s wearing her “special occasion” earrings, so you know she’s excited about whatever the night has in store. We’re utilizing every pixel of the frame: a wide shot with both of them; our wife in the foreground, husband in the background (Note: this puts her in the foreground for us to read her reaction clearly). You can tell by her look that she works hard, and deserves a night out! Too bad her hubby isn’t as outgoing. Her question carries weight, while his answer seems more like a fizzle. WIFE: Where should we go tonight? Without effort or hesitation, HUSBAND: I don’t know. She blinks like “really?” Then, we jump ahead to a massive milestone. She’s pregnant, visibly far along. “CONGRATS!” cards pepper the refrigerator, as well as a WIP invite to a baby shower. WIFE: What do you want to name her? The husband spoons up a bowl of cereal, completely aloof…HUSBAND: I don’t know. She deflates. Another pivotal moment ruined by complacency – an unfortunately common symptom of being comfortable in a long term relationship. Finally, by act three, the wife has devised a failsafe plan to break the husband’s habit of half-listening and make him be present. Baby toys are strewn about the living room – they’re tiptoeing as if to suggest they just put the baby down. They cuddle up on the sofa. WIFE: What do you want to watch? She knowingly switches on the Universal Guide. All of their favorites appear on screen. Taking the bait, hook, line and sinker, the husband predictably perks up for the first time. HUSBAND: Oooooo! The wife grins from ear to ear as she bogarts the remote from the husband. A bold super fills the frame: TOO EASY.
LOGO LOCKUP: Samsung QLED TV
SUPER: See Nothing Else
ALT: Super Smart. Really easy to use.
LOGO: Samsung
“CORRAL THE KIDS”
This bite-sized tutorial shows what kind of fun we can have by simply scaling down to one potent moment.
We open on our Mom – cooked – sauntering into her living room. She swipes a mound of toys off the couch, clearing an area for her to flop down on. Three kids wearing various superhero cosplay outfits streak through the foreground. From the looks of things, Mom drew the shortest straw and ended up with nephew babysitter duty. And so, her usual routine of caring for one kid has tripled in intensity. Three kids sound like ten when their cousins come over!
She no-look reaches into a pile of figures to fish out the One Remote. A sudden twinkle appears in her eye like when a Jedi uses the force to draw a lightsaber. With the gravity of “Open Sesame” she utters: MOM: Play Mickey Mouse.
The TV instantly obliges, jumping right into the MICKEY AND THE ROADSTER RACERS opening sequence that sends an immediate hush over the house. The kids line up like well-trained soldiers being called to attention. We now have a clear view of the found objects superhero outfits their sporting – capes made of pillow cases, shields made of pyrex lids, swords made of empty paper towel rolls – they are pretty creative. Mom smiles, pleased with herself, as she grabs a colander off her entranced son’s head en route to the kitchen.
SUPER: TOO EASY
VO: Search for movies and shows with just your voice.
LOGO LOCKUP: Samsung QLED TV
ALT: Super Smart. Really Easy to Use.
LOGO: Samsung
SUPER: See nothing else.
“DAUGHTER’S BOYFRIEND”
What’s more empowering than blowing up your daughter’s date? Using state of the art tech to do it!!!
We open on Mom and Dad cozying up, enjoying a pivotal moment in their favorite show (maybe it’s even a romantic moment, foreshadowing what’s to come). Suddenly, the motion sensor interrupts to notify them of an unexpected visitor.
The feed cuts from the romance on their show to the live romance (horror to parents) on their front porch. Suddenly, we find ourselves witnessing the climactic finale of their junior high age daughter’s date. Their awkward tween body language says it all. You can practically feel the sweaty palms through the screen, the apex of an entire third period of note passing. The boy leans in for the kiss. Shuffling from the couch, Dad readies for battle, but Mom keeps him pinned down in the greatest Mom shutdown since the Mom in DIRTY DANCING – she has a better idea. She presents the One Remote. MOM: Bixby, turn on the front porch lights.
Suddenly, the front porch lights fire up, illuminating the house like a stadium. The boy recoils, all courage vanquished by the bright lights, caught! The daughter glares right into the camera, shooting daggers at the unwanted visitors.
Dad fist bumps Mom in appreciation. He rests his head on the pillow. She cuddles up on his chest – probably getting nostalgic in this little moment. They return to their program.
SUPER: TOO EASY
VO: Control the lights and other SmartThings with Bixby and Samsung Smart TV.
LOGO LOCKUP: Samsung QLED TV
ALT: Super Smart. Really Easy to Use.
LOGO: Samsung
TONE
“Too Easy” shows us what happens when we stop working for our TVs and our TVs start working for us. Some can recall a time when we had to physically get up to switch the dial. “Too Easy” shows us that we can go full Tony Stark and command our TV by voice. The future is here.
What I love about Samsung ads are how they show off what makes their product superior in a completely grounded way, demonstrated features through practical yet funny situations. These scenarios are undeniably rooted in the reality of our digital age. The “Ingenius” S9 series campaign you referenced is ideal for the sheer volume of features highlighted in :30 second comedy vignettes. The humor was palpable, but the moment was accessible. That is a perfect template for this campaign. We will follow the same formula: Well cast + well directed + well designed = successful Samsung spots.
SHOOTING FOR THE COMEDY
Each shot will be carefully curated to philosophically reflect the comedic dynamism of these scripts. We’ll honor the infallible maxim: “comedy is funnier in wides,” by using strategic time signatures to cut wide and best sell the jokes. True to life, characters pass through the frame in the scene. They are not sitting on a sofa, watching TV. They are active, moving in and out of the frame, wandering through their homes with too many things to do and not enough time to do them. The last thing they need to do is fumble with a cumbersome remote.
Again, the camera movement will rove to capture performance. Staying wide makes it easier to see everyone. It will also make the jokes land better.
TOO EASY SUPERS
We’ll polish these moments off with a formidable finale: a large, well-timed “TOO EASY” super that fills the frame. This stylized approach lends itself beautifully to the esoteric, left-of-center comedic slant that makes these pieces unique. We’ll use the device’s repetition to our advantage. Our viewers will feel compelled to watch multiple tutorials, so the fun becomes not what to expect, but when to expect it. It’s the perfect cap to our breakneck, whip-smart stories.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
The locations, interior and exterior, are as specific as the characters we cast. We have over a dozen sets to design. These sets are going to give us clues to their relationship. Set design conveys their lives beyond the 15 seconds we spend with them, and we intend to use every bit of that real estate. We’ll sprinkle in Easter eggs throughout that help build our characters and expand the narrative. These are going to feel like real, lived-in homes. For instance, “Corral the Kids” will look like a living room that’s been torn apart by pre-pubescent boys engaged in an epic playtime duel. “Baby Interference” will look like a nursery that is perfectly stocked, but the combination of new baby and the comfort of hanging out in the living room makes the nursery almost pristine. “Cancel Band Practice” needs to take place in a real garage. They could even rest an amp on the hood of a car (the Dad who cancels band practice!) parked alongside them.
We will have to location scout well-to-do, old school districts like Montclair, Cobble Hill and Westchester in New York. You know, the place Manhattanites move to after they have children? The game plan is to get two big houses to save us from the time suck of a company move. Art department will dress the locations in a manner that would suggest they belong to a dozen different families as we piggyback from set to set. No living room is the exact same. A person’s decor reveals much about their personality. Each room will look as though we simply showed up at an actual character’s home and immediately rolled camera in their living room. Here’s an example of what we did on a much smaller scale in one day in one house by dressing different rooms: MLB SHOP
PRODUCTION
We’ll use some of our most trusted high-level department heads based locally in New York to keep travel to a minimum.
Once we roll cameras, we must be cognizant to maximize every minute we have. By installing our alpha team, I assure you we won’t be worrying about intricate lighting schemes or something that need not be there. Our time with talent will be dedicated to performance and nailing the lines in the script. We can focus on getting the performance right rather than just getting the performance.
SOUND DESIGN & MUSIC
They say sound is 50% of picture. You can bet we’ll be looking to opportunities to enhance the comedy with crisp foley to bring our gags to life. Opposite the spectacle stuff, we’ll use sound design to counter the excitement with a bed of delightfully mundane moments – the “calm before the storm” if you will. We’ll hear the boys yelling and screaming as they fight until their cartoons switch on. Then, they immediately stop what they’re doing and gaze up to this miracle portal to a fantasy world that is the Samsung QLED Smart TV. Sounds should feel true to life, but ever so heightened as they are often the reveal. The noise of a garage band practicing with the amps turned up to 11 and how it sounds when they’re abruptly cut off. The rustling of candy bar wrappers amid still wrapped mini-candy bars in one of those plastic jack-o-lantern candy buckets for Dad’s Halloween trick. The fussing of a baby. Sound design is vital to all of these.
The music feels fairly consistent with the Samsung brand. We hear the same archpiano and string-based theme in all Samsung spots. It’s a subtle, common sense tune that rests beneath all of the films.
TOO EASY
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. But seriously, the scripts are great and the concept is clear. With some thoughtful execution and a killer cast, we’re setting ourselves up for success.
– Vincenzo Delpiano
Patrick McConville 