ROASTIVUS
A Director’s Treatment by Michael Martin
Howdy!
I have to apologize. I'm the weirdo who puts Christmas music on by November 1st every year. It's unacceptable, and I know that. My tree is up for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm watching "Home Alone" as I type this to get me in the headspace to write this deck. I'm a Christmas Guy, and it's annoying—but it makes me so excited to make this commercials.
This photo was taken in my apartment on November 13th, 2018. We don't mess around.
An ornament that insults you is a fantastic idea, and I can't wait to make these videos. These scripts are a great batch of spots, and I'm flattered to have the chance to pitch them to the Wendy's and VML teams.
APPROACH(es)
I know we are moving quickly. We've got a few scripts floating around. Depending on which script gets approved, we should approach these spots differently. Regardless of the approved script content, I didn't want to give you a cookie-cutter treatment, so I wrote multiple approaches. The following section briefly outlines each. I want to give the lion's share of my focus to the actors' performance and variety of reactions. The ornament's lines will be ADR in post, so let's get as many versions and responses as possible on set. I want the edit to be an embarrassment of riches of takes and options. The funniest version of a gag might happen in the moment, and I want to make the time to capture it.
THE HALLMARK APPROACH
For the scripts with VO or Santa, we play it straight as a Hallmark-style movie. (Sidebar: I wish we could get Anthony Hopkins for VO) The jokes hit so hard when these versions' visuals are heartfelt, sweet, and genuine. Then, they get swerved by a shit-talking sandwich without deviating from the fantasy world of a Hallmark movie—perfection.
I want to keep everything else in the "Hallmark" world besides the performances. This makes things much more absurd. The lighting, the costumes, the music, and the visual aesthetic should all be Hallmark™. A woman in a half-zip puffer vest and ear muffs getting dunked on by a chicken sandwich ornament is just too good.
THE DOCU-STyle APPROACH
The other scripts would benefit from taking place in "the real world." A classic docu-style approach lends itself well to an ornament coming to life, insulting its owner, and then that owner giving a realistic response. I'm a big fan of this style when it's called for, and a few of these scripts are screaming for a little camera-zoom-punch-line-punch-up. It's not full-on Jim-face from The Office, but a nice tasteful camera bump on the funny bits.
Execution
I'd like to introduce you to our DP, Daniel Christopher. Daniel is my go-to image maker for comedy. We've worked in the trenches on several comedy spots, and when I need to focus on performance, there is no one I'd rather have watching the monitors. Daniel can handle Hallmark or Doc-Style in his sleep. He is an insanely talented eye and a creative collaborator to me, and I think he fits this project perfectly.
The Ornament
The ornament needs to be treated like a fully developed character. It has thoughts, feelings, insults, reactions, responses, favorite songs, icks, and a dating history. Grounding a character like this really gives us a lot of room to play on set and in the recording booth.
Performance isn't limited to human talent. The ornament itself can be played in a variety of ways, and I'd like to give us some options for the edit. Maybe it's perfectly still, stoic, and mighty? Maybe it bounces when it speaks like a puppet on a string? Maybe it just spins freely? Let's explore these on set!
These videos are purpose-built for social content, I would love to shoot them vertically. This is the "native language" for social videos, and it removes the need to compromise the way performances are captured. If we need a widescreen version, I would still prioritize a vertical frame as the main focus.
Cast
The comedy comes directly from the lines delivered off-screen—a huge advantage for us. Our talent on screen just needs to react and play it straight. We should cast folks with acting chops who understand comedic timing and bonus points if they can improvise with me on set. I want to be able to give a variety of actions and responses.
That brings us to the star of the show. The ornament is the comedic driver, and its irreverent voice is paramount. The ornament is roasting these rubes. We don't want to make people cry, but it should sting. It needs to be funny without being completely rude. This is a delicate balance, and Wendy's is the paragon of such roasts.
Photography
This is Travis Carroll. Travis is your new favorite photographer. These days, I include Travis on almost every pitch. He is an absolute wizard at making the most of our time on set. His skills in finding the right way to shoot alongside motion production are second only to his talents with the camera. There will be times during every shoot that I say to Travis, "When did you even shoot this!?" I can't wait for you to meet him and experience the passion and energy he brings to our set.
Selected Photos ↓
Post Production
Because the ornament's lines are delivered as ADR, we can come up with options until a project manager tells us we have to stop. I'm all for coming up with bits until it's time to quit. Furthermore, I'd love to be as involved as you'll allow for the recording of the ornament character. I love writing lines with the creative teams, and I'll stick around as long as you'll have me.
Check these other spots I directed for Papa Johns and Dominos. In both spots, I was a co-writer with the creative teams. I love working collaboratively, and pitching jokes is my favorite thing to do on commercials.
Moonshot
Budgets and timelines are real, but I like to include a moonshot in my treatments. Even if it's completely impossible, it's a great way to keep creativity alive once we have real-world adult nonsense like budgets and schedules to keep in mind.
In my mind, there is one singular person to voice our ornament. Billy Eichner was born to roast these Christmas clowns to a crisp. Also, the PR headlines would write themselves. "Billy on the... Tree? Watch this Grandma get absolutely dumpstered by a Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich. (Hilarious! Try not to Laugh Challenge)"
It might not be possible. It might not be in the budget. But damn it, how cool would that be. Also, Anthony Hopkins is narrator—because The Grinch.
Thank You
Christmas, Wendy's, insulting people face-to-patty, A Friar's Club Chicken Sandwich Ornament—straight bangers all around. I really can't wait to get started. I love absurd comedy, and it's fun to bring such an iconic little idea to life. Please save me one of these ornaments for my tree.
