Google Chrome - Behind The Scenes
17th December 09
Posted in creativity
We’re super proud of the new work we’ve just created for Google in Europe, for the Chrome browser. If you haven’t seen it, take a look below. Hope you enjoy it.
We took Google’s ingenuity & innovation as inspiration in developing the idea for seven short films (& an intro), demonstrating the benefits of Google Chrome. Every creation is built by hand, filmed in camera, with no special effects added. Even the music where Jacqui, the harpist, is playing is live on set. As it should always be with Google, the product is the hero. We celebrate the Chrome product, but we hope in a “Googley” way.
The films work as a longer single film of around 4 minutes, where the 8 films are merged together. We’ve designed annotations into the experience on YouTube; these are effectively hyperlinks to other films embedded into the film itself - like roll-over hotspots with links behind them. We hope this makes YouTube even more interactive. The transition device between films (the ‘notice board’) is based on annotations.
The project was especially fun from a collaboration point of view. BBH New York, BBH London & the team at Glue London worked super closely together with the Google team on the development of the strategy, creative and media. The Director was Aaron Duffy and the production company were 1st Avenue Machine in New York.
Here’s a peek into the production process where you can see a little of the intensity and excitement that results when you gather a bunch of geeks, designers, artists and a harpist together in a small studio. The knitted props were actually knitted by the Director, pretty much there and then.
A lot of people worked very hard during an intense but awesome process. The Google clients (based in London) were very much part of our team too. It was fun. I hope that shows.
Here are a few photographs we took on set.
24 comments on “Google Chrome - Behind The Scenes”
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Ben Malbon
Congrats to you and the team, Ben. Truly great work and worthy of celebration.
Thanks Conrad. It was seriously good fun, as well as being more than a touch intense at times. And occasionally surreal.
[...] BBH Labs « Jane Jacobs e as [...]
[...] Google Chrome – Behind The Scenes « BBH Labs. [...]
[...] was Aaron Duffy and the production company were 1st Avenue Machine in New York. Here’s the BBH Labs post on this effort. AKPC_IDS += [...]
Well done. The video really gifts Chrome a softer more artistic feeling, which for a monolith brand like Google, isn’t easy. Also, hope to see more behind the scenes footage like this. As a person who doesn’t work on the “creative” side of this business these kinds of things fascinate me. (Would make for a great Discovery channel show)
Len
Thanks Len. Watch out for the exhibition we’re trying to put on in NY in January 2010.
[...] http://bbh-labs.com/google-chrome-behind-the-scenes Share: [...]
Super cool Ben. Congrats! I think as a by product, you might even get requests to download this harp music.
Wonderful work! The in-camera efx was a fantastic approach to capture the beauty & functionality of the chrome browser. Not 2 mention adds a bit of artistic integrity 2 the google brand. Well done!
Love these spots. Been passing them around the agency as an example of something that is beautiful, fresh, original, and simple all at the same time. Plus the artful expression of a digital capability is a reminder that pixels alone aren’t always enough to rivet our attention. We need something more.
great ad’s… lovely fresh style and very original. V impressed.
These spots are awesome. And one of the best parts is…it’s simply a product demo.
It all comes down to execution, and the simple power of a great creative idea of how to do it.
Great work, guys.
[...] the BBH labs site: "We took Google’s ingenuity & innovation as inspiration in developing the idea for [...]
This is awesome! Congrats!
Thanks! Glad you like them.
[...] Ben Malbon: Thanks! Glad you like them. [...]
[...] BBHLabs. Filed under: Offbeat — Tags: ad, browser, commercial, google, google chrome, technology, [...]
[...] video and story of the making of new Google Chrome spots from BBH. Ben Malbon opens the video and you can find more on the BBH blog. (Linked above) These [...]
Well Done Team! A wonderfully creative project, truly inspiring to see.
[...] Xcentric, an organisation that promotes experimental cinema in Barcelona, remind me a lot of the BBH Labs-Glue London collaborative work for Google Chrome in Europe. Both feature a short set of films that are very visual and arresting. [...]
These vignettes are an excellent example of tangible trend.
Can you put a name to the first speaker in the making-of for me?
I think I’ve got it. It’s Ben Malbon, that’s you, am I right?
Correct. Yes. B