Keshishian Goes Voyeur for SmartWater Campaign

Director Alek Keshishian of bicoastal/International production company Station Film has released his second viral for SmartWater through AR New York starring Jennifer Aniston, Jimmy Kimmel and Ryan Seacrest.
 


 

Second time around the electrolyte-enhanced brand re-teamed Keshishian and Team Aniston to create a compelling viral that comically posits celebrity counterfeit as real. 

 

Ryan Seacrest opens with breaking news that Jennifer Aniston’s home surveillance footage has been leaked online by an unknown source. Shocking revelations follow, such as Aniston’s secret pregnancy with triplets, her tendency to crash expensive cars plus a penchant for having statuesque delivery guys fill her swimming pool with SmartWater.
 

 

Late night TV host Jimmy Kimmel also amuses, waddling out in ashamedly attired swimming gear for boys, attesting to being Aniston’s long-hidden “secret” son – as is his silver alien brother who joins him poolside.
 


 

Perhaps the most surprising part of the viral is the final image where Aniston whispers “goodnight” to her “Rachel” persona in the bathroom mirror before removing her wig, revealing a mop of curly dark hair beneath – an image that takes Aniston’s bravery and self-parody to a whole new level
 


 

“We knew we needed to do something special to follow up last year’s success, and addressing all the tabloid rumours felt like a compelling and humorous idea,” explains Keshishian on the script he wrote.
 


 

“My instinct is to always create something that can surprise and amuse people, and because Aniston was brave enough to go for it I was especially careful to make sure she always felt part of the creative process. After all, this was her life we were poking fun at.”
 


 

A one-day shoot in Malibu secured enough footage to compile the viral. “We focused on the most prominent rumours out there, and took them to their most logically absurd conclusion,” adds Keshishian. “Sensational celebrity gossip is so ubiquitous, and addressing it in a humorous way felt like a perfect vehicle to get multiple views for SmartWater while creating a sense of empathy for both Aniston and the brand.”
 


 

The new viral is a playful, surprising and amusing focus on Aniston’s infamy as well as her fame, an authentic rendition of the inauthentic. It follows on from last year’s success for Keshishian, a campaign that played with prevalent images in successful virals that let consumers in on the joke. That work collected over 35,000,000 hits worldwide and became one of the most watched and innovative virals of 2011.
 


 

Both campaigns illustrate Keshishian’s ability to work comfortably with celebrities and garner surprising performances from people who are, in essence, the most guarded and cautious of people to work with.
 


 

“It’s that humour, the personality, getting out an essence of truth about a situation or a person, and seeing them in a way that you haven’t seen them before that always interests me,” continues Keshishian.  “This viral was about a fictional alter-ego existing, or there may be more intimate and truthful moments to find depending on what the job requires.”
 


 

Keshishian previous award-winning work includes commercial for the likes of Coca Cola, RoC, Max Factor, Tods, Brut by Faberge and Peugeot, along with photo campaigns featuring Natalie Portman, Madonna, Heather Graham, Darryl Hannah and Jean Reno.
 


 

“There is a sense of playfulness, intimacy and trust in the work that Alek creates,” says STATION partner/ exec producer Michael Di Girolamo. “Anyone from Madonna to Aniston can safely poke fun at their own celebrity, creating genuine and compelling humour for the brand.”
 

 

The bicoastal visual effects studio ArsenalFX teamed up with Keshishian on the spot. 

 

In order to make Aniston’s baby bump as believable as possible, two takes were blended together in postproduction. In the first take, she was in just her tank top, with a Velcro strap underneath. For the “belly reveal” moment, in the 2nd take, director Alek Keshishian faced Aniston’s back to the camera in roughly the same position, but when she turned around this time she was wearing a prosthetic belly.

 

The ArsenalFX team seamlessly blended the two takes, employing roto of Aniston in each frame and cleanup of the prosthetic belly and Aniston herself to craft a gossip-worthy take. Additionally, in the garage scene, Keshishian and the agency called for a “one of a kind” vehicle. The ArsenalFX team transformed the Mercedes filmed into a unique sports car, altering it with 3D taillights and cleanup of the badging.