‘Larger than Life’ Ad Proves There’s a Perfect Home Out There for Everyone

Finding your dream home can prove to be a great challenge. Perceptions of the real estate industry vary greatly, depending on their experiences and the obstacles standing in the way of locating a suitable place to live. For their latest national ad campaign, the Canadian Real Estate Association wanted to redress preconceived notions of the real estate industry by championing REALTORS®. 

Collaborating with creative agency No Fixed Address and Revolver Films, the CREA ad tells the story of a family in search of their dream home. Tapping into what it really means for a house to become a home, the theme of this year’s campaign is “Together, we’ll make home happen.” 

Channelling this concept while zoning in on the target audience of first-time home buyers and sellers, the 30-second spot follows an exasperated family of four as they visit houses much too small to accommodate them. Struggling through their search, the family is saved from total hopelessness when they stumble across an experienced REALTOR® who finally finds somewhere that feels like the right fit. 

LBB’s April Summers chats to director, Pep Bosch, and No Fixed Address executive creative director, Stuart MacMillam to get Behind the Work and learn about how this humorous and heartwarming TVC was brought to life.

LBB> Where did the idea for this film come from? And how closely does the finished film represent the original idea? 

Stuart> The intention we set for the creative was to celebrate the strong, personal relationship between a REALTOR® and their client. In other words, to know a REALTOR® is to value a REALTOR®. This led us to the insight that every buyer or seller is unique, with unique needs, quirks and personality that inform how a REALTOR® helps find them the right home. From there, we focused on finding a simple story that Pep told in his uniquely charming way.

Pep> A giant family doesn’t find a place they fit in till they meet this sensitive REALTOR®. Simple and straight, it was already working, so all I had to do was balance the story and the drama to ensure the viewer would engage with it.

LBB> Pep, we’d love to know more about the filming process - how did you navigate directing this optical illusion?

Pep> I watched a few videos about films that use forced perspective, like The Lord of the Rings and Elf, and I realised that approach needed a shooting time we didn’t have, so we came up with the idea of creating reduced sets.

For the interiors we built smaller sets to make the family look bigger. Naobie, the production designer, did a great job finessing all those details to make everything look believable. Then, we did lots of maths with Sean at The Vanity, running lots of tests to better understand where the camera should be in order to help increase or decrease the size of a character later, in post. We also used some cardboard cutouts of the giant family and the smaller neighbours, to help with framing. Once all this was done, the filming was easy.

LBB> How did you ensure this film felt relevant to all audiences?

Pep> It’s a fantastic story – a fun metaphor about all those people who find it difficult to fit into pre-existing standards. We are all a bit like the family in this story, we just had to find the right giant family we could relate to. 

LBB> Despite the absurdly large size of the protagonists, the film portrays a very relatable struggle. How did the light hearted and humorous treatment facilitate this message?

Pep> The actors brought the right amount of humour to their characters which was essential for us to connect with the family struggle while still having fun. Before shooting we talked a bit about the family, the fact they never fit but are always trying, looking on the bright side, until one day they discover there is no need to pretend anymore, that they too deserve a life their size. I can’t think of a more positive message to relate to. 

LBB> What has the response to the film been? Any feedback you’d like to share with us?

Stuart> We’ve received an overwhelmingly positive response to the film from CREA and its members. Everything from the insight, to the strategy, to the creative articulation and execution has been appreciated. Members were impressed with how the value of the REALTOR® was demonstrated and how naturally it came to life in this larger-than-life perspective. The film has been in-market for just around two weeks, and we are excited to see how consumers respond to it as well.

LBB> What was your reaction to the final cut? Which shots are personal favourites for you?

Stuart> From the first to the final cut, we were in love with every shot. Pep had such a clear vision of how he wanted this to look from the beginning, so we already knew the lighting and crops would be magical, but it was really special to see that first cut. It was actually a technical shoot, with lots of plates and lens switches since almost everything was achieved in-camera with lo-fi rigs and studio builds, so seeing it all come together for the first time was special.

Graham at Nimiopere is one of the best storytellers in the business. He nailed the rhythm we needed right away. From there, it was just fine-tuning some of the little things and making sure subtle moments landed, like the couple holding hands when they first saw the final house. So many beautiful shots stand out for me (and a lot of great ones didn’t make the final cut), but personal favourites are seeing the family crowded in the bathroom (with the daughter on her phone), the gate opening at the beginning, the lighthouse wide and then a few of the reaction shots of the couple, like when they pass by the dog in his perfect little home.

Pep> I like the couple’s reaction to the dog that has a house too big while they cannot find any themselves.

LBB> Any other interesting insights you would like to add?

Stuart> Don’t try to play with scale unless someone really good at maths is involved!