Academy's Si & Ad Are Robinsons' 'Pals'

Academy's Si & Ad Are Robinsons' 'Pals'

A refreshing glug of fruit squash is a pretty ubiquitous childhood sense-memory for most Brits, so it's unsurprising that the latest work from BBH for Britvic brand Robinsons involves a couple of boys quaffing their fill. Launched during ITV's Britain's Got Talent on Saturday night, 'Pals' sees a pair of lads larking around kicking a football around the park, throwing stones into a river and having 'sword' fights with twigs, and ends with a heart-warming twist that will leave a lump in the throat.

The spot is directed by Academy Films' dynamic duo Si & Ad, a pair perhaps most famous for their work on Match.com. Following in the feel-good narrative footsteps of their glorious 'Post-It Love' short, as well as the charming 'Harvey & Rabbit' for Thinkbox, 'Pals' yet again showcases the twosome's talent for tugging at the heartstrings in a remarkably short space of time.

We caught a moment with both of them to discuss the shoot, the directing of kids and how being BFFs helps in putting it up on screen.

How did you get involved with the Robinsons project?

We had a few scripts that came in after Christmas and we are concentrating much more on narrative and performance right now and this project seemed perfect. Getting performances from kids can be tricky but we felt confident following our short film which features two kids of a similar age.

How much say did you have in what the two boys got up to? Were there any improvisations?

The guys over at BBH are very collaborative and everyone was very excited about the script and therefore everyone wanted to make it the best film it could be. Due to that it evolved a lot between the treatment and the shoot. Yes there were improvisations to a point. It's often better to give kids less direction and simply guide them through a scene. That way you attain a performance which is genuine and honest.
 

How did you coax the performances from the boys? It's very naturalistic.

As above it was simply giving them sparing direction and allowing them to be very real. We also shot footage when the boys were not aware. We captured some great moments that way. We cast Callum and Tom because their natural characters were similar to that of what we needed. Callum has a wise head on his shoulders for a ten year old. Tom is slightly younger and less mature, therefore he was the perfect choice for the son.

The film has a twist of sorts at the end. Was it tough to hint at this throughout the spot without it looking a bit odd?

A lot of it is subjective. What do a father and son get up too? There were many discussions on how far we should push the clues throughout the spot. It was simply a case of having as many hints as possible but keeping them to a subtle level, that isn't too obvious on first viewing. It's definitely a film that takes a few views to spot everything.
 

This isn't the first spot you've made showcasing best buddies – 'Harvey & Rabbit' being one of the most endearing couples to have graced our screens in recent years. Do you reckon being a directing duo marks you out for buddy pieces?

Robinsons was actually much easier than the Harvey & Rabbit film for Thinkbox. Harvey has a bit of an ego to contend with and the Rabbit was a tricky number, it being his first film and all. Maybe it is a factor, we are best mates doing a job we love so maybe it does come into it. Well spotted. Cue lots of buddy scripts!

Your work has incorporated sensitive narrative, crazy comedy and clever visual tricks. Is there an avenue of filmmaking you haven't yet explored that you'd like to?

Many, we are very focused on the story telling of films right now and working on getting the best performances possible. There are many directions of film we would still like to develop in. It's always a learning curve and we want to embrace as many different routes as possible.
 

The ad debuted during the Britain's Got Talent. How does it feel to know that the nation's families are watching your work?

Nerve racking, our families are our hardest critics.

What's up next for you guys?

It's a good time actually. We are pitching on a couple of exciting commercials at the moment as well as plugging our latest short film and trying to hopefully make a move into features one day soon. Our short has been shown in nine international festivals since the start of the year, picking up prizes at four of them so we're super happy people are seeing and liking what they see. If you're interested check out www.indoorfilm.com.

Posted on 8th May 2013