How Adam Morse brought his Super Bowl vision to life

What was the brief like from Google for this spot and how much creative freedom did you have? 

The brief from Google was to translate a blind point of view with as much authenticity as possible. They made the creative process extremely collaborative and gave me a lot of artist freedom to express the blind perspective and technically execute this POV in the way I felt was strongest. 

We applied petroleum jelly on the glass of the lens, used a diopter filter and shot soft focus.

What was your creative process like on set? Were there any tools or techniques that particularly helped you bring your ideas to life? 

I used a combination of three elements to create the blind effect on screen.  We applied petroleum jelly on the glass of the lens, used a diopter filter and shot soft focus.  These 3 elements in combination created a very organic and real feeling for us, after we tested the effects and saw it on screen for the first time. 

Working with blind talent is not very different from directing sighted talent, they are still memorising the same lines and choreography and I’m still using the same process to guide their performances.  

Why did you decide to use lenses to create this effect in camera, rather than having it edited in post production? 

It was essential for me that there was a real, practical, in-camera approach to how we created the blind perspective because this is the best way to evoke a visceral response from the viewer. 

The spot achieves a perfect balance of telling a heartfelt story whilst practically demonstrating the Google Pixel’s accessibility functions, how did you achieve this? 

Our intention was always to tell a character driven story, full of emotion and have the product be a key supporting character in the spot.  The Pixel being the biggest ally to our hero in our film. Taking a narrative approach for the making of this commercial was very natural to me, as this is my background as a filmmaker. The functionality of the guided frame feature and the heartfelt approach to the narrative go hand in hand with how we wanted to tell the story.

The innovation of the technology is empowering and I believe it will encourage the next generation of blind artists.

Do you think advancements in technology, such as the Google Pixel’s accessibility functions, will encourage an increase in differently-abled directors in the near future? 

Absolutely. The innovation of the technology is empowering and I believe it will encourage the next generation of blind artists to have the confidence and ability to go out and create their own work.

This was a brilliant opportunity to explain how blindness is a complicated spectrum and not every sight impaired person signals they are disabled with a walking stick or guide dog.  

Are there any differences in the casting and shooting process when working with a blind actor? 

No there aren’t. Working with blind talent is not very different from directing sighted talent, they are still memorising the same lines and choreography and I’m still using the same process to guide their performances.  

What were the highlights of your first Super Bowl spot?

The entire experience of making this was one big highlight and every day was incredibly exciting and we had such an excellent team collaborating on this. 

 The functionality of the guided frame feature and the heartfelt approach to the narrative go hand in hand.

This was a brilliant opportunity to explain how blindness is a complicated spectrum and not every sight impaired person signals they are disabled with a walking stick or guide dog.