Capturing Life for Blind People with Google Pixel’s Super Bowl Ad

Google’s latest spot for the Google Pixel 8 phone shows how a blind man can capture life’s moments - big and small - using its AI-powered Guided Frame feature. ‘Javier in Frame’ tells the story of the titular character through a series of selfies - he gets a new pet, meets his partner and eventually has a child - all narrated simply by the Google Pixel’s voice assistant.

Directed by blind filmmaker Adam Morse (via Smuggler) and created by GUT, the artificial voice in the film tells Javier he has ‘one face in frame’, ‘two faces in frame’ and by the end, ‘three faces in frame’ - it’s a simple but heartwarming film that was bound to tease out some tears in households across the US when it aired during the CBS Super Bowl broadcast.

'Javier in Frame' highlights the brand's continued commitment to making a truly inclusive and accessible phone camera, messaging initiated in Google's 2023 Super Bowl spot 'Fixed on Pixel' and 2022's 'Seen on Pixel', which was GUT and Google’s first big game collaboration.

“The biggest takeaway from last time was the reinforcement that Google is at its best when we tell stories about how our products actually help people in their everyday life,” says Armando Samuels, group creative lead, devices and services marketing at Google. “We’ve been doing this for a while and GUT understands the value and power of that type of storytelling.”

Also speaking with LBB’s Ben Conway are GUT’s CCO Ricardo Casal and creative directors Alexander Allen and Jose Ramirez, who say that the new ‘Javier in Frame’ film shares similarities with 2022’s ‘Seen on Pixel’ campaign for Google’s Real Tone feature, continuing the brand’s campaign to be the most inclusive phone in the world. “We had to make sure we showed that AI features on the phone only matter if they serve a purpose - if they make a difference in people’s lives.”

“I think it really helps to understand these features; not just highlighting how they work but the intricacy and the details of how the user experienced them,” adds Armando, explaining that the film didn’t originally have the touching ending of Javier meeting his new-born son. “But then as the idea was being developed and we were playing with the feature,” he continues, “it allowed the team to elevate the concept and give it that emotional touch that took it over the edge.”

For both Google and GUT, the main challenge came from telling a love story through the POV of a blind person, all while ensuring the viewer could follow. “It was a risk we were taking, and we’re glad it paid off,” say the GUT creatives.

Challenged to rethink their usual approach, new creative techniques were deployed, including the DoP smearing Vaseline on the camera lens and asking for shots to be ‘more out of focus’ in post production. “It was kind of funny how counterintuitive, but also right it felt,” says Armando.

“Creating a Super Bowl commercial where 75% of the spot is blurry can be a risky leap for a brand to take, so having the ability to create prototypes got everybody a bit more comfortable with the idea and painted a better picture of what the outcome was going to be.”

Ricardo says that they also used audio to overcome this challenge, adding short lines of dialogue and bites of sound design that could guide the viewer before the clear selfie images even appeared on screen.

[Above: Director, Adam Morse]

The creatives also had to be mindful that their work needed to be as inclusive as possible, especially concerning the accurate representation of the blind and low vision community. So, working with a blind filmmaker, Adam Morse, and blind actor, Javier, was vital.

“This project has been special because of its attention to detail,” says Armando. “It's not just another ad; it's an experience where everyone involved – from Adam as a filmmaker to Javier as an actor, and people from the accessibility community – have had an impact and a voice to shape the story and challenge it, to ensure we tell a story that’s authentic, fair and respectfully represents those who experience blindness.” 

Noting that the blind POV portrayed in the film is, by no means, a catch-all for the spectrum of blindness that people can experience, Ricardo explains that Adam strongly guided and educated the creative team throughout the process, helping break misconceptions about the blind and low vision community. “He was very kind by sharing his experiences with the team, which were crucial in giving us a reference point on how the film’s protagonist sees the world.”

“We didn’t just lean on Adam’s input though,” he adds. “We also relied on Google’s profound relationship with the blind and low vision community.” 

Google is constantly asking its blind and low vision users and organisations for feedback, bringing on their perspective as early as possible when developing the Google Pixel’s accessibility features. Following suit, Alex and Jose say, “By getting feedback in early and asking for their opinions at every stage, we made sure this could feel as authentic as possible for the blind and low vision community.”

[Above: BTS shot of Javier]

This dedication to authentic representation couldn’t have come on a bigger stage either, with the spot being shown to the over 120 million fans who tuned into CBS’ broadcast of the big game.

With this, says Armando, comes a little bit of every emotion: “Pressure to get it right, to make sure that the blind and low vision community feels well represented, as well as pride for being part of a company that truly cares about making products for everyone.”

“Working on a Super Bowl ad is a big thing,” agrees Ricardo, “especially because it’s the day where everyone in the world is looking at what we do for a living: ads. There is a huge pride that comes with this and even more when you are working on a project so meaningful to the blind community.”

Alex and Jose add, “Having the Google Pixel team, Creative Lab, and GUT all on set, was an unbelievable experience because we were collaborating on this amazing story where humanity and technology come together. We were just really excited with each passing day, knowing that we were going to share this story with the world… Who knows if there will be more coming down the years, [but] this has been very rewarding and inspiring to work on.”