Superfans Feel the Force with Google Pixel 2 in Uber Cool Star Wars Spot

Google releases its latest commercial to promote the Pixel 2 smartphone's AR stickers. Tapping into Star Wars ahead of the release of ‘Episode VIII: The Last Jedi’, the 60” spot by creative agency B-Reel, draws together real superfans against a beatbox re-record of the iconic trailer music, to create a fantasy world in reality.

As fans from around the world don their best movie regalia, their imagination comes to life as elements from the movie are not so far far away when they use their smartphones - from x-wing lawnmowers, to drones on the subway.

Beatboxer Verbal Ase, who features in the beginning of the commercial, performed the remix of the iconic track. To create the track, Google and B-Reel worked closely with Finger Music NY bringing Creative Director and Music Consultant, Dave Hodge, on set for the shoot.

Dave Hodge comments: “I always love working with directors on set when there’s a musician on screen. We started working with Verbal Ase early on, doing test rounds and proof of concept examples. He is actually rather well-known to anyone who commutes on the NYC subway! He’s always down there. If you had to describe him, he is like a mix between Rahzell and that guy from Police Academy - super talented. Cameron [Thompkins] our production manager did a great job capturing his sound in the studio and Ewa Miller was the brains behind pulling it all together.”

When it came to recording the track, Finger Music tell us they worked with Ase and Beastie Boys studio’s Chief Engineer Andre Kelman.

“It was essential that the melodies we used were recognisably Star Wars to make the characters really come to life. The task here was to re-record the famous trailer music, but inject the playfulness and human element of the characters in the spot. Because they are real super fans we didn’t want the track to be too slick and huge, we wanted it to have its own feel that would connect with the fans.”

The spot will air on Monday 11th December in cinemas nationwide in the US throughout the month of December. The spot will also air on all four networks and a number of cable channels through to the end of 2017