About that commercial I linked to the other day

The “Good Doctor” ad that I linked to yesterday has become something of a hit around our household (if you haven’t seen it already, then by all means click here). In fact, Renae and I watched it several times last night before getting caught up on Lost.

While trying to find out whether or not this was really an ad for BlueCross BlueShield, or if it one of those comp ads that agencies put together every so often, either as a joke or to show off their skills to potential clients (i.e. this Nutrigrain commercial). Turns out, the “Good Doctor” ad is a real commercial that’s part of series done for BlueCross BlueShield by Ebel Productions.

The commercial was directed by Bob Ebel. You can find two more spots from the series on his page (they’re the fifth and twelfth ones on the page). The second spot is especially good, if only for the little boy’s reaction at the very end.

What’s most amazing about these commercials is how naturally precocious the kids are. They don’t seem like they’re acting at all. They just act like kids being kids, who then go on to say the darndest things (you’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen the “Good Doctor” ad). And here’s why: Ebel uses hidden cameras to record the kids. By hiding the camera and using sets that look more like playrooms than stages, Ebel takes away anything that might be distracting. The kids feel less pressure about being on camera, and as a result, act much more naturally — with hilarious results.