Heartwarming Amazon Spot Sees One Family Celebrate an Unexpected Graduation

Looking at old photos has the unique ability to take us back to a particular moment in time, evoking memories and nostalgia in a visceral way. The powerful emotions that accompany such instances are explored in a touching new spot for Amazon’s Photos app, directed by Great Guns’ Duncan Christie. 

Entitled ‘Graduation’, the heartwarming film brings to life the notion of ‘memories delivered’, evoking not only what a treasured memory looks like, but what it feels like. The 15-second spot follows a boy preparing to celebrate the first graduation in the family. Whilst viewers are led to believe it will be him donning the graduation cap, it’s revealed that it is in fact his mother who they are celebrating. Later in his room, the son reflects on the occasion, asking Alexa to ‘show me mum’s graduation photos.’ 

Director Duncan Christie comments: “I saw Graduation as a flash forward. At the end we are seeing a glimpse into the character’s future, so I went for a more observational style, grounding it very much in the here and now. I didn’t want it to feel like a typical 15-second commercial which, in my view, can often feel rushed. I tried to keep the transitions between scenes as seamless as possible and kept refining the shot list to make the action really efficient.”

The shoot took place in Denmark, with Duncan directing on set alongside executive producer Kojo Abban. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the team had to work remotely with the agency and Great Gun USA’s executive producers in LA – whilst the client was based in Seattle. Working to accommodate time differences was thus vital. During pre-production, the team in Denmark completed casting and scouting during the day whilst speaking to the agency during evenings. The situation was reversed during the shoot, with days beginning at 10pm LA-time and continuing until the next morning. Despite such challenges, the team worked to make the shoot feel as traditional as possible, with Duncan also establishing a ‘zoom room’ to speak directly with the creatives and producers.