Loosening Up 'Mr. Tight Ass' in Cheeky Getty Museum Film

Hypes 'Art & Science Collide'

The third edition of the Getty Museum and Foundation’s PST ART exhibition (formerly known as “Pacific Standard Time”) is in full swing, with hundreds of events occurring across Southern California. United by the theme “Art & Science Collide,” this massive undertaking seeks to to get people talking about urgent issues of our time—everything from climate change to the future of AI.

Play

All serious topics, but BBDO L.A. and Getty take a delightfully humorous approach in promoting PST ART in “The Tale of Mr. Tight Ass.” Directed by Andreas Nilsson, who is repped by Biscuit Filmworks, the film focuses on a stressed-out man whose tension results in clenched butt cheeks. And, honestly, is there anyone among us who isn’t walking around like this given the tenor of the times?

Thankfully, he finds relief in art, which elevates both our mental and physical health. And science proves it—a point cleverly made in this film and throughout a larger campaign that features online video, out-of-home and digital placements as well as audio, print and social activations.

Here, Ash Tavassoli, executive creative director at BBDO, discusses the thinking behind the campaign:

MUSE: The art world can take itself a bit too seriously at times. So, I absolutely love that you took a humorous approach with this film. Can you tell me about the thinking behind it, and why you and the client weren’t afraid to be funny?

Ash Tavassoli: Creating and experiencing art are completely different. The latter is fun and inviting for everyone. That’s why the work eventually landed on keeping it light. Did we have some nervous sweats along the way? Absolutely! But once we saw the first test of the clenched butt, everyone laughed. That’s when we knew we were heading in the right direction.

You clearly found the right director. Did the fact that he is also an artist factor into your decision to hire Andreas Nilsson?

Absolutely. It almost felt like the film was written for Andreas. He really became the project, obsessing over every last second. He reminded us that we’re not selling soda pop. It’s art. It should be fun. Getting a young audience into museums means something to him.

As funny as this ad is, the production design—the overall production value—is high. Why was it important to invest in the look of this spot?

If we wanted people to take Mr. Tight Ass seriously, the footage had to take itself seriously. There’s a world where his film goes over-the-top and cartoonish. That didn’t feel right. Everything in the film needed to be elevated in order for it to feel real.

Who plays the lead, and what was the casting process like?

Indian-born Homer Todiwala is the star, and he put on a master class in range. It’s hard to cast for someone who’s meant to be miserable and likable all at once. We met a lot of miserable actors along the way, but only Homer could really make us smile.

You worked with Framestore on the the clenching butts and the butts that blow up and wiggle. How did you achieved these effects? Did you create anything for real on the shoot?

In order to maintain some semblance of reality, most of the effects were done as practically as possible. That meant some dude was hand-pumping the butts, while our lead was using a string to clench. Framestore was a great partner and massaged all of that out—our shoestring budget led us to use an actual shoestring.

What was the one thing you had to get right to make this film work?

Tone. This couldn’t be silly or over-the-top. You had to feel for Mr. Tight Ass and what he was going through. You had to see yourself in him. The moment he becomes a cartoon, this becomes a forgettable skit.