In David Shane's sixty-second Esurance commercial It's Surprisingly Painless (2018), American actor Dennis Quaid speaks directly into the camera and addresses the audience, explicitly telling them, “This is a commercial about insurance” (Fig. 3.1). Quaid's self-reflexive performance as narrator– actor shifts between two standpoints as he continues speaking with the audience and (with various in-character performers) operating within numerous set designs. The camera follows Quaid throughout the narrative, panning along with him or centering him in the shot: this is his film. Evident throughout the commercial is a marketing strategy that depends upon an audience familiarity with Quaid's “nice guy” screen persona. One character even tells us, “I like Dennis Quaid.” The audience can trust the imagery and messaging.

The staging of this Esurance commercial is notably cinematic. There are ten shot sequences, each with an effectively rendered mise-en-scène: multiple characters passively and interactively move across the screen; the lighting per sequence is realistic and only backlit when appropriate; the blocking follows the physical space and time of the respective indoor– outdoor setting; and camera angles, movement, and placement establish an overall sense of familiarity and humor.

One especially noteworthy shot sequence involves a cut from one set (the sound stage of a city street) into a slovenly male viewer's living room. Here is a mise-en-abyme shot, in which Quaid on the city street appears on the man's TV. After another cut, we see the face of the incredulous man, who mouths the dialogue “I don't want to hear about insurance” while we hear Quaid speaking the same words. Thanks to a pan to the right, we see Quaid sitting on the man's couch. The commercial then cuts to the same city street staging prior to this sequence. Quaid never stops talking to the audience or to other potential customers he meets in the dynamic set of unfolding, obvious, make-believe situations.

The camera work in this commercial is visually compelling and includes medium closeup and wide shots, an over-the-shoulder shot, a handheld shot, high-angle placement, eyeline matching, camera pans, camera flare, and more. Perhaps most noteworthy about this commercial is its seamless, overall mise-en-scène: a humorous self-awareness. Quaid even tries to eat a “prop apple.” There is an overall feeling that we, the audience, know this is a pleasant make-believe moment about buying insurance, but it still pleases the eye and mind.