Amazon on Turning Student Life into Micro Cinema
The jolt of a shared bathroom. The quiet calculus of first impressions. For new students, it is the small shocks that accumulate. Amazon’s ‘Save the Everyday: College Edition’ turns those moments into compact pieces of cinema, borrowing the language of horror and romcom to make the everyday feel heightened – and more importantly, fixable.
It was research that set the brief. Jo Shoesmith, Amazon’s chief creative officer, describes hearing that students didn’t see the move to university as one grand leap but rather as a sequence of spikes and jitters.
“They weren't just worried about the major changes – they were concerned about the daily details, like dealing with communal bathrooms or making the right impression on potential new friends. It led us to focus on these relatable 'micro-moments' and show how Amazon can help transform potentially stressful situations into manageable ones."
Amazon - Lavatory of Horrors
Director Michael Spiccia tells me the scripts had an instant appeal and he knew from the first call with the creatives that there was something exciting afoot. “As film lovers, we were all eager to dive into what makes these genres so beloved while finding clever ways to subvert and play with those conventions,” he says. “That philosophy infused every choice, like casting, world-building, and especially how we shot them. We had to find a balance between staying true to the genres while playfully bending them into our Amazon world. At their heart, both films are about characters presented with problems who effortlessly solve them with Prime.”
For Jo, the strategy was to meet the feeling head-on. “We recognised that going to college is a pivotal life moment filled with both excitement and anxiety. Tapping into familiar entertainment genres, we could tell these transition stories in a way that's both relatable and entertaining. Horror and rom-com genres, in particular, let us playfully acknowledge the real concerns students have – from navigating shared spaces to managing social situations – while showing how Amazon can help solve these everyday challenges.”
From there, the collaboration tightened; Michael says the process with Amazon has developed into a shorthand that supports pace and iteration: “I’ve been really fortunate to work with Jo and the Amazon team as well as various agencies across multiple projects. For me, it’s been one of those relationships from the very beginning that has felt super organic,” he explains.
“On this campaign, the creative team delivered killer scripts from the get-go. Then it was about ping-ponging back and forth and then adding in touches to keep amplifying them. Jo is such a deeply invested collaborator with great instincts. There’s a lot of trust and confidence in what we are all making and that’s a big part of why the work comes out the way it does.”
The films wear their influences openly, and that’s intentional, “I’ve always admired many films by John Hughes, whom I felt was one of the greatest and most influential to tackle the rom-com/coming-of-age genre,” says Michael. “I wanted to really channel that youthful charm that made those films so iconic. On the other end of the spectrum, the team at A24 has done more for modern horror in the last decade than anyone else, and that influence was a huge inspiration for us. We loved the idea of creating something that felt like it could live in that universe.”
Amazon - Meet Cute Chaos
Michael says casting and craft pushed those tones to the screen. “We worked closely with Alyson Horn and her team to discover some fantastic young talent who brought real depth and gravitas to the performances”. The look came through a long-standing collaboration, ‘my frequent collaborator, the incredible DP, Steve Annis’. Michael credits him as “a visual maestro”, saying they had lots of discussions about the visual choices to make the genres feel authentic. “I love geeking out on details on how to maximise the most authentic result.”
For Jo, she situates the work within Amazon’s broader voice, framing it as something greater than a seasonal push. “This campaign perfectly demonstrates Amazon's commitment to making everyday life be here and easier for our customers,” she explains. “While we're known for convenience and selection, this campaign showcases our deeper understanding of customers' lives and the role we play in their important life moments. It's about showing that we're not just a destination for products but a partner in navigating life's transitions, big and small.”
There is a personal lens here, too. This summer’s family milestone sharpened the creative instinct. “I was very much the customer this year. I just dropped my oldest child off at university this summer, so I got to personally experience the scary and exciting parts of it all. I’m also now an expert in stackable storage drawers and desk hutches.”
Post-production is where the films accrue their small surprises; that’s why Michael calls editing his favourite and least favourite phase for its intensity and possibility.
“Cutting with long-time collaborator Paul Hardcastle at Trim was a fun challenge. We have a fast shorthand and like-minded taste, which allows us to push in unexpected directions to try and surprise ourselves. Even though we’ve done this for years, it still feels like it has all the possibilities and anxieties of going to your first day at school.”
What lands on screen is deliberately modest in scale yet sharp in intent. The films are a little reminder that small problems can feel pretty vast at 18, and that good craft can make a product solution read like a story.
