JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE | Google

Justin Tyler Close’s new campaign shows that technology is at its most powerful when it helps people move closer to one another.

In a world increasingly shaped by technology, this new film for Google Translate begins somewhere more fundamental: with the human desire to understand and be understood.

Directed by Fresh Film’s Justin Tyler Close and produced by Jess Lowe, the campaign brings together real people who speak different languages, giving them the space to have genuine conversations using Google Translate’s Live Translate feature.

Rather than placing the technology centre stage, Close allows it to work quietly in the background. His intimate, observational camera stays close to the faces, gestures and spontaneous reactions that reveal a connection taking shape, a smile, a pause, the relief of being understood. By weaving the product lightly through these encounters, he shifts the focus from what the technology can do to what it can make possible: uncertainty falling away as two people begin to listen, understand and find their way towards one another.

That humanity is reflected in the film’s visual language. Close combines intimate close-ups, natural light and gently handheld camerawork with a warm, tactile texture, creating something that feels observed rather than orchestrated. 

The result is both a demonstration of Live Translate and a gentle reminder that technology is at its most powerful when it serves something deeply human.

Kim Griffin, Founder and Executive Producer at Fresh Film, added: “Justin knows exactly where to place the camera, and when to let life take over. He has an ability to find the poetry in real, everyday moments, bringing a beautifully cinematic eye without ever losing the honesty. Here, he takes a really impressive piece of technology and reveals the simple human truth at its heart: we all want to understand and be understood.”

To see more of Justin’s work click here