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Here at Gravity group, one way we tell stories is with commercials.
It isn’t easy to pull off. I’m sure you’ve seen commercials get attention for their unique approach to grating on your nerves, and others which throw information at you until you change the channel out of disgust; a few manage to link their brand to a meaningful story. A great example of this is Air Wick’s “The Gift of Home” spot.
We strive to tell the meaningful story of the brand we’re working for, and it takes work. Once we have an idea in place, we uncap the dry erase markers and get to work.
The Idea Stage
A typical production meeting scene. A demonstration of camera movement has taken the meeting into the lobby, and the the reflection of my notes visible in the window.
While our production team brainstorms over a white board, other team members are nearby taking as many notes as possible and intermittently offering opinions. Visualization of our goals (literally, as we determine what we want the commercial to look like) at this stage is crucial if our team is going to be on the same page. After an hour or two, we have boiled down the mass of thoughts, adjustments, and inspirations into a specific set of ideas that we can start bringing into reality.
Our team starts thinking ahead as soon as we start to see the idea form. We work together to secure the right location, get the right actor, and make sure everyone has the information they need when they need it, so they can realize our great idea to its fullest potential.
Thinking of Everything
A typical to-do list, which could apply to most Gravity video projects.
Once the marker ink has dried and we’ve taken pictures of what was drawn, we start to figure out each of the logistical details that we’ll need to pull this off. This involves many emails, phone calls, doorway conversations with coworkers, and tests of any new techniques we’re using; all of this information goes into the Production Planning Master, a document that, without any information filled in, is already three pages long.
The goal of this stage is to make sure that our team is equipped with everything we need to tell the thirty-second story. As the filming day approaches, we go over documents with all the information we could need: shot lists, contact information, props lists, and anything else that could be helpful on the day of. When the team is comfortable and confident the day before we film, we know we’ve done our job right.
On Set
Filming day is when it all comes together. As our production crew works with the actors and gets the shots they need, we’re making sure all the details are correct and that we are on schedule. There are a number of tasks which make the scenes the best they can be, and to this end we have become skilled at polite interruptions and tactful reminders.
As the shoot wraps up, all the boxes on our lists have been checked and it is time to stow the gear and head back to the office.
All to do it again next week!