The belief that shorter; and simpler = less cost
STEPS that we did for Your Call Wireless project:

  1. Discussing the business objective with the client before writing the script
    • Key value proposition
    • Budget
  1. Writing the script from the key messaging outline
    • Story-boarding the video
  1. Casting research/calls
    • Actors selection process
    • Getting approved by the client 
  1. Location scout
  1. Shooting
    • Studio 
    • On-location
    • Actor management – script, clothes, directing
  1. Editing
    • Had to get the shots in order to edit 
  1. Graphics
  1. The first round of notes from the client
  1. Finishing Cuts and Graphics
  1. Color Grading

Discussing the commercial’s objective with the client before writing the script

Once the client reached out for this project, the first thing we had to do was understand the objective of the video. That means: what does the video need to touch on? Which information is necessary and which isn’t? Where is the video going to be shown and to whom?

This commercial was for a company that offers a free smartphone for certain qualified people. What was very important was to understand that the project was an advertisement video with the clear objective of signing up new customers. The video’s directions were: 

  • Touch on the requirements for qualifications and eligibility
  • Describe the necessary steps to apply 

The video’s dedicated platforms were YouTube and the company website.  The target audience was the Latino and Black community.

Writing the script from the key messaging outline

Once the client describes exactly what they need or are looking for, the second step is writing the script. The key element of this step is keeping in mind the video’s objective, target audience and resources available. The first draft is always too long on purpose so that the client can then take it and cut all the non-necessary information out.

The commercial needed to be very informative and rely pretty heavily on the correct steps and requirements so the next step was to identify which information needed to be said on camera from the actor and which information would be better described from a graphic animation.

Casting research/calls

Once the client approved the script, we started our casting call process. For that we had only 1 direction: the actor/actress needed to be Black or Latino. We posted a casting call online and found 10 potential talents.

We collected all their information, reel, headshots and information and presented to the client. Since the talent selection is mostly subjective we decided to just give some suggestions and personal opinions but leave the decision up to the client.

Your Call Wireless Commercial Budget

The client gave us 3 possible options: 2 women and 1 man. Since we had the green light on 3 people, we decided to give more options back to the client. 

The next step was then working with the client on budgeting to have enough budget to do 2 videos with the same production vs. one at a time thus amortizing their investment and giving them a lower cost per video / higher Return on Investment. Once that was approved, we selected 2 actors (1 Woman and 1 Man) and shot the entire commercial with both actors. 

Story-Board

After selecting the actors, we moved to the next step: Story-Board. This commercial had mainly 3 types of visuals needed:

  • Talent looking at the camera in a studio environment 
  • Talent going through the process of applying for a new smartphone in an “apartment” or “household” environment.
  • Graphic animations.

For the “studio” type of visuals, we decided to go with a gray background and a halo-light behind the talent. 

For the Apartment or household, we decided to shoot the talent in a living room/kitchen depending on the location possibilities. For this shoot, we needed 4 types of shots:

  • Wide establishing
  • Close-up of the talent’s hand to show the necessary steps, both on a laptop and on a phone.
  • Medium, Talent’s reaction
  • Close up, Talent’s reaction

The Graphic animations part was designed specifically for the client’s needs, based on the client’s existing website design.

Location Scout

Multivision has all the resources and the ability to transform any room into a studio environment (assuming the room is not very small), so what we needed was an apartment that had at least 2 rooms: the living room/kitchen and a second room big enough to be transformed into a studio. Finding it while remaining on budget, as always, is the real challenge but after a few days of research, we found the perfect spot.

Your Call Wireless Commercial: Shooting

For the actual shooting, since we had 2 actors we had 2 options: we could have shot 1 actor one day and the second actor the second day but we also had 2 different rooms to shoot in, so we would have had to:

  • create both sets
  • And shoot 1 actor 

Both in one day which was not ideal. We decided then to take a day before the shoot to build both sets and leave all the lights, flags, cameras, sliders, and mics in place for the next day. Building both sets took about 6 hours.

The next day, we called both actors in 2 different time slots: 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm. That way we were able to focus on building the set without pressure in one day and focusing only on shooting and directing the actors on the second day.

The script was very heavy on technical information but because we designed the video in advance and we did the proper pre-production work we were able to select which part of the video was going to be shown by the graphics and which wasn’t. We were then able to allow the actors to NOT have to study the entire step process (which was going to make the shoot longer and more difficult) and only focus on a few easy lines.

Yes, the actor’s job is to memorize any kind of script they’re working with, but when working with actors, it’s important to understand that the more they are comfortable in front of the camera the more the task is easy for them, the better the performance will be, resulting in an easy-to-follow and engaging final video, which, in the end, is the key for the Return on Investment. 

Editing

Once everything was shot, Because we had done the proper preparation and storyboard beforehand, putting it together took us about 1 day. In that time period, we had a rough cut of both commercials with both actors.

Graphics

No matter how much preparation you can do, the graphics will always take the longest because creating professional-looking graphics is a time-consuming process. Because we had a very clear idea of what we needed and we were able to start creating the graphics before the shooting. By the time we were editing, we had a rough version of the graphics as well. 

The first round of notes from the client

There’s a big difference between talking about a project and seeing it on screen. It’s very common that after seeing the rough cut, the client wants to change cuts, move clips around or rearrange things. That’s why we have rough cuts where things are not polished or perfect yet, it’s a preview and the purpose of that is to give an idea of the direction we are going toward and have the client approve it before we actually finish it.

In this case, we did not receive any notes. The client was very happy with the rough cut and the only comment was: let’s proceed and see the final graphics. The reason for this was, once again, because we did our work in the pre-production process and we stuck with what we decided to do. 

Finishing the Cuts and Graphics

Once the client approves the rough cut it’s time to polish every cut, smooth every audio transition and finish every graphic. Between the first rough cut, waiting on the client’s notes, and finishing touches, the whole process took about a week. 

Color Grade

The very last step when it comes to video editing is color grade. Color grade is probably the most important aspect of editing (excluding graphic animation). The color grading process took us another day and it’s what brings out all the quality of the image for the final look. 

Here’s an example of the Color Grade Process:

YourCall-Wireless-Case-Study
Color Grading

If you’re looking to learn more about what entails video production, feel free to reach out!

We are happy to provide an obligation-free (and free of charge) consultation to answer your questions, throw ideas, and show how video can be your sales and marketing tool to help your business increase sales and spread awareness.