Evaluation

 Evaluation 

Final Commission - MG4 Launch Video 

 

Introduction 

 

I initially began this project looking for a placement at a production company. I emailed a number of places but securing this was hard as many companies were extremely busy in the build up to Christmas. I then secured a commission for FG Barns. This was through contacts I already had, I achieved this by reaching out and pitching an idea of a promo video to them. They liked this idea and directed my project in the direction of a new EV vehicle launch. I liked this idea as I believe electric vehicles are important for helping save the planet. I am also interested in Formula 1 which ties feelings of speed and energy to cars. As my contact at the company was very busy it was, at times, difficult to find time to discuss the brief and plans moving forward. But having clear communication on a small number of occasions helped to ensure there was no miscommunication. I thought this was a good commission for me as I have an interest in cars but have little experience shooting with cars. This project pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to be creative and sell a product. I think I was the right person to take on this challenge as I brought a new perspective to the car and adopted a more modern style of EV car marketing; as modern, sleek, fast, and beautiful.  

 

 

Working with Clients 

 

It was very different working with a client to make a product compared to other short films for Uni projects. I felt more pressure to create a professional standard piece which reflected the good reputation of the company. As I already had a contact with a member of the company the communication between them and I was informal; I think this benefited the project as no one was afraid to suggest new ideas. If I am ever working for another client who I do not already know I will ensure I build a good relationship with them so I can have the same relationship as I did the client above. Thankfully, the client and I were on the same page with the aesthetic and energy needed in the project; my research into the target audience of the car helped me to plan ideas which I knew would fit the brief. I pitched these in an informal way, showing a mood board and sizzle reel to help visualise my ideas.  

 

 

Market Research 

 

The market research I completed included research into my role as a freelancer and what was expected of me; the company I was working for; the target audience of MG vehicles and their interests; the psychology behind luxury car buyers and watching multiple promo/marketing videos. All of these different areas of knowledge affected me project and the direction of my work in a number of ways. It was important I understood the intended target audience and their interests as this would heavily influence the style and aesthetic of the piece. As this audience consisted of young males I had to adopt a very macho and masculine style to appeal to this audience. The various marketing videos I watched aided me in understanding how others target this same audience and conventional aspects which frequently appear. Without this I fear I would not have appealed to the correct target audience as they aesthetic I have used differs for the usual style of work I create. It was also beneficial I understood the psychology behind why people buy luxury cars. I wanted to show how the product can elevate one’s lifestyle making it something the viewer needed not purely wanted. I assigned luxury attributes to the car to encourage the intended audience to buy the car and ‘gain’ the associated lifestyles. I was able to manipulate the audiences’ thoughts by doing from what I learnt in my research. 

 

 

Pre-Production 

 

Going into pre-production I had a plan of keeping frequent communication with my contact point; being transparent with ideas and listening carefully to the desires of the client in order to create a piece which reflected their ideas. I pitched in a relatively informal way, showing a mood board and sizzle reel to help my client visualise my ideas. This outlines the pace, aesthetic and tone of the video. I found this to be a very helpful and successful part of the pre-production process, as by creating a visualisation of the desired end product it helped me to ensure I had understood the desires of the client and they too could begin to understand my vision. The client also provided me with some feedback on this, they liked the pace and soundtrack I had made but requested a shorter video for their commission which I could easily adapt to.  

 

I discussed possible shoot dated with the clients and we agreed I would film on one of the quieter days of the week as I would be in the showroom filming around workers and customers. I thought this was important as I wanted to create as little disruption as possible and fewer customers meant my shoot was not disrupted. Although, this resulted in my filming a week later than I had planned. I seized the extra week to thoroughly complete my pre-production work which I believe had a huge effect on the outcome of the final piece as I attended the shoot with a clear vision of the commission I wanted to create. I used a shot list and story board to aid my vision, keep the shoot on track and help my DOP achieve the shots I desired. These did not require approval by the company as all the discussions held previously helped them trust we shared the same vision. As this was a short montage which was subject to changing very quickly, I decided not to use a script for this project and instead used my storyboards and creativity influence the edit.  

 

I also managed to complete a location recce prior to the shoot. This was very beneficial as I could speak to the client and discuss with them where the best place would be for me to have the car and the amount of space I would need around it. I took reference photos to show the DOP so they too could know a bit more about the car and the location. I completed a number of test shoots before arriving on set. These allowed me to practice the shot types and camera movements I wanted to use. I was also able to practice using different rigs for these shoots which better prepared me for being on set. Having these test shoots to hand and the experience from both aided me in my directing as I had a clear vision of what I wanted to create.  

 

 

 

Production 

 

I did not face many challenges shooting at the client’s location. I ensured my crew and I behaved in a professional manner to build a good reputation with the client and maintain a professional relationship. It was important we avoided distracting employees of the company from their work. There was one occasion where the shoot was paused for a few minutes as a customer looked around the car we were shooting but I was prepared for this as I had discussed it previously with the client and wanted to cause as little disruption as possible. I used this time to prep the DOP for the next few shots to ensure the shoot was not delayed. One issue I faced was I could not figure out how to set up the track, in future I will ensure I know how to set up all equipment prior to the shoot to avoid bringing equipment I could not use. However, I do not feel the final commission was affected too much by not having the tracking shots.  

 

Overall, the production was very successful. I was praised by my DOP for being well organised and keeping the set a ‘stress free’ and ‘chilled’ environment, which they felt made the shoot really enjoyable and productive. I sourced the right person for the DOP roles, and they had knowledge I did not regarding some angles and camera settings. I left the shoot confident I had all the coverage I had planned for and more. The shoot also finished an hour ahead of schedule as the pre-production planning made everything clear. I struggled to direct my crew at some points as to what shots and camera movements I wanted to achieve. This highlighted issues in my directing skills which I will work on for future projects. However, to overcome these issues on set, I used my phone to do mock shots of what I was describing to show the DOP which was very helpful to communicate my ideas efficiently. I would use the same methods of pre-production again e.g., sizzle reels and test shoots as I felt these benefited my project the most. I do not think there is much I would do differently in production. However, I would probably ensure the camera was shooting in 50 fps rather than 25 fps for every shot as it would have allowed me to do more in the edit.  

 

 

Post-Production 

 

I tackled the edit using short clips and quick cuts to build a fast pace. This paired with the fast-paced music I chose helped the edit to fit the client’s and target audiences’ expectations of a car promo video. I have never had the task of building energy and pace within an edit, so this was a new experience for me. I tried to use elements of soviet montage theory and time the cuts with changes in the beat of the music. This was a struggle at times, but I think I did as best I could. I think this added more impact to the shots as there was an audio change at the same time as a visual change which emphasised all elements. When finding music, I ensured I found music which allowed commercial use, I did not struggle with this as much as I thought I would.  

 

There were some colour issues in the edit which I needed to fix via colour grading. I learnt DaVinci Resolve and corrected the colour on that. I needed to make the blacks darker and the whites whiter. I also had to increase the mid tones and increase the saturation to make the red colour of the car pop. I did a good job at keeping the red colour consistent throughout and these changes helped bring the edit to life. I also had some clips which had lens flares and others which did not. To tackle this, I downloaded some lens flare effects off Premium Beats and used these over some of the exterior shots of the car. These helped keep the footage looking consistent throughout the edit. I had a number of rough cuts throughout the post-production process which I shared with both lecturers and peers on the course. This helped to provide a different perspective and suggest improvements I could make e.g., colour grading, stabilising some shots, pacing of speed ramps etc. As the peers who looked at my work are also in the same category as the target audience for the commission, I found their suggestions very beneficial. I also shared various cuts with the client, they were very impressed with the commission I made and the energetic feel I managed to maintain. They suggested that I change the final graphic to incorporate their logo in a different way but other than that they really enjoyed the commission and are excited to use this on their website and social media sites.  

 

 

Conclusion 

 

Before embarking on this project, I had never explored the potential of freelance work as it was always something I was put off from due to the inconsistency of work. I want something with financial stability. However, now I have completed this commission I have opened the door up to freelance work as it was not as stressful as I had imagined. I would definitely consider working as a freelancer again in the future.  FG Barns was a great client to work for being both welcoming and friendly. If I were given the opportunity to work for them again, I would not hesitate to accept the offer and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole project. As I was inexperienced in this market, I learnt plenty of valuable skills which I did not already have, from hands-on experience. Some of these include shooting cars while avoiding reflections and how to light a car and a car’s interior subtly. I also learnt how to develop professional relationships and how to work in a suitable manner with clients to create something to their set brief and that they are pleased with. In the future I think I would try to create multiple edits of the same car; this would allow the company variation in the marketing options they could use over social media sites. I think I would also create a slower edit as well as a fast paced one. I think this would allow the details of the car be appreciated a bit more. Overall, I really enjoyed making this commission for a client as I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and accomplished everything I set out to create.