MOTION CONTROL

MOTION CONTROL

About 15 years ago, when BDP was still based out of Chicago, I had motion control (MC) operators calling me from the west coast saying that there wasn’t any work. As CGI became more and more sophisticated there was a brief consensus that motion control was headed for the technology trash heap.

The SXF industry quickly realized that, opps, we really do need MC. For example, if there is a complicated scene that has to travel through a live action sequence and CGI effects have to be composited over that then they need the motion control to shoot the master scene.

In the case of shooting food, a scene may require MC and no CGI. As an example, there may be what’s called an island shot which includes several food entrées within one scene. The camera may need to do a very precise move over each entrée which could not be executed by the AC or DP manually, so MC would be required to capture that action.

Directors Mike Palafox and Pablo Mercado often work as co-directors. Many of their jobs require MC so they use the “Bolt” which is a high-speed MC rig that can, among other things,

Many of the projects we produce involve MC. There are several types of MC rigs for videography, but the most impressive are the high-speed rigs that can capture close-up, real time action like the action of a pour from a beer bottle into a beer glass. One such rig is the Bolt https://cameracontrol.com/work

Motion Control is just one specialized piece of equipment in the BDP tool box and I don’t see MC going anywhere soon.

VERTICALLY INTEGRATED PRODUCTION

VERTICALLY INTEGRATED PRODUCTION

It’s normal for live-action production companies to have several directors on their roster.  It’s also normal that there may only be one or no tabletop directors.

Like Asian and European markets, U.S. commercial production has become more vertical, meaning more production resources and services under one roof.  This is a matter of necessity because agency producers and creatives time is so limited.  

Unlike some foreign markets the U.S. has not entirely embraced vertical production from concept to deliverables.  This is good and bad depending on whether you’re looking at it from the agency or client perspective.  

From the ad agency side there are some shops trying to offer soup-to-nuts but it doesn’t always produce the best work.  The best directors, composers, editors, CGI artists, etc. will be positioned with specialty houses who can bring them the best and most varied projects.  

ON the other hand, clients may enjoy the benefits of vertically integrated production through better economies, faster timelines and more efficiencies.  

So, is there a middle ground between total vertical integration and independent commercial resources?  It makes sense to take total vertical production and divide it into chunks (creative, directors/production companies and post).

  At BDP we know that matching a director to a project can be a challenge for creatives, especially in the world of tabletop specialists.  Our goal at BDP is to offer a consortium of tabletop specialists. 

Tabletop specialties include: food, beverage, ice cream, chocolate, hard-line products, soft goods, high-speed and in-camera effects, packaging, cosmetics and more.

LIFE BEHIND THE CAMERA: BTS ON SET WITH BDP

AGENCIES CONNECT PRODUCTION BUDGETS TO MEDIA BUY

Agencies Connect Production Budgets to Media Buy

The internet has the ability to target markets and demographics in a way TV hasn’t been able to do.  Combine that with the fact that posting content on the internet is much less expensive when compared to regional or national TV media buys.  More and more advertising dollars are moving towards digital ads.  Additionally, you have a younger demographic that doesn’t even watch traditional television any longer, preferring to watch only YouTube and internet content.  

In the past, production budgets have loosely been tied to media buys.  A Super bowl spot will have a large budget as well as national spots.  Regional TV media buys would traditionally have a lower budget, industrials even less and so on.  So, when agencies reach out to production companies, to shoot projects for the internet, the budgets are generally much lower.  Yet often they are expecting the same quality as they would get for something shot for national TV.  What you often hear from the agency is, “It’s just for internet.”

BDP is known for producing stunning imagery for its clients.  In order to deliver that level of production it makes no difference whether our company is shooting for the internet or a spot on Super bowl, our production costs are relatively the same.  There are well over 200 line-items in a production bid (not including any post) and leaving many of them blank does not give us the support we need to deliver the production value clients are used to.

While the internet is a less expensive medium for advertisers it can be a more effective way for them to reach their audiences so why not put those savings into the production?

“The basis of content on the internet is now shifting from text to video.  This allows advertisers to take advantage of the kind of branding advertising they are used to on television.”

Michael Wolf, CEO and Co-founder of Activate Inc.

IS GOOD PRE-PRODUCTION ENOUGH TO KEEP YOU OUT OF TROUBLE?

Is GOOD PRE-PRODUCTION enough to keep you out of trouble?

What makes for a long day or a short day?  We all know that good pre-production and a sensible shoot schedule is the best way to avoid excessively long days.  Once in a while things can go so well that you finish early but the fact is we're nearly always cramming three shoot days into two.  

But, no matter how much pre-production you do or how well planned the schedule is, the days can be really long if you're working with clients that are opposing your every move.  You may have done your homework, but the client may have been so busy they couldn’t follow pre-production and are not up-to-speed on the first shoot day.  If the synergy isn't there between client and crew you can expect it to be a very exhausting job.    

On the other hand, it can be gratifying if you're working with a client who realizes they are part of a team.  You could have long days yet still feel invigorated at the end of the day because there is an energy created by all the clients focusing on a common goal.  

Don't think that doing solid pre-production will keep you on the straight and narrow.  Unless every single member on the team shares the same goal, there can be potholes along the way.