Creating video content in the home studio, during lockdown
On 23rd March 2020, the UK went into lock down. For us, that meant working from home for the foreseeable future. So we did just that and, at the time of writing this, haven’t been back since.
Most video shoots involving people, on location, were immediately paused, and rightly so to save lives and protect the NHS. The increase in user generated content sky rocketed with video crews struggling to film content safely. Brands and agencies have leant heavily on iphone footage, stock clips and animation to continue telling their stories and promote brands. Whilst this is incredibly powerful and a great way to share a story about people in the current climate; when it comes to product marketing, high end, fresh new cinematic footage is still completely achievable.
Still determined to continue creating content for brands and agencies, we packed all our lighting, cameras, grip, monitors and audio kit into the back of the car and headed off to set up the Dead Pixel Home Studio - (DOP Cal Thomson’s spare room).
Our Setup
Sometimes the simplest setups are the most effective. As well as the filming equipment that travels with us everywhere we go, we’ve got some specialist kit designed for product videos that have really shown their worth over the past few weeks.
Specifically, a heavy duty turn table, a variety of coloured back drops, macro lenses and a bag load of creativity. (We even used the TV to add fire reflections to our sunglasses ad).
One of the outcomes…
Remote Working
It usually starts with a Google hangout or Zoom call to discuss the concept and start piecing together ideas. (This is a very different way of working for us and something we’re getting used to).
Are there any dates or events in the calendar where content would be relevant? Is it a new product launch? Are there any limitations with the product? (e.g. chocolate melting).
We discuss what the product is and how we can effectively deliver an on-brand message.
We then progress to story boarding and concept development. We’ll draw influence from the depths of the internet and discuss how we can put our own spin on things given the parameters.
Shoot Day
It begins by emptying out the spare room and creating as much space as possible. When filming, it’s easy to turn a large space into a small space once you start popping up light stands and backdrops. This is even more interesting when the space is 10ft x 10ft.
It’s then onto rigging lights, cameras and the set in which the new product video will be shot.
For example, we created an impactful advert for sunglasses company, Tens, by stacking some slate chippings found in the garden (cleaned first, of course) and then delicately placing the glasses in different positions. We utilised the turn table and got creative with multiple angles and lighting techniques. We wanted to highlight as many details and unique selling points of the product as possible, giving us more to work with in the post-production phase. Product designers spend a long time creating that perfect perfume bottle, beverage or piece of jewellery so we like to get in as close as possible to show it off in the best way.
Edit
We then jump into the edit suite and start sifting through the footage. Since closing our office we moved all the laptops, desktop hard drives and monitors home too. We can easily shoot and edit 4K content and still deliver a high-end piece of content from the comfort of the dining table.
One of the earliest things we do once we’ve checked all the shots is pick the music. The soundtrack for a social advert is often the driving force behind the pacing of the edit. We can spend days trawling through royalty free sites looking for the right music but it absolutely must be right. We want to have an impactful start, an interesting middle and a bit of a crescendo at the end. Our biggest pet peeve is hearing music slowly fade out with no consideration to draw it to a close properly. It’s just lazy editing.
When it comes to ordering the shots, we usually start by teasing a few details. It must be clear early on (in the first 5 - 10 seconds ) what the video is about. There’s little point in us creating the Desperados product video if the audience thinks the video is about cats. It’s an extreme example but you know what we mean. We also like to cut to the beat and end on a nice hero shot that shows the product in all its glory. You can choose to add a CTA (Call To Action) which then directs a consumer to either act, enquire or engage.
Once the a rough cut is lined up, we’ll add a grade and layer in some sound effects. We’ll then jump on a conference call to discuss the edit and if there are any jarring moments or things that could be improved upon. Film-making is a team effort and it’s always good to cast a few eye balls over some content before going live.
Then it’s over to the client to market.
Our latest home studio videos have been viewed by thousands of people across Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. With brands adapting to the current climate, and a collection of briefs now starting to come through, we’re well versed in shooting and editing content under these unusual circumstances.
Results
It’s not the most glamorous experience and, don’t get us wrong, we can’t wait to be back into a full sized studio surrounded by talented, creative people working on video content. But for now we’re being pro-active, hyper communicating and proving to ourselves and our clients that you can still achieve great results with a bit of patience, experience and creativity during lockdown measures.