FRINGE REPORT

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HOW TO SHOOT A TV COMMERCIAL

Director Alex Dower is lying on the floor looking up pretty actress Christina Anthony's skirt. Production Designer Beverley Hatwell's fast asleep under a desk. Sam Whittaker's dusting chalk from his camera lens. Editor Dettmer 'Detsky' Forsyth-Graffam's short of a wire. Welcome to the Wonderland world of tv commercials.

There's a well-known rule of film-making never to use the public. Especially not if the public are also the client's staff. Alex Dower's relaxed about breaking rules if it makes for a better result. He's running 20 crew and actors on a fast-track commercial shoot that's due at the tv station next week. It's a busy tele-sales company, and their open-plan Mayfair office is crammed with phone operators. Dower takes a quick look round. They're all stunningly photogenic. Now there's a stroke of luck.

What's in this article

This report covers the making of a tv commercial on digital video in 2003. It follows an actual shoot carried out by Alex Dower, concentrating mainly on shooting and editing. There's a guide to the equipment used. It's intended to give a plain-language overview from the start of the project to handover of the product.

Quick overview of the shoot

Producer/director Alex Dower was contacted by the client to make an ad for a tv channel in about two weeks. They met and agreed the facts to be included. The product was loan arrangement, so detailed maths and legal notices needed to be included. Exact wording was supplied by the client. The fee and timetable were agreed.

Alex checked the required format with the tv channel. They wanted 4 x 3, a relatively old-fashioned layout. It refers to the ratio of width to height of screen, and approximates to Academy Ratio - the original movie screen proportion - and classic ratio of tv sets. Modern tvs use widescreen. The physical product was to be digital video tape.

Alex suggested a storyline, wrote a detailed script, and agreed it with the client. The script included actors' dialogue and brief indications of where the camera would be set up. A separate document listed each of these locations.

He drew a storyboard - pictures of what would be seen at each significant point in the script - about 50 images. A final document listed all names and contact details of those involved, and the schedule of times and people needed for each location (the call-sheet).

Alex Dower cast and crewed the commercial from his own extensive list of industry contacts, and agreed fees. Shooting commenced promptly. It was executed in the two days scheduled at locations in London. Camera tapes were given to the editor, and Alex stayed with the editor until completion.

The finished product was presented in two cuts: a 5.5 minute extended version, and 3 minute version, both as requested by the client. The client approved the results, and authorised payment. The edited tapes were handed over for transmission.

Why digital?

Very fast-track projects are possible because digital video (DV) means that broadcast-quality movies can be produced using tape. VHS wasn't good enough. Digital is. Why?

Digital video (DV) tape doesn't record images or colours. It records numbers. The camera lens sees colour and shape, but the information for each point on the screen at any given moment is recorded as a number (digit). The number specifies colour and brightness. In effect it's telling the tv screen, when the movie is shown, 'for this dot, at this time, use the standard colour for which this is the number; and this is the number on the standard scale of brightness'.

Film, on the other hand, records the image itself. So if it's sloppily developed or badly printed, the colours and brightness can be awful. VHS ('analogue') also records the images, by making an electronic analogy. Digital, by using a numbering system, is exactly as accurate as the camera. And copies of digital tapes, because they are only repetitions of numbers, are of precisely the same accuracy as the master - there is no degradation.

Digital has the advantage of all tape formats over film: that the image is seen at once through the lens, the camera tape requires no processing, that very few - if any - studio lights are needed. And, crucially, sound can be recorded straight into the camera. With digital video, the sound is also of digital quality - ie as perfect as the microphone.

A day at the shoot

We're in a large sunny office in Dover Street, Mayfair. It's full of the client's staff, all hard at work doing tele-sales. The office lights, referred to as 'ambient light', are bright, with fluorescent lamps overhead, concealed by diffusers. There are large windows to the street along one wall.

The sound of lots of people talking randomly can be a sound-recordist's nightmare - solved by using a microphone with a very small pick-up area. Fluorescent lamps, daylight, and tungsten lamps (ordinary light bulbs, and studio lamps), all look different in colour when seen in a DV camera viewfinder. The problem is solved by setting the 'white balance' of the camera (a camera control) to the main source of light, and covering any other visible sources of light with the correct colour of gel (a non-flammable coloured transparent sheet of plastic).

It's good policy for any shoot to use the smallest number of people (consistent with high quality). On this one, the camera operator is highly experienced and versatile Sam Whittaker. He's used to filming, lighting, recording sound and directing, without making a fuss.

It's very useful for the director to have a camera operator who can do all the lighting and sound, and ideal if that person is also able to direct. There is only one boss on any shoot - essential - but to be able to hand over direction of certain scenes while the director rehearses actors for the next is a huge bonus. It's a matter of judgment and temperament. In this case, Both Alex and Sam are calm, friendly, and relaxed people, who get on well and work easily together. It makes for extremely efficient work.

Sam Whittaker arrives in an old Volvo estate with a huge trunk containing his equipment. For this shoot, it's mainly a camera, microphone, 4 lamps on stands, a large square light diffuser, set of barn doors, a reflective umbrella, pack of gels, sets of cables, and a slate.

The diffuser is shaped like a big square funnel. The small end goes round the lamp, which is about 2 metres above ground level. The big end, about a metre square, is a translucent opaque white screen (like a lavatory window). When the lamp's switched on, it lights the subject with bright, flat light (no hard reflections or shiny noses), casting no shadow.

Sam uses barn doors on another lamp. By shutting or opening the doors to different extents, he can control the exact shape of light on the subject. This light casts a sharp shadow, and is used to 'model' (give three dimensions to) eg someone's face.

He puts another light behind the subject, bouncing off the ceiling. This is to keep the back of the picture reasonably bright. A fourth light, diffused by the reflective umbrella, points to the back of the subject from the side. That is to separate the person or object being filmed from the background.

Russell Collins holds the slate ('clapper-board'). He chalks the number of the scene (allocated in the script and location list), and the number of times that scene has been photographed (the 'take') on the slate, holds it to be filmed, reads the numbers aloud to the microphone, and snaps the top of the slate shut.

The slate comes from film, the snap was needed when sound was recorded separately - to synchronise it later. It's perfectly possible to record a short film without using a slate, because digital tapes carry a precise numerical time code. This can be made visible when watching the footage later. A note made of the start and finish times of preferred takes is sufficient for the editor.

But the slate saves a lot of time when editing, and speaking the slate is very useful for the editing of the sound track - you know exactly where you are.

Camera Operator Sam Whittaker has set up lamps, camera, and microphone. Director Alex Dower has rehearsed the actors. Russell Collins has chalked the slate and snapped it shut in front of the lens and microphone. In a fine clash of old and new technology, Sam Whittaker blows chalk dust off the lens (white slates and magic markers are often used, to avoid this problem). The actors are ready. Sam re-starts the camera, says, 'Camera running'. Alex Dower lies on the floor and says 'Quiet please. And, action.'

He's looking at a tv set connected (as a monitor) to the camera. It gives him a clear - and big - image of what the camera's filming, with good representation of colour and lighting. Hmm. So he wasn't looking up actor Christina Anthony's skirt after all.

By lying on the floor by the camera, the director can look both at the monitor and the actors. Actors find it very reassuring to have the director near and attentive. And the director can spot quickly if there's a problem and cut the shot.

Sam Whittaker uses the camera's side monitor to see what he's filming. This lets him stand alongside the camera to hold the microphone boom. The viewfinder monitor is black and white, not colour. Experienced operators insist that black and white viewfinders make it much easier to assess focus and contrast.

It's up to Alex to make all decisions about the shots - where the camera should point, how many retakes are needed. It's up to Sam to advise any technical matters that he's aware of.

That's the cut-and-dried split of their roles. In practice they, and all directors / crews work closely together. They discuss the shot the director wants in advance. Considerations will include the ideal shot from the script, modified by advantages or problems from the location, technical factors, and the length of time to set up (important if the schedule is slipping).

The director then organises the actors, the camera operator shoots, they confer, and re-shoot or move on to the next set-up.

Alex uses a conventional 35mm still camera to take photos of the actors for continuity - to make sure their clothes and other details match, should re-shooting be necessary.

Sam Whittaker on lighting: 'I'm killing the overhead ceiling lamps to avoid shadows under the eyes and desk reflection. I'm putting a plant behind Christina's head, and a soft (light) wash on the plants to separate Christina's head from the background. Video compresses everything.'

First Assistant Director Katy Bartrop is finding £1 coins to put in meters outside. She's ringing Transport For London to pay the Congestion Charge for the shoot's two vehicles, and moving them between parking places. Sam's hoisted the camera on his shoulder, experimenting round the office for the next camera set-up position. Director Alex, Assistant Director Katie, and the client confer about logistics - silence is going to be needed.

Sam and Alex agree the next location, and Sam sets it up. There are 17 people in the office, of whom 6 are directly in the shot, the rest in the background. Alex addresses the office. 'Two more minutes of phone calls and movement.' There's a noisy server adjacent to the shot, and computer fan noise. Sam makes the decision to split sound recording between a radio microphone (pinned to the actor's lapel) and the boom.

Actor Neil Todd is to deliver a substantial amount of maths to the camera. Client staff member Georgina Nicolaon will be in the shot. She powders her face to reduce reflection, and applies soft-pink lipstick. Sam points the boom up towards Neil's mouth from under the camera.

For this take, Alex asks the whole office to be quiet, and to remain at their desks. Alex asks Sam to direct the actors and gets on with setting up the next shot. This is possible because Sam is himself an experienced director. It's a good example of the need for multi-skilled professionals in fast-track shoots.

Several hours later, Assistant Director Katy has catered pizzas and soft drinks from a takeaway. Compressing shooting into two extended days has meant the crew working extremely long hours. For Production Designer Beverley Hatwell it's a specially heavy load - she's acting as well. So at this point, Beverley's stretched out under a desk catching up on beauty sleep.

The final shot's part of a dream sequence - rather Gothic. Alex wants heavy shadows. Sam's using a gel in front of the lamp to give an orange cast to the shot. There's a shiny spot on a wall. Sam kills the reflection by rubbing Vaseline over it. A noisy monitor is subverted by taking the microphone boom in above the actor's head. 10.30 pm: 'It's a wrap.' Everyone helps packing up Sam's gear and leaving the location clean. Cars are finally loaded and driven off at 11.30 pm.

Anyone used to using 16mm or 35 mm film might conclude - quite apart from quality considerations - the logistical benefits of shooting on digital video: No light meters (film shoots need exhaustive checks to lighting set-ups with meters); much lower light levels (reduced heat and amount of equipment, time saved on set-ups); what you see is what you get (no time-lag waiting for lab processing and rushes); the result goes home in your pocket (security, and reduced stress).

A night at the edit

Dettmer 'Detsky' Forsyth-Graffam's short of a cable. He's the editor (see review of his film Mirror Mirror), and we're sitting at his flat waiting for the equipment hire company to bring it round - they've delivered the wrong one.

Director Alex Dower had all the camera's digital video tapes copied onto vhs casettes, so he could watch them on an ordinary domestic tape-player. He spent a day viewing the photography, writing down (with reference to each slate scene and take number shown on the film) which takes to use.

The correct cable arrives and we go to the editing suite. Visually, it is two tape players sitting on top of each other; a Mac computer, keyboard and mouse, with two computer screens and a tv monitor.

The original camera tape is placed in the player and set to run. The tv monitor shows the moving picture. Alex refers to his list of takes that he wants to use. When they come to a usable take, Detsky sets the computer to 'grab' it. This is identical by analogy to cutting a piece of celluloid film, and hanging it from a hook to be spliced into sequence.

The grab is saved as a computer file, and given a file name. The right-hand computer monitor is the filing area, and shows a conventional computer file list. Later it is used to show the time-line, ie the base line for editing.

The left-hand monitor is used to review footage transferred to the computer. Another advantage of speaking the name of the take when slating the scene is now apparent: occasionally in the rush of location shooting, the slate isn't seen clearly.

Alex hasn't been able to log all the shots while watching on the vhs tapes. So he and Detsky now 'grab' everything (ie transfer all the replay of the camera tapes into Detsky's computer). Alex then says yes or no to each take, and Detsky deletes from the computer any takes not needed as they go along. This doesn't save time in grabbing, but saves a lot of time in the edit - by removing excess material. It also cuts down on the computer memory requirement, which can otherwise be enormous.

Filmmaker Mikki Forsyth-Graffam pops in, assesses the situation, and makes everyone pasta. Wonderful.

Detsky explains what he's doing. 'There's two tape players because DVC PRO (required by the tv station) is an archaic format. The hired machine accepts and plays the DVC PRO camera tapes. It connects into the other tape player (Sony DSR-45), which is compatible with the computer.

'The tv monitor is connected to the Sony DSR-45 to monitor the raw camera output. The Mac computer captures output from the Sony DSR-45 by Firewire. Firewire is a certain type of digital cable - the standard domestic and professional way of capturing in digital format.'

Alex and Detsky listen to sound at the same time as picture. A good visual take may have imperfect sound. The editor's options are to cut the picture differently, to combine takes for better sound, or to ask the director to consider Additional Dialogue Recording (ADR). Also known as dubbing, this is fairly straightforward in digital video, but involves the delay and expense of asking actors to attend again. In this particular shoot the problem of ADR does not arise.

What is Detsky's method as an editor? 'I'll do a first edit. You roughly lay the best takes in sequence. Then you work through, refining and chiselling away, getting all the images cut - and making sure all the images are working. Not sound. That comes last.

'The first stage is assessing the problems. The second stage is ironing these out. It may involve departing from the original plan.

'The next step is transitions and graphics. For example, fades and dissolves, and any graphics that need to be made, and special effects.

'Then it's grading and pushing colours - for example in a dream sequence.' Grading means matching the picture quality of adjacent takes so that they appear to have been taken at the same time. Pushing means changing colours to achieve a particular mood.

'Finally, running a fine tooth-combing through all of the audio, making sure it's completely clean, all the levels are consistent throughout, and adding music if applicable. If it was a heavily music-based film, that would be in from the start.'

Approximate timing of the edit: The grab proceeds at the running time of the film, plus time for stopping and starting. Detsky: 'A rough edit could be 1-2 hours. Refining could take say 10 hours.' This is for an end product of 5.5 minutes.

When the grabbing is finished, Detsky has the right-hand monitor showing every take that has been kept on the computer - as a list of files, each with a different name. By clicking on any one of these, to open it, he can run that bit of film on the left-hand monitor. He now transforms the right-hand screen to show a single horizontal line, the 'time-line' of the finished film.

In plain language, this line is like the length of film that runs through a projector. Assembling the time-line is a matter of assembling each of the files into running order. It's called 'Non-Linear Editing' because adding a new file of film between two others - to change the sequence in which shots appear on the screen - doesn't involve having to start all over again. There's great artistic freedom, and no messy film-splicing.

When the rough edit is completed, Detsky can put the mouse on any part of the time-line, and click. As the time-line represents the assembled film, the film will then run from that point, on the other monitor.

Directors and editors work out their preferred way of working together. In this case, Alex and Detsky get on well, and sit through the process together. In other cases, an editor may prefer to work alone, with the director calling in from time to time. Depending on the director's terms of reference, the director will have, or not have, approval of the final cut. Editor and director are both employees of the producer, who is responsible for overall project management and finance. In this case, with Alex Dower also the producer, he has final approval.

The edit is completed. Editor and director are happy with the result. The editor can run off a master digital video tape from the computer, or burn a DVD, and the producer hands over this finished result to the client.

So what's it like?

A couple (Russell Collins, Beverley Hatwell) are waking together in bed . It's another awful day of debt. Bills cascade through the door. Graphics tell the story of their financial misery. Phone operators (Christina Anthony, Elizabeth Bowe, Alex Dower, Sasha Grimsditch, Jaime Lister, Andrew Lucas, Nick West) refuse credit with increasing hostility . Phones are slammed down.

In a nightmare, everyone says no. Jehovah's Witnesses (Odette Abbott, James Waters) run away from their door. A salesman (Johan Aksell) won't sell them double glazing. Crazed loan-sharks (Tom Bodell, Steve Jackson) refuse to lend money. A Chinese takeaway (Yuli Brooks) won't serve them. A beggar (Jack Curzon) won't take their money.

Help's at hand. A kindly telephone operator (Katy Bartrop) says yes. The client's staff are shown giving other positive responses (Laura Chandler, Myfanwy 'Miffy' Davies, Georgina Nicolaon, Karen Percy, Raymond, Robert Smyth, Yan Suddoo, Dionne Taylor, Neil Walsh) with a smile. A happy customer appears with his son (Dan Vegad, Ryan Vegad).

A presenter (Neil Todd) explains how the maths works, with the aid of figures and charts. Final shot shows the original couple pictured smiling with their child (Russell Collins, Beverley Hatwell + Alex Elliott).

The result is an imaginative piece of story-telling, well written, acted, shot directed and edited, that gets the client's message across in a clear and effective way.

Technical Details

Prices approximate, in 2003. All equipment plugs into ordinary domestic mains sockets:

Format: Mini DVCam (a notch up in quality from Mini DV). Ratio - 4 x 3 (an old ratio, but the relevant tv channel uses this).

Shooting Equipment: Camera - Panasonic DVC PRO D610 and tripod. Approx £12,000 to £15,000. Black and white viewfinder. Separate microphone plugged into camera. Separate tv-style monitor. Lens - Canon J12. Approx £2,000+. Medium tape. (DVC PRO was Panasonic's equivalent to DigiBeta.) Colour balanced at 3,800 degrees Kelvin Ocasionally up to 4,300 deg K to allow for daylight intrusion). Slate. Chalk.

Sound: Recorded into sound-proof camera. Camera has 2 audio tracks eg one for radio microphone, one for boom microphone. Microphone: - Sennheiser K6 Directional - around 1 metre pick-up radius.

Lights: Redheads (800w). Lowel (400-500w), silver casing with umbrella reflector. Two 650w lamps. Diffuser box 1m x 1m. Set of barn doors. Cables. Gels.

Editing: Software - Final Cut Pro 3 (approx £600-£700). Computer - Mac G4 with two monitors. Tape playback equipment - DVC PRO deck (for the old format 4 x 3) (for DVC PRO and DVC CAM). Sony DSR-45 (for DV CAM, Mini DV CAM, Mini DV). Camera: Sony PD150 (was about £3,500 new, now about £2,000 second hand).

Shooting Schedule: Sunday 23, Monday 24 February 03. Editing: Wednesday 26, Thursday 27 February 03. Locations: London: Dover Street, Mayfair; Denmark Street; Holloway.

Cast Credits (alpha order): Odette Abbott (Jehovah's Witness), Johan Aksell (Double Glazing Salesman), Christina Anthony (Telephone Operator), Katy Bartrop (Telephone Operator), Tom Bodell (Crazed Telephone Operator), Elizabeth Bowe (Telephone Operator), Yuli Brooks (Chinese Restaurant Receptionist), Laura Chandler (Client Telephone Operator, Russell Collins (Customer), Jack Curzon (Beggar), Myfanwy 'Miffy' Davies (Client Telephone Operator), Alex Dower (Telephone Operator), Alex Elliott (Customer's Son), Sasha Grimsditch (Telephone Operator), Beverley Hatwell (Customer's Wife), Steve Jackson (Crazed Telephone Operator), Jaime Lister (Telephone Operator), Andrew Lucas (Telephone Operator), Georgina Nicolaon (Client Telephone Operator), Karen Percy (Client Telephone Operator), Raymond (Client Telephone Operator), Robert Smyth (Client Telephone Operator), Yan Suddoo (Client Telephone Operator, Dionne Taylor (Client Telephone Operator), Neil Todd (Presenter), Dan Vegad (Happy Customer), Ryan Vegad (Child), Neil Walsh (Client Telephone Operator), Nick West (Telephone Operator), James Waters (Jehovah's Witness).

Company Credits: Writer & Director - Alex Dower. Director of Photography (DOP) - Sam Whittaker. Production Designer - Beverley Hatwell. DOP's Assistant - Nick West. Continuity & Clapper Loader - Russell Collins. First Assistant Director - Katy Bartrop. Sound & Boom Operator - Sasha Grimsditch. Editor - Dettmer 'Detsky' Forsyth-Graffam.

END

John Park / August 03

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012