Fresh Produce, a Sioux Fall, SD based advertising agency, hire me to direct three spots for SDN, a major telecommunications provider in the region.

Fresh Produce’s script featured a sportscaster providing color commentary for everyday IT situations.

We had an ambitious script and a tight budget. Each spot was set in a different location and featured a visual gag. I love ambitious ideas so we were all down for the challenge.

Early in the process, I pitched three distinct looks for each spot. These looks provided context and keep each spot in it’s own world.

• IT Guy At Home - Warm, night, after work hours.

• Big Zoom Analysis - High tech, cooler tones, dark and moody.

• Office IT Rewind - Bright natural light.

To keep the production on schedule we combined locations by using distinct lighting and set decorations for each spot.

All three visual gags also required very specific physical layouts. In pre-production, we worked all the math out on paper. Then we busted out tape measures and began searching until we found the perfect office. We didn’t have the budget for specialized motion control equipment and Fresh Produce handled all post-production internally. This meant we had to engineer simple in-camera tricks that wouldn’t slow down the editing process.

To stay nimble, we used a small crew made up of specialists and generalists. This cohesive assembly allowed us to simultaneously solve the unique technical challenges of each script. What’s more satisfying than that?