Commercial I did for a local business
- Thread starter Zachadoodle
- Start date
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
the place is not visually appealing. So restrict what is seen.
90mm on the food will be good. Fill the frame with sizzling bacon, backlight with a £120 amazon panel set on 4000 with the camera on 5500 (60p if you can)
A backlight and the main lights off.
Get the mic close
skip the 2003 pan onto the sign, shoot the sign with DOF, 90-200mm
start with some emotion.. 'to make a customer happy makes me happy'
0.23 what is that rag on the cooker? You have the power to take it away.
Waitress, sit down from the customers POV and get here to smile, in the UK the customer blue top is deeply unfashionable, black, beige or bright and happy
--
Production is the skill. Building the situation where you spend some time cleaning up your shots, building a vibe. Switching off puke-eo lights, Popping in something warm.
Its not cash needed. it is vision and communiction. the $120 amazon light panels and a bed sheet you can do some lighting.
And get the mic close.
90mm on the food will be good. Fill the frame with sizzling bacon, backlight with a £120 amazon panel set on 4000 with the camera on 5500 (60p if you can)
A backlight and the main lights off.
Get the mic close
skip the 2003 pan onto the sign, shoot the sign with DOF, 90-200mm
start with some emotion.. 'to make a customer happy makes me happy'
0.23 what is that rag on the cooker? You have the power to take it away.
Waitress, sit down from the customers POV and get here to smile, in the UK the customer blue top is deeply unfashionable, black, beige or bright and happy
--
Production is the skill. Building the situation where you spend some time cleaning up your shots, building a vibe. Switching off puke-eo lights, Popping in something warm.
Its not cash needed. it is vision and communiction. the $120 amazon light panels and a bed sheet you can do some lighting.
And get the mic close.
Imamacuser
Veteran
I think we're all goin going to orient our replies around constructive criticism
TV commercials are 15 or 30 seconds, and often times they're written to be cut into a 15 second & 30 second commercial out of the same footage. Something to consider for next time.
Try to get a friend to play the part of the customer, that way you can put all your attention into composing the shot.
Were you using focus peaking? I ask because, it looks like you missed focus on a couple shots, and focus peaking would help you avoid that, as it can be really difficult to gauge focus on a small, low-rez, built-in LCD screen.
You're using Olympus OM lenses, right? Using a measuring tape, measure the distance from your subject to the camera sensor, then set focus based on the distance scale of your lens.
Here's a video that explains the process.
You'll still need to finetune with focus peaking, as the distance scale of photo lenses doesn't have small enough increments to rely on 100%. I find that I have to finetune the focus peaking intensity, depending if I'm shooting wide or telephoto, otherwise I'll get a false positive. I really wish cameras would dynamically change the focus peaking intensity based on the focal length, but this would only work with chip lenses that send metadata. Nikon had a feature in their DSLRs that let you program in non-CPU lenses and cycle between them, so you get focal length metadata. Other brands could implement a similar feature, which would allow for dynamically adjusting focus peaking intensity based on focal length for non-chipped lenses.
TV commercials are 15 or 30 seconds, and often times they're written to be cut into a 15 second & 30 second commercial out of the same footage. Something to consider for next time.
Try to get a friend to play the part of the customer, that way you can put all your attention into composing the shot.
Were you using focus peaking? I ask because, it looks like you missed focus on a couple shots, and focus peaking would help you avoid that, as it can be really difficult to gauge focus on a small, low-rez, built-in LCD screen.
You're using Olympus OM lenses, right? Using a measuring tape, measure the distance from your subject to the camera sensor, then set focus based on the distance scale of your lens.
Here's a video that explains the process.
You'll still need to finetune with focus peaking, as the distance scale of photo lenses doesn't have small enough increments to rely on 100%. I find that I have to finetune the focus peaking intensity, depending if I'm shooting wide or telephoto, otherwise I'll get a false positive. I really wish cameras would dynamically change the focus peaking intensity based on the focal length, but this would only work with chip lenses that send metadata. Nikon had a feature in their DSLRs that let you program in non-CPU lenses and cycle between them, so you get focal length metadata. Other brands could implement a similar feature, which would allow for dynamically adjusting focus peaking intensity based on focal length for non-chipped lenses.
Zachadoodle
Well-known member
Would somewhere around the 30-45 second mark be too much of an issue?
Imamacuser
Veteran
it depends how the customer wants to use the video. If the video is only imbedded in the cafe's website, then the exact length doesn't matter that much, but if intended delivery is social media ads or local OTA TV station commercial, then you need to hit precise time requirements.
With that said, the internet is still a bit of a wild west, as once I got a 45 minute commercial between YouTube videos. People's attention span is getting progressively shorter, so it's advantageous to be as concise as possible.
With that said, the internet is still a bit of a wild west, as once I got a 45 minute commercial between YouTube videos. People's attention span is getting progressively shorter, so it's advantageous to be as concise as possible.
Peter C.
Veteran
Not piling on but re-affirming the criticism that has been pointed out.
1. You should start with a wide establish shot of the outside of the building. That panning shot to the sign has no purpose and wastes valuable time.
2. You have to be careful filming the kitchen if it doesn't look clean and neat. Pay close attention to details like the rag in the shot. Do more close ups if possible. The ones you did looked out of focus.
3. Same goes for the waitress and customer. Has an unappealing feel.
4. The voice over is lack luster.
5. The testimony audio at the end bad because the mic is too far away. This should be a boomed or a lav mic if you have neither then the camera needs to be a couple of feet away from the subject.
Don't feel bad if this was your first type of job its to be expected.
Here's a restaurant video I filmed for a local access show when I was a pup.
1. You should start with a wide establish shot of the outside of the building. That panning shot to the sign has no purpose and wastes valuable time.
2. You have to be careful filming the kitchen if it doesn't look clean and neat. Pay close attention to details like the rag in the shot. Do more close ups if possible. The ones you did looked out of focus.
3. Same goes for the waitress and customer. Has an unappealing feel.
4. The voice over is lack luster.
5. The testimony audio at the end bad because the mic is too far away. This should be a boomed or a lav mic if you have neither then the camera needs to be a couple of feet away from the subject.
Don't feel bad if this was your first type of job its to be expected.
Here's a restaurant video I filmed for a local access show when I was a pup.
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morgan_moore
Major Contributor
I disagree about a wide establisher to open.
they sell bacon not buildings
a tight bacon shot
yes we need to see the building so folk know where to go. Later
they sell bacon not buildings
a tight bacon shot
yes we need to see the building so folk know where to go. Later
Bassman2003
Veteran
I like the spirit of sharing and learning in this thread. Thanks for posting. My input will be from a small business perspective. Following the advice from Morgan takes some planning as well as being "in charge' of the people and the shoot. You solve a lot of these issues before the day of the shoot. It takes time and energy. You also need the courage to get "normal" folks to do things they might be uncomfortable doing. But you have to push to meet your vision for the final product. Work backwards from the final product and piece it together.
NorBro
Major Contributor
I wonder if a small town in Alabama would like something a bit more...flashy.
[They have a lot of these kind of shorts on YouTube.]
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1RPN8_NtkHo
[They have a lot of these kind of shorts on YouTube.]
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1RPN8_NtkHo
Peter C.
Veteran
Nah I think they'd prefer basic Rebel TI video ;-p BTW that was amazing
Charlie Ross
Member
I assembled some very brief clips as illustrations of how I've gone about capturing and presenting low to no budget food enterprises. They were incidental things I did while employed doing other tasks. I'd done commercial work long before this but I was starting over because I got the itch to shoot again but certainly rusty. I think most of them were shot on a little Canon Vixia camcorder, and at the same time I had a Canon SX50HS bridge camera that looks an awful lot like your T2i. My point being I hope you find my comments relatable, not critical.
Mostly I'm seeing wide shots that are vague as to what the center of attention is supposed to be. e.g the opening with a woman dumping something out of a grey tub - we can't see because we have the bottom of the tub to look at, while a basket of fries is interrupting the view down in the corner of the frame. So I include my own wide shot of two women cooking but as a customer, what do I care? Right after that is the way I'd go - solo closeup clip a minute later of that same yummy food bubbling and sizzling over the blue flames.
I could now picture that being on my plate.
So in your situation I would have shot a closeup of that basket of fresh golden fries being spilled out. Something or someone has to be the star of every clip. And customers mostly care about what makes them salivate, not what chores employees have to do. More bright and colourful closeups of food in the making or on a plate like it's my order on my table. So the three clips after that are portraying specialty dishes a customer might imagine being made for them. Of course what's a specialty differs with the restaurant.
The ribs in the smoker, same deal; dive into the closeup for vibrance and sizzle. Compare two shots - which one grabs you? Both easy to frame with the same camera at the same time while you are there. I realize working restaurants are often hopeless to get staff on board to work with you when they are so busy. Also it's hazardous in kitchens. e.g. the creme brulée torching is the only thing where I could get multiple takes because the chef was experimenting herself with getting the right browning effect for dozens of them to be prepared later.
The young woman with the chef's hat at the outdoor food festival looks the part and has a killer smile. That helps viewers anticipate they'll have a positive experience. The overhead shot was me tinkering with the Vixia camcorder rigged on some poles I jury rigged for the day. Why not? I was trying to frame a 6 foot wide carrot cake and the woman looking up and smiling at the camera was just one of those coincidences I kept in the edit.
30 seconds of clips: https://youtu.be/zZ4n9XOrsoc
Mostly I'm seeing wide shots that are vague as to what the center of attention is supposed to be. e.g the opening with a woman dumping something out of a grey tub - we can't see because we have the bottom of the tub to look at, while a basket of fries is interrupting the view down in the corner of the frame. So I include my own wide shot of two women cooking but as a customer, what do I care? Right after that is the way I'd go - solo closeup clip a minute later of that same yummy food bubbling and sizzling over the blue flames.
I could now picture that being on my plate.
So in your situation I would have shot a closeup of that basket of fresh golden fries being spilled out. Something or someone has to be the star of every clip. And customers mostly care about what makes them salivate, not what chores employees have to do. More bright and colourful closeups of food in the making or on a plate like it's my order on my table. So the three clips after that are portraying specialty dishes a customer might imagine being made for them. Of course what's a specialty differs with the restaurant.
The ribs in the smoker, same deal; dive into the closeup for vibrance and sizzle. Compare two shots - which one grabs you? Both easy to frame with the same camera at the same time while you are there. I realize working restaurants are often hopeless to get staff on board to work with you when they are so busy. Also it's hazardous in kitchens. e.g. the creme brulée torching is the only thing where I could get multiple takes because the chef was experimenting herself with getting the right browning effect for dozens of them to be prepared later.
The young woman with the chef's hat at the outdoor food festival looks the part and has a killer smile. That helps viewers anticipate they'll have a positive experience. The overhead shot was me tinkering with the Vixia camcorder rigged on some poles I jury rigged for the day. Why not? I was trying to frame a 6 foot wide carrot cake and the woman looking up and smiling at the camera was just one of those coincidences I kept in the edit.
30 seconds of clips: https://youtu.be/zZ4n9XOrsoc