Pastry Commercial ideas

[jambredz]

Pardon me if this is not the right place to put this ,but i'll be shooting on my 100b...if its not then can mod can put it where it;s supposed to go plz.

So i'm thinking of doing a commercial for a friend who is just starting out a pastry business called "Patisserie Extraordinare". I want to use it to help build a reel and also 2 help her out . My question(s) is have u guys ever done anything similar? Here's the deal...she bakes stuff out of her home,( really good stuff) so its not like i'll be shooting at a bakery. So i'm thinking really nice product type shots (dolly shots ect)of the different foodstuff...soft lighting and such. However i would like more. I just spoke to her so this is totally fresh and i havent sat down to really think as yet. If u guys have any suggestions i'm all ears (lighting setup, types of shots, concept..watever).Also if u have links to commercials along these lines it wud be grealty appreciated.

 

[Jason Adams]

If you don't have much to shoot then get creative. Mabey a motion graphics driven spot. Include footage but use smart designed animations and bring the footage in in interesting ways.

Also you could go testimonial. then you would only need some great product shots and perhaps a little bit of Broll.

 

[R Hudson]

jason.adams makes a good point.

Sometimes you can make a spot look much better with various techniques like that.

If you do CU food shots, take your time with lighting, composition, etc. so everything looks very nice and if you have any camera movement, be very subtle and very smooth.

Just think of ideas, write them all down. Create a big list of ideas and then think about how to execute those ideas. You are best off creating a list with more ideas than you need and choosing to eliminate some of them. You want your shots to flow together and not jump around too much.

Just think about what you have seen before and decide if you want to emulate something else or if you want to go in a different direction.

Try to think what would catch the attention of the potential new customer. What would make them want to go there for pastries vs. any other place?

Is it the friendly atmosphere?, is it the overall experience?, is it the selection?, is it because it is owned/operated by a world class baker?, etc.

Best of luck and have fun!

 

[NoNoob]

why not have some unadulterated fun with the project?

like, dress her up in a witches outfit and make it like she's baking the stuff to lure unsuspecting children into her lair --- like Hansel & Gretel?

or, if she's particularly animated and engaging, cut some rapids 'takes' of her talking about the 'why' she does it, with syncopated rhythm musical background.
then you feature glamorous 'looks' of the delicacies.

oh yeah, for our part providing you with ideas and tips- we each get a selection of the goods....


here's another idea... make it sci-fi!
do a 'take' on a "Star Wars" slant (only better- which may not be too hard) with a Darth Vader voice singing the praises of her "death star danishes".
hang one on a wire and fly it through a familiar scene in town (like, with a landmark church steeple or something in the background.)
then blow something up at the end.

oh yeah, good idea is to tell us where the thing is going to end up, and the length.
is it a :30, :60 or (worse) :15?
local cable channel probably?
helps put it in perspective for us.
good luck.

 

[jambredz]

thanks guys for the ideas...

lol...nonoob ur imagination has gone wild on this one huh. I do like ur 2nd idea . This one wont be THAT wild....it will be shown on cable channels mostly (which is national here in Jamaica). 30 seconds


Hudson and Jason you do have some good points...i'll write down everything

thanks again for taking the time, appreciate it

 

[NoNoob]

On the 'looks' aspect; i suggest building a light box/studio space for your 'product' shots.
This can be something as simple as a folding table with white poster board surround (since the items she makes are small- no sense making a room sized area.)
I use soft boxes and reflectors to illuminate the space- it gives a more pleasing light to the product- no glaring highlights (unless it's called for).
Think 'morning light' out of the North- that kind of diffused softness.

If you want to make the items look 'hot off the oven', get a spritzer type bottle and spray them with steaming hot water. Blot off excess and shoot.
Everything is set up ready to capture, you have an assistant standing by with the steaming hot water, just before you hit the record- tell them to 'spritz and dry', then go.
It's very subtle but it works.

I put the product on small stands that can be positioned in such a way you don't see them.
With the soft light you won't get hard shadows- so this helps 'hide' the stand.
You want the thing to look like it's floating in air.
It's a tight shot- no MCU, you fill the screen with the thing (near enough).

If you want to get a 'being there' shot- do the same with the lighting in her kitchen- nice soft llight always comes out as appealing (especially in 'homey' shots like this).
If she's going to be in it- get a professional makeup person to hers. She'll appreciate it and it's worth whatever you pay- or trade.

I still think having her put a couple of 'curlers' on each side of her hair and wearing a long white robe (like Princess Laya- or whatever her name was) might be fun.
She can take a stir stick and zap some stuff- or go off to do battle with a light saber.....

good luck- and let us see your :30!!

(do you want our addresses for sending the goods??)

added in---- the thing about spritzing the subject material is it gives a slight 'sheen' to the product.
I did some product work for a restaurant. They'd cook the stuff off site, bring it in in warmers, and a 'food stylist' (I kid you not) would arrange and prepare the stuff for the shoot.
Like, on ribs (one of the restaurants specialties) the leftover moisture that wasn't dabbed up (blotted off) kind of glistened nicely in the highlights.

This 'practical' application to affect 'steam rising' may not work for a bunch of cookies or bread-- so do some 'atmo' in AE to affect that look then.
There's even a 'how to' here on the process:
http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials/

Of course- you'll need AE.
(and, as long as you're doing some SFX in AE- have the Princess blow some stuff up!!)