Would a better grade have produced better results?

[jamani]

My first 'high-budget' (relative I know) commercial has just gone live. Of course I am super excited about the milestone, having learnt everything I know about film on this forum.

That said, I am happy about the product but not satisfied. I'm sure this is normal. We all want to keep pushing it. I know there were a few blunders on set with some shots that we could have avoided especially to do with exposure and locations.

My main concern is with the grade. We didn't have enough money to pay a professional colorist. So we just went with a LUT on Davinci and the rest was pretty much trial and error.

Which brings me to my question; would a better grade have produced considerably better results? Or did the rain start beating us right from the set?

FYI, I was both Creative Director (wrote the whole campaign) and Director/DP on this project.

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

I shoot a ton of commercials and PSAs. Although it's not art with capital "A" it does take certain amount of artistry to deliver the final message. EVERYTHING one shoots is to deliver the final message and every shot is to construct that message. One has to work very hard to break down the shots into SIMPLEST possible messages as not to confuse the viewer. In terms of colors your spot looks very nice but it suffers with your shot selection as you are not committing to one idea. The first few shots are there to establish that the boy comes from poor neighborhood (i presume) but the fat that i have to say "i presume" means that you are not hitting the nail on its head. Likewise your lens section seems a bit wrong as the important qualifiers (someone carrying wood on their back, chickens running around, signs in the payment center) are on the fringes of the frame. They would be perfect for a narrative (as in a narrative you don't want to be too obvious) but not so in a commercial where in 30 or 60s you need to deliver your message.

It took me a long time to understand the concept of commercials, in essence: if you have to think you are not delivering your message.
So onto the next one!

 

[Liam Hall]

Some good comments from Patryk, but I saw it differently, possibly because I know the area.

You got strong performances from the cast and some nice camera movement. Sure, the exposure on a couple of the shots look like they've been pushed in post and look a little flat, but it's nothing major. Compared to many African TVCs it looks good. I particularly liked that it wasn't the usual clichéd shots of Kibera (at least it looks like Kibera) and you presented both a positive and natural story.

 

[bill totolo]

It wouldn't have struck me in a bad way if I was flipping through the TV.
You would have benefited from a top notch colorist but that applies to all of us.
Nice work.

 

[jamani]

Preciate the feedback.

It took me a long time to understand the concept of commercials, in essence: if you have to think you are not delivering your message

I'm still figuring it out myself. We shot a demo before going into production and the client conducted a focus group of sorts to gauge take-away. A few details in the story were lost in the 'artistry' but we went ahead with it knowing that the key message was clear. At least clear enough.

(at least it looks like Kibera)

Yes, this was right in the heart of Kibera. I shoot there quite a lot. Preciate the feedback.

Nice work

Thank you sir.