When a job request comes through the door for us at Benchmark Media & Entertainment we immediately begin the Pre-Production process. It’s an incredibly important stage of creating content and it’s one we really work closely with the client on.
Introducing a fresh approach to Sydney’s finest seafood. At Flying Fish at The Star, you’ll discover the very best from Australian and New Zealand waters served with sublime simplicity. Delicately prepared with a tempered hand, each dish reflects a philosophy of less waste, more flavour. And with a wine list and level of service that’s simply second to none, Flying Fish will take your love of seafood to new heights.’
This was the copy we were given that was going to go out with the Flying Fish film we were yet to make. It really sets the scene for what our client was looking for, and therefore our was to interpret it and bring it to life in a unique way that was true to the brand.
The first thing we do is a reverse brief “a directors treatment”. It’s vision, words, style guide and technique presented after our team de-codes the brand. It’s a vision on paper on how we will execute the film before we turn the camera on. Our treatment for Flying Fish focused on the ‘very best seafood’ element and made the seafood the hero of the story. Giovanni creates our director’s treatments and his research is always extensive making sure the brand is represented in it’s most honest form. It’s important to note that sometimes it’s a script we deliver, especially if there are talent and acting involved. For this example, we were only dealing with visuals. Our treatments also take into account the best strategy for publishing content. Where will they be used? When? Who is the audience? Here’s a snippet from our treatment:
‘This visual seafood bravura celebrates the freshest local produce in a semi-refined, rustic environment where elegance meets humble, and class meets comfort… This is a vibrant display of sensational and delicious visuals that evoke memories of our great local seafood culture and seasonal produce. Executed on location with accompanying props and backgrounds our styling is “book photography in motion” that’s what we are going for.’
Sold!
The reverse brief/treatment was agreed upon! The imagery that accompanied the text was perfect, and exactly what they wanted to see. Next step? Costs… Some people find this part of the job the trickiest, but it really shouldn’t be. Our approach is transparency. Our estimates are formatted in line by line costs where our clients can see exactly how their $$ are spent on the production and delivery of the project. Our upfront and transparent approach ensure that both client and supplier deliver the highest end production for their spend with no waste.
Setting up the actual shoot, and organizing the crew, locations, schedules, booking equipment and organizing talent and product is the next step. Our pre-production is very extensive. With our background in feature film, television and TVC’s we know how important this process is to get right the first time. That’s the end game… A smooth shoot. The look and feel for the whole end product is established in Pre-Production. There are discussions about music, edit’s, pace, tone which is the other half of the job… Post production.
Producing this project was a lot of fun. Giovanni is always looking for new and exciting ways to showcase food and produce, and having spent the last 15 Months directing over 40 TVC’s for ALDI Supermarkets he brings great new and fresh ideas that really took the concept of Flying Fish to a whole new level.
Not only are there flying fish, there’s flying lobsters, moving crabs, but above all this, amazing food shots, that represents the brand and dining destination in its true form.
Stay tuned for more about the shooting phase in our next blog…
FLYING FISH from Benchmark Media & Entertainment
Producer: Paul Sullivan
Director: Giovanni Pacialeo
