_the Challenge
To bring up together TikTok stars @your_boy_moyo and @annapetersondental, and make it work. Just kidding, that was the easy part, cause they're great! The real challenge was to make it work over 6 scripts in one day. And before that - to make client (and their legal team, guarding extremely tricky compliance policies on what you can/cannot say in medical ad in UK) happy!
Tons of legal compliance limitations + necessity for authentic comedy + shooting 6 scripts in a day. What could possibly go wrong?
To bring up together TikTok stars @your_boy_moyo and @annapetersondental, and make it work. Just kidding, that was the easy part, cause they're great! The real challenge was to make it work over 6 scripts in one day. And before that - to make client (and their legal team, guarding extremely tricky compliance policies on what you can/cannot say in medical ad in UK) happy!
Tons of legal compliance limitations + necessity for authentic comedy + shooting 6 scripts in a day. What could possibly go wrong?
Also, shooting for TikTok specifically, it needed to look native. But not too native, cause we're talking Oral B ad, not amateur smartphone shooting. But not too beautiful, cause it had to feel social native. But... you get my point.
_the Solution
On the script front: Oral B did great job twice. First: trusting me to write kind of sweet but absurd gags. Secondly: saying "NO!" to my proposition for Anna & Moyo to sing Snoop Dog's "Red Light Green Light" while pretending electric toothbrushes to be joints. That was probably fifteen steps too far.
On the visual front: be the judge yourself. The grading goes for "elevated, but not too much, but elevated from just a smartphone" vibe - as confusing as the brief, but blends pretty well with both Anna's and Moyo's regular self-shot style, offering just a little "oomph" using little extra lighting and grading.
On the production front: CAM A = whip pans. CAM B = focus on Moyo. Talents to acknowledge each other + any camera at any time. Simple direction rules = smooth production. Despite having just a day, we've overshot with multiple options, and as I was on the project from its pre-start to finish, editing went lighting-fast, allowing us to focus on creativity and multiple options.
On the production front: CAM A = whip pans. CAM B = focus on Moyo. Talents to acknowledge each other + any camera at any time. Simple direction rules = smooth production. Despite having just a day, we've overshot with multiple options, and as I was on the project from its pre-start to finish, editing went lighting-fast, allowing us to focus on creativity and multiple options.
_the Results
Client ended up happy, re-booking talents and production team. Talents ended up happy, having brilliant extra pieces that felt like they've belonged to their social channels, and keen to work with us again. Agency ended up happy to have smooth sailing through the tricky world of social content.
Only I ended up unhappy, too tied up to the dismissed Snoop Dog song idea. You can't have it all. Nex time I'll try with toothbrushes as mics - wish me luck.
Client ended up happy, re-booking talents and production team. Talents ended up happy, having brilliant extra pieces that felt like they've belonged to their social channels, and keen to work with us again. Agency ended up happy to have smooth sailing through the tricky world of social content.
Only I ended up unhappy, too tied up to the dismissed Snoop Dog song idea. You can't have it all. Nex time I'll try with toothbrushes as mics - wish me luck.
