From the minute you open your social media newsfeed to the minute you check your notifications - you are bombarded with ads calling for your attention. As a business owner, this is a double-edged sword. Making an ad film that people will actually click on and sit through is challenging, but achieving it isn’t impossible either. When Symbo reached out to us for a video ad requirement, we pulled up our socks, and bagged ourselves a deal for a 1:26 mins long ad film. Thus began our 3-month-long stint to make the perfect ad film for Symbo.
Every second is precious for a viewer these days. You have only a few seconds to make your video shine through before they decide to skip your ad or continue watching it. At Orange Videos, we believe that multiple revisions and attention to detail during every second of the video are non-negotiable to give a client a satisfactory ad film. After understanding Symbo’s business model and holding a few discussions with the clients, we arrived at the main idea they wanted to communicate - The benefits and ease of having a point of purchase insurance with Symbo.
The Pre-production Circus
Like in every pre-production phase, this phase of the project began by finding the best way to communicate Symbo’s message - humour. We also attribute this to the CGO of Symbo - who happens to be a veteran improv artist during his after-work hours. He invited our team to one of his improv nights and impressed us with his acting and comic skills. Before we could begin our hunt for actors, we found someone who was willing and a perfect fit for the ad film. The CGO played the part of the eyewear store customer in the ad film, whereas the other improv comedian took the role of the storekeeper. After the script was finalised and we were done envisioning the ad film sequence through our storyboard sketches, we started putting together the make-believe eyewear store. The background store you blink through and pay little heed to during the video is something that needed logo designing, printing, set-up, and weeks of attention to detail. A few days before the shoot day, the costumes that were finalised got lost in a rather busy auto-ride. We had to re-print the logos on the t-shirt and get a new jacket that the buyer sports in the video. We encountered a handful of similar curveballs but managed to sail through just fine with new lessons and rigour.
The Production Day Fun
The production day was the defining day of the entire ad film project. The folks from Symbo and our team came geared up to make the most of the one-day shoot. Our ad film director was prepared to motivate and guide the crew to put their best foot forward. After the actors were done getting a makeover and the lighting and camera angles were set, the director let out the lights, camera, action command. It took multiple takes and scenes before the crew and the director were satisfied with the final footage and the day came to an end.
The part where it all comes together
The most exciting part had finally begun in the post-production phase. The footage and animation were combined in a seamless transition. The first cut of the ad film was too long, so we decided to cut it short after the folks at Symbo agreed. We made the video more concise by cutting down on some scenes and pacing up the transition. The peppy music you hear in the background of Symbo’s ad is not stock music, it was created by an instrumentalist we hired after the final cut was ready. We also had another surprising addition - a ghazal singer. He is the man behind the alluring voice of Symbo’s ad film. You will be surprised to know that the original voiceover was much slower and it needed to be speed enhanced to 1.1x before being just right.
Alas, after 3 months of collaboration, creation and revisions, we got the rewarding feeling of delivering the perfect ad film to Symbo. Creating an ideal ad film is not a one-man, one day task. Yet, the rewarding feeling and the results that follow are worth it. Hit play to see the magic we created for 1:26 mins. Caution: You won’t be able to hit pause!
Want to create an Ad Film? Get in touch with us today!
