Shot Cut & Colored Blog #002 - BJC HealthCare “Back to Normal”
My First Local Super Bowl Commercial…kind of.
Shot by Stephen Greathouse, Cut by 90degrees West, Colored by 90degrees West
At the beginning of 2021 I received a text message from a director to put on hold a last-minute healthcare TV commercial. With the Super Bowl just around the corner, the client was hoping to shoot, edit, and delivery within a few short weeks before kickoff. After receiving a text message from the first director to release the dates for this shoot I received a call from a 2nd director who found themselves pitching for the same project and requested that I put that date on hold. A few days later I was asked by the second director to release the dates after losing the bid but low and behold a 3rd Director reached out and had me hold those same dates for the same gig. Long story short, we shot the ad in time for the big game and to my surprise, it did not air during the game. So I stayed up late and continued to watch the same channel hoping to see the familiar frames from the shoot day but the clients went with a different angle. All that to say, the ad has since been aired and I have caught it live on TV while watching my local hockey team battle in the playoffs. Below are a few breakdowns from that project.
BJC HealthCare “Back to Normal”
The idea of “normal” will be so much sweeter with the pandemic behind us. Things may even seem different, better. What won’t change is BJC’s commitment to the health and safety of our community, to Our World, Made Better.
The Gear & Location:
For this project, we shot on the new Alexa Mini LF paired with a set of Zeiss Supreme Primes. The camera lived on an easy rig that operated except for some of the green screen work where the camera stayed locked on sticks. We shot at 6 locations throughout the St. Louis area from hospitals to homes, from the Arch grounds to Bad Dog Studios.
Camera Prep at Bad Dog Studios
The Tech-Scout:
One of my favorite tools to use during a tech scout is the panorama feature on my iPhone. I use the pano photos for when I’m back home creating a shot design/lighting plan.
House location
St. Louis Ferris Wheel
Hospital Room
Location #1: The House
I like to sketch up a simple camera shot design per location in order to visualize and communicate with my keys where I intend to put the camera and lights. Below is an example of the original shot design for the house location plus or minus a few tweaks from the day.
Shot #1:
Dirty Wide Shot
The Action:
The family gathers around a lit birthday candle singing together.
The Lighting:
Behind the camera sat two large walls of windows of which we blacked out with various rags of duvetyn. Pulled the curtains down in the background and wrapped the daylight spill onto the grandpa in the middle with a 1x1 into the ceiling. We swapped out all the practical bulbs with matching led bulbs then mimicked that color with the titan tubes and edge lit the three talent sitting around the cake.
Breakdown #1 :
Camera tracks from left to right.
Shot/Lighting Design for the house location.
Location #2: The Ferris Wheel
Down at the Ferris wheel, we were in a battle for time and weather. The final edit is supposed to take place during Spring/Summer however, we were forced to shoot around spontaneous snowfall.
Shot #2
Medium 3 Shot
The Action:
A mother and her 2 daughters shuffle up a set of stairs in excitement outside the ferris wheel.
The Lighting:
Flanking both left and right of the frame are 2 Arri S-60’s full up on Mombo Combo’s dialed to match and motivate practical bulbs seen in the background.
Breakdown #2 :
Camera follow behind the talent.
Location #3: BJC HealthCare Hospital Room
Behind the camera at the hospital was a wall of windows that we flagged off to control the ambient light spill. I the background we had various nurses walking the halls.
Shot #3:
OTS Medium CU on Doctor
The Action:
The doctor approaches the patient lying in bed to discuss his current situation with empathy and professionalism.
The Lighting:
We had two Titan tubes set to a warmer 3200k edge lighting the doctor and giving him a small wrap around the left side of the face. We also had an Arri M18 bouncing off the white covers of the patient and filling in the doctor’s shadow side.
Breakdown #3:
Camera dollies/floats slightly in towards the doctor.
Location #4: Bad Dog Pictures
Behind the camera at the hospital was a wall of windows that we flagged off to control the ambient light spill. I the background we had various nurses walking the halls.
Shot #4:
The Action:
The audience erupts in excitement after a great play from the home team.
The Lighting:
We had two 10k Tungsten Fresnel shooting through a roll of full CTB into a 12x12 Ultra Bounce rigged above the talent to create a soft ambient top light. Wrapping behind the talent from the right is an 8x8 Ultra bounce filling in the shadows. On the left of the frame, we wrapped an 8x4 bleached muslin to help wrap the overhead and catch some of the sunlight around the talent. As for the “sun-light,” we had a 5k Tungsten light through CTS and a 4x4 frame of opal to warm up the light and soften out the edges every so slightly.
Breakdown #4:
Camera Locked off on Sticks
BTS photo at Bad Dog Studios
BJC Health Care “Back to Normal” Video
Thank You:
Thank you for taking the time to dive into this breakdown. If you have any questions regarding this project or other projects I have shot, feel free to leave me a reply below.