Liquidspace "Business Meeting"

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Credits:

Director: Yiuwing Lam

Writer: Chris DeNinno

Director of Photography: Christian Evans

Producer: Russel Sher

Production Designer: Pam Chien

Editor: Yiuwing Lam

Why this script/concept? How does it reflect your vision as a commercial director?

I thought Chris' script was really funny and well written. It really jumped off the page for me in terms of the hilarity of the concept and it was easy for me to imagine the chaos of trying to hold a meeting at Chuck E. Cheese...since I've spent so much of my early career holding pre-pro meetings at Starbucks... 

As a director, I love comedy that's visually absurd but grounded in realistic characters. That way, the audience can relate to the characters even when they may be in situations and environments you could never imagine them to be in.   

What was the casting process like?

We used an online casting service and held digital auditions. We found our two Businessmen as well as our kids this way. The cast was great-- especially Chris Bonomo, the lead Businessman, who I think really "nailed it". To round out the cast, my wife drafted her co-workers who used their vast experience in corporate America to give very "method" responses.  

How did you search for/lock a location?

The script took place at Chuck E. Cheese so we knew it had to be a Chuck E. Cheese. Luckily, they had a sense of humor and said yes!

How did you select your DP, crew?

I've worked with Christian Evans, our DP, and Pam Chien, our PD, on a bunch of spots and not only are they talented and fantastic people, they actually like working with me (or so they pretend)! So it was a no-brainer to work with them on this-- they're fantastic! And our producer Russel Sher came aboard via a recommendation and since then I've had the pleasure of working with him on  more spots-- he's a calming force of nature.

How did shooting go? Any challenges?

The shoot went super smooth. We actually wrapped ahead of schedule. That's a testament to the professionalism of the crew, the amazing actors and Russel's awesome producing chops. The only real challenges was the early 5am call time but surprisingly the kids weren't affected by this at all. Go figure! They were at Chuck E. Cheese, playing games, eating cake and spritzing each other with water guns-- they literally didn't want to leave!

Tell us about editing and finishing.

Since we had no budget to hire anybody, I did the editing myself on Premiere, mixed it in Adobe Audition, and did the color correction in Da Vinci Resolve. It was actually really fun but definitely time consuming. 

In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?

Hmmm.... everything went so smooth, I really don't think there'd be anything I'd like to change. Maybe better crafty? Though, this was a spec....

1-800-DENTIST "Halloween"

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Credits

Director/Producer: Clayton Broomes, Jr.
Writer: Daniel Gray
Cinematographer: Kimberlee Venable
Editor: Kyra Uniejewski
Colorist: Donato Boccia
Production Sound Mixer: Brian Neris
Post Sound Editor: Carlos "Storm" Martinez - Creative Mixing
Art Production/Wardrobe: Susan Olupitan
Dentist: Keith Johnston
Father: James Ware
Mother: Sidse Ploug Soerensen
Son: Sebastian Broomes
Daughter: Simone Ware
Voice Over: James Scott

Why this script/concept? How does it reflect your vision as a commercial director?

The script spoke to me immediately. I am a fan of outrageous, over-the-top comedy in commercials, the kind you see come from Geico. I also felt it would be doable considering the budget I had to work with.

What was the casting process like?

I've made a few shorts and one award winning feature film in the past, and the casting process for those previous films were nothing like the casting process for this commercial. Since I had working relationships with so many actors, I just cast actors I knew. The dentist Keith Johnston starred in my feature film (Pro-Black Sheep) and in my most recent short film (Grey Dawn). He's talented and great to work with. I figured I would cast my son to play the son and his classmate from Pre-K to play the daughter, who I have seen perform in a school show and thought she would be a natural. We're close with her mom and knew her dad was also an actor, so it was a no-brainer to ask him to play the father in this commercial. As for the mom, she was referred to us by an actress friend who couldn't do the weekend we planned on shooting. And there you have it...

How did you search for/lock a location?

I just used my mother's house here in Brooklyn.

How did you select your DP, crew?

My friend Ellie, who also starred in Pro-Black Sheep, is doing graduate studies in film at Columbia University and I asked to see her reel to choose a DP she worked with. Kimberlee's clip was the shortest on the reel but I knew right away that she can help get the look I wanted for this commercial. The production sound mixer Brian was referred to me by one who I worked with on Grey Dawn.

How did shooting go? Any challenges?

Shooting went really well. The easiest thing I ever shot so far in the 17 years I've been picking up the camera. The only problem was the lawn people using a leaf blower in a neighboring house around the corner. I had to go to them a few times to let them know we were shooting and that the blower is ruining our sound. They were respectful about it. Unfortunately, it was the neighbor that demanded they do more. Eventually, they were finished and the sound was fine. The best thing was the overcast I desired for the production. It was great.

Tell us about editing and finishing.

I had my editor Kyra Uniejewski edit the film without me present. She edited my latest short but now lives in Jersey. Being at her place wasn't necessary. She would do a cut and I would give her notes, back and forth. There were at least 4 to 5 rounds of this until we got it just right. She's good like that. Then I turned to Carlos "Storm" Martinez, an aikido buddy of mine, who did sound editing for such films as the 2010 Oscar winning short film God of Love. Like my editor, I wasn't present to walk him through post sound. It wasn't necessary. He did 2 cuts with notes and it was done. I worked with colorist Donato Boccia who was referred to me by Kyra for my short film Grey Dawn. Again, I wasn't present. He gave me 2 samples and that was it.

In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?

More coverage. It wasn't necessary for a 30 second spot but it never hurts.

Any other thoughts.

The original spec didn't have the parents running away, screaming, abandoning their children. I thought of it and ran it by Daniel Gray, the copywriter. He thought it would be funny so I did it. And Keith Johnston as the Dentist improvised the "You want some candy" line in the end.

SiriusXM "Fountain of Youth"

Click here to watch.

Credits:

Director:  Paul Yates 

Creative Director:  Daniel Gray

Cinematographer: Clive Lawrie

Producer: Darry Tuchman

Editor: Paul Yates

Colorist: Pudding

Audio Post: HeyPapaLegend

Audio Mixer: HeyPapaLegend

Art Director/Warddrobe - Renate Schulz

Old Man: Alan Barsdorf

Why this script/concept? How does it reflect your vision as a commercial director?

I loved this script because it required a strong performance from my lead and it had a subtle and smart humor that is hard to find in commercials. The concept was also very character-driven which I like. 

What was the casting process like?

The casting process was quite unusual because it required us to audition elderly men who had to dance for us. We saw A LOT of older men dancing for us so at times it was quite funny. It was a challenge finding someone who was elderly but still had a youthful energy about them. I think we succeeded in finding the perfect person with Alan. 

How did you search for/lock a location?

We needed to find an old age home that had a lot of character. We literally just searched online for retirement homes and went to see them. We got lucky with our location (The Nazareth House) as it wasn’t listed on many sites but we somehow stumbled across it. The building is over 100 years old and has amazing props and furniture (like the porcelain bulldog in the beginning of the spot) so we didn’t have to do too much set decor/art direction. A lot of it was already there!

How did you select your DP, crew, etc.?

I got my DP’s name through my producer who showed me his reel. I was looking for a cinematic look for the ad and Clive’s reel really had some beautiful shot stuff. He also is just a really nice guy and we were on the same page with alot of the ideas. The rest of the crew I found through friends and my producer. 

How did shooting go? Any challenges?

Shooting went well. We didn’t go over budget or time and managed to get all the shots we wanted. The main challenge was really nailing the performance. Alan, the lead, struggled (understandably so) to evoke that energy and emotion with every take and as the takes progressed there were more and more breaks in concentration so we really had to try and manage that as much as we could. 

Tell us about editing and finishing.

I edited the film myself with the help of a friend. The main challenge was really being ruthless with the material and identifying what was and wasn’t important to include. You have to work really quickly in a commercial to establish the scene so it was tough to balance that with making sure we didn’t have too much in there. We also found the song being played in the beginning in post so it was great to see how that brought the film alive and I tried to match the rhythm of the edit to the song as well. 

In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently?

In hindsight, I would have given myself more time with Alan’s performance. I should have let Alan work through the scenes a bit more to find that authenticity instead of having to cut around things in post. All in all though I think Alan was great and I’m happy with the final product!!