In late 2013, Dream Engine were hired by the Melbourne-based media agency Freshlime to produce a TVC for one of their newest clients: Jim’s Mowing.
Pre-Production
The first step in the production process, “Pre-Production”, is the most important stage. A key concern of any television commercial production team is that the project will run over time or over budget. Dream Engine’s approach includes comprehensive pre-production planning and keen attention to detail, to ensure that the latter stages run as smoothly as possible.
As Freshlime’s Chris Long put it:
“Pre-production, to any television commercial, or even corporate video, is the crucial factor. And the great thing is that Dream Engine realises that as well. They worked with us hand-in-hand, just so that on the day, it all [went] well and smoothly, and we know that nothing will jump up and bite us, because our job is to get the best shots, the best performance, and the best TV commercial on the day.”
Dream Engine worked closely with Freshlime and Jim’s Mowing to scout locations, hire additional crew, and storyboard the TVC, so that once the cameras began rolling, the entire creative process could just flow through without stress or surprise.
On the Day
When we arrived at the shoot, we reaped the benefits of all the hard work done in pre-production. Key concerns for outdoor shoots – especially with Melbourne’s erratic early-summer weather! – include the possibility of rain; variability in lighting; and other circumstances such as availability of extras, and access to the location. But Dream Engine’s specialty is thinking about, and planning for, these concerns.
We scheduled the shoot for a day that had perfect weather planned. We hired an experienced gaffer who could adjust his lighting setups on the fly to account for changes in natural lighting. And we ran tightly to schedule to ensure that extras – and the crew! – could come and go at the times they were organised for.
Occasionally, some of our new corporate clients are apprehensive about shoot days – about how stressful they’ll be, how long they are, and how much can go wrong. At Dream Engine, we invest care and effort in to planning each shoot, to ensure that once we’ve arrived on the day, we can get the right shots, at the right time, without any stress.
The Results
We produced two versions of the Jim’s Mowing TVC for Freshlime: a fifteen-second version and a thirty-second version. These television commercials were shown on Channel 7 Melbourne and Network Ten Melbourne during the Australian summer, reaching a huge audience. For a more in depth look at the process that a video goes through in post production have a look at part three of our exploration of the stages of video production.
The Jim’s Mowing TVCs were produced on time, to budget, and without any hiccups along the way. These are the benefits of in-depth planning, hiring the right crew, and working closely with the client at every step of the way – the key features of working with Dream Engine on a television commercial shoot.
Troy Tonkin, Founder and Director of Freshlime, shared this testimonial:
“We presented the final outcome to the client, and really, they were overwhelmed. They hadn’t had something so good in the past. Overall, it’s a fantastic result.”
Are you planning a television commercial shoot in Melbourne? Contact Dream Engine today.
Ryan Spanger is one of Melbourne’s most respected and sought-after video production professionals. Ryan founded Dream Engine in 2002, and specialises in helping medium to large corporates, government departments, and the non-profit sector to connect with their audience more effectively by using video.
