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Title: The 5-Step Blueprint for Crafting a Successful Business Commercial

In the dynamic world of advertising, where an unprecedented number of brands compete for the audience’s attention, creating a standout commercial can be a formidable challenge. To help navigate this journey, we’ve crafted a comprehensive five-step guide to producing a successful commercial for your business.

1. Define Your Commercial’s Objective

Every successful commercial begins with a clear and well-defined objective. It’s crucial to identify what you wish to achieve with your commercial. Are you introducing a new product, enhancing brand awareness, or promoting a specific event? Once you determine your goal, every element of your commercial should be crafted around supporting and achieving that aim.

location production

2. Understand Your Audience

Your audience is the compass that guides your commercial’s creation process. To craft a message that resonates, you need to understand their needs, wants, interests, and pain points. Carry out market research, conduct surveys, or engage in social listening to gather valuable insights about your target demographic. The more precisely you can tailor your message to your audience, the more successful your commercial will be.

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3. Develop a Compelling Story

We are hardwired for stories; they captivate us, evoke emotions, and make information more memorable. Your commercial should tell a compelling story that draws your audience in. This story should focus on the benefits of your product or service, demonstrating how it can solve a problem or improve the lives of your target audience. Remember, people buy with their emotions and justify with logic.

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4. Craft High-Quality Production

Quality production values aren’t just for big-budget commercials. Even with a modest budget, you can create a high-quality commercial by focusing on aspects such as scriptwriting, cinematography, sound design, and editing. Hire experienced professionals, if possible, and ensure that the commercial maintains a professional look and feel that reflects well on your brand. Don’t forget to incorporate your branding consistently and appropriately.

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5. Launch and Evaluate

Finally, you need to determine the best channels and times to air your commercial. This is where understanding your audience becomes particularly important; you should aim to reach them where they are most likely to be. After the launch, closely monitor the commercial’s performance, using KPIs such as reach, engagement, and conversion rates. Evaluating the commercial’s impact will allow you to learn and improve future campaigns.

Crafting a successful commercial is both an art and a science. It’s an iterative process that requires creativity, audience insight, strategic planning, and continuous evaluation. By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating commercials that captivate your audience and achieve your business goals. Remember, in the world of advertising, it’s not just about being seen—it’s about being remembered.

Production Studio Las Vegas

New F11 Rentals Las Vegas Studio Cyclorama - Open for Business

The studio cyc game in Vegas isn’t the easiest to navigate, especially for out of town productions that don’t know the offerings.  Sure, there are some decent places but most are too small for many productions, don’t deliver on amenities or are out of the way and not convenient for talent or crew.  That’s all changed with the opening of F11 Rentals Studio Cyc.  This newly built stage offers a 3 sided cyclorama, 26’x35’x36′ with 18′ tall clearance.  The stage offers free wifi, a secured yard with 12×14 rollup door and ample parking.  The conditioned stage is open for business at this time and will continue to upgrade it’s offering with new makeup/wardrobe space, green room, lofted production overlook and state of the art lighting grid, all of which are coming soon.

The space is large enough to accommodate vehicles, multiple talent productions, photo shoots, music videos and various types of large rehearsals for the entertainment industry.  The F11 network speed runs on fiber and offers plenty of upload and download speed for live streams productions.  The studio is situated next to the airport and is conveniently located not far from the strip.  To make things even more convenient F11 Rentals is one of the largest production rental houses in Las Vegas which makes it easy to add gear to any shoot in the studio before or during the shoot itself.  They also offer crew to fill out any production needs.

This studio, now open, will soon be the premiere cyclorama stage in Las Vegas and it’s exciting to finally have a space of this quality in the city.  Contact F11 to arrange a visit if you’re interested or to go their site to book it in 2020 or beyond.  This studio has the FiveSix stamp approval.


FiveSix ProductionsFIVESIX Productions

Shooting in a Green Room - No, Not that type of Green Room!

Corporate video production can have it's challenges.  One of these challenges is locations as we don't often get to choose where we shoot.  If we're lucky, we get a scout day or pictures of the location we're supposed to shoot in or we've been there before and already know what we're walking into.  In these cases, we are prepared with the correct lighting and grip set up to make everything look great.  But sometimes we go into a location blind as to what we'll be working with.  At these times it's best to bring a versatile lighting set up because sometimes a green room is exactly that.

Recently in Las Vegas, we walked into a room where the windows had such a strange tint on them that all the light coming into the room was an eerie green in color.  These were large floor to ceiling windows and there was no time or enough crew to gel them accordingly.  Luckily we had brought four Litepanel Gemini 1 x 1 LED panels.  With these lights we were able to dial in the amount of green to match the light coming in from the windows and then after that, it was simply white balancing the Canon C300 Mark II cameras accordingly.  The room, despite looking eerily haunted, looked perfect on camera and the subjects, instead of looking sickly, appeared vibrant.  It's a simple technique but would have been much more difficult to pull off without the right tools.   It's one of the things FiveSix is known for, everything turned out great in a less than ideal situation.  Effective video production is about being prepared, even if you're tossed into a glowing green room.

 


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Render This - New Mac Pro Arrives at FiveSix

Sometimes you just need a little extra power to spice things up in the office.  Here at FiveSix Productions, we've been running a few different workstations for some time now, a couple mac trashcans from awhile back and a couple newer imac pro machines.  But with the new Mac Pro out, we decided our Edit 1 Bay could use an extra boost.  So far so good.  We run the Adobe Creative Cloud suite working primarily with Premiere Pro and After Effects but also DaVinci Resolve for some color correction.  This machine takes on video editing, real time 2D and 3D graphics creation and powers through the renders at a much better click than its predecessor, but I should hope so for the price tag.  We didn't load it up with all the extras and purchased most of the additions from outside of Apple, though we did opt for the afterburner card to help with quick encoding.  We're only a few weeks in but our editors can surely tell the difference.

There isn't much else to say.  We've cut a commercial, half a dozen corporate videos and a short film so far and haven't had any issues.  We'll update soon once we've really put it to the test and have some hard data of our own to report.  Until then, happy cutting!

 


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Cast Away - Casting A Short Film

At FiveSix we do video productions of all types including corporate storytelling, commercial, reality, social media, political, event, documentary and short narrative films.  The last one in that list is fairly new to us and I'd like to chat about how the casting was done in a entirely different manner than our normal process.

FiveSix ProductionsFIVESIX Productions For most of our productions in town we use local talent.  There is a good pool of models, actors and actresses in Las Vegas to choose from.  We normally utilize the local agencies and find a group that fit our demographics for each project.  Then, together with our client, we choose the talent that fits the look and feel we're going for.  We call the finalists in for an audition, all in one day, and then pick the final group.  This happens within a day or two.  It's a fairly simple process and one that we have become quite efficient in over the years.

Now, when we started casting for the short films, it was different in two main ways.  The first was that the entire production was financed by FiveSix.   We didn't have the budget to bring in talent agencies and pay the costs that go along with using their services.  A different route was needed.  With a little research we discovered that there are plenty of great resources on-line that give you access to thousands of talented actors and actresses.  Sites such as Backstage and Casting Networks are great communities that help both producers and talent match together on a project.  We ended up posting our projects on backstage.com and having a great pool of talent to choose from.  We were able to advertise our day rate for each role and get only those people willing to work for that rate.  It helped tremendously in budgeting for the films.

The second main difference in casting for the short films was that we searched over the entire country and not just locally.  This brought us a couple of challenges.  We ended up doing many auditions through recorded video and not in person.  One of the best parts about casting live is that you can ask questions and try giving different direction with lines.  You can get a general feeling of how the actor moves with you as you craft a role.  This isn't so easy with a recorded audition.  We found that we were able to quickly get a feeling about a particular role when auditioning in person but with recorded auditions it took many more views and lengthy discussions within our team.  I would always advocate for in-person auditions but when you're on a tight budget and quick timeline, that's not always possible.

Moving forward, due to our ability to find what we were looking for through the on-line talent sites, I think we'll utilize both local agencies and on-line communities for any future auditions.  On a last note, casting is fun but also difficult for all parties involved as it brings about more rejections than acceptance.  I admire anyone who is willing to put themselves out there like that and audition for a role.  Good luck!


Commission

Round Table Video

Yesterday, FiveSix Productions, your go-to Las Vegas video production company (or so the "top brass" hopes), shot a round table discussion that to me, seemed nearly identical to a certain scene in The Godfather. There were seven subjects that conversed for a little over an hour. In order to light everyone evenly, and not make it look like a scene out of a mafia film (example here), we suspended two China ball lights over the center of the table, and built a nice duvetyne cage (of sorts) to eliminate spill. The table was outfitted with a white table cloth (grey would probably be more advisable (that's circumstantial though)) which luckily provided good fill light, without being too "hot".

For our cameras, we used two of our trusty Canon C300s, and our awesome new Sony A7s (F11 Rentals has one if you need to borrow it). We locked off the Sony on a set of sticks, and put one Canon on our awesome Dana Dolly, and another on "Ol' Reliable" our cinedolly (I pushed!). One of our awesome audio amigos owned the hell out of the mighty 664 audio mixer, and ran eight channels of sweet-awesomeness like a boss! (It feels as weird typing that as it would to say it- my bad, enough of that.)

So, if you want to set up a round table discussion, (or a tea party with Teddy Bear and Strawberry Shortcake), and you'd like to film it for whatever reason, we're your trusted Las Vegas video production company, and we have plenty of friends and know a great video gear rental house to get the job done. (Run on sentence!!!)


casino video production

Be Your Own Pit Boss #CasinoVideoProduction #ShootingInThePits

FiveSix Productions recently visited the ever-lavish, ever-dazzling, ever-hilarious Circus Circus Las Vegas where we had una muy bien tiempo y una grand fiesta shooting in the language of our downstairs neighbors. We threw some craps, rode a roller coaster, played some skeeball, and even went to a fancy dinner at the best steak restaurant in Las Vegas.

One of our locations included the craps and poker pits of the casino where we simulated some big-time winning! Given the nature of Las Vegas video production, we often find ourselves shooting commercials and corporate videos in such places, and have really found our niche. It may seem obvious and common sense, but always keep your eye to the pit boss, even with permission, there are definitely things you can't touch. Don't drool or whisper sweet nothings to the chips in the table safes- the eye in the sky frowns upon such things. There typically aren't a lot of electric outlets back there, so run electric wisely. There also isn't a lot of space, so build your stands in a tight, space-saving manor (so long as you can complete your job), and keep equipment to a minimum. Lastly, enjoy yourself; most of the weak, broke, common folk looking upon you with wanting, lonely eyes can only go back to Milwaukee or Little Rock or wherever they're from, day dreaming about the awesomeness that is radiating off you at that moment, because you're behind the velvet rope, and they're just eating cheese.

So, there  you have it, just some friendly, common sense reminders to help you next time you get to scale the mighty barricades of softness that keep safe the treasures that lie behind the royal flush you didn't get and the craps you didn't mean to throw.


time_constraints

Time Constraints #HurryUp #TimeConstraints

Working with time constraints can be very frustrating and difficult; the chances for mistakes multiply exponentially the faster the crew has to work, which adds stress and concern to all involved. One of the worst feelings on set is falling so far behind that you don't think you can catch up, and thus, you feel like you're making a lot of errors along the way.

Typically, shoots are scheduled on a pretty tight timetable as time is money; however, sometimes poor execution and/or unforeseen circumstances can take what was a well planned and scheduled shoot, and turn it into a problem-filled mess. The best advice which seems to go hand in hand with common sense is pre-production! Plan, plan, plan, and take it seriously. If you feel like you're beating a dead horse, you're doing it right. You can never be too prepared for anything, especially with video production in Las Vegas; also take into consideration everything you think could go wrong.

Unfortunately, you'll never be fully prepared for everything, and we're not all as amazing as Captain Hindsight; but the more you plan and try, the better you'll be. Also, keep a cool head on set, panicking only makes things worse, and spooks those dead horses.


Dana Dolly Review

Dana Dolly: Smooth Moves and Flexability #DanaDolly #SmoothMove #FilmGear

FiveSix Productions recently acquired at very cool, new tool for our arsenal that once again adds big tool/big budget features and abilities in a manageable size and for our Las Vegas Video Production team.

The Dana Dolly enables traditional dolly moves with equipment that is a fraction of the size, utilizing a fraction of the space. Now, before anyone gets too excited, there of course are limitations to the Dana Dolly that a traditional dolly wouldn't encounter. There is a weight limit for cameras on the Dana Dolly, a traditional dolly may be able to allow for more maneuverability of the camera on the mount (if it is equipped with a hydraulic arm that can raise and lower), and with the Dana Dolly, the operator can't switch sides mid shot, should that need arise. However, the Dana Dolly can hold up to 100lbs of camera, there certainly is a fair amount of maneuverability with the Dana Dolly's heads and attachments, and finally, there shouldn't be too many instances where the op wouldn't be able to get the shot from one side of the track. On top of all of that, the Dana Dolly can be positioned much more liberally and creatively compared to a very large and cumbersome cinedolly.

There are many different dollies of varying size, dimensions, uses, and more; the best thing is to buy what is going to be most practical and affordable for your most common needs. Having a dolly on set can add a really wonderful touch to any shoot, especially when doing pick-up shots during an interview, and it's a dream to have for b-roll.

If you are interested in renting a Dana Dolly, or full size cinedolly, our friends at F11 Rentals have both to accommodate your needs.


safety_on_set

Safety On Set #SafetyOnSet #FilmSetSafetyPractices

Safety on a film or video set should be priority one. On a big film or television set, or even on a music video, many times there are huge lights, a forest of stands and arms, and many lines of electricity running about. On a smaller video set, much like the ones that we at FiveSix Productions work on frequently, there are smaller lights, a much thinner forest of stands and arms, and typically, not deadly amounts of electricity, but still, one small mishap could be the difference between a good shoot, and a trip to the emergency room.

Some very simple, but often times overlooked or ignored safety precaution, that if done regularly, will become second nature, is utilizing sand bags on all your stands, irregardless of the size of light or flag attached. Even though a C-Stand seems stable, physics will prove that they're actually quite easy to knock over; I would hate to take even a 150 to the noodle. Bonus tip: the more sand bags you use, the more jacked and ripped you'll get; as the bros say, "Curls get the girls".

Whether you're a grip or not, proper work gloves can save your hands from burns, cuts, and pinches; I'd rather have healthy digits with which to eat delicious tacos with, eating with hooks is for chumps.

Also, never underestimate the value and power of your voice. Calling out "points" on set, can save you from nailing your director or talent in the grill with that 650 you're flying in. With your big boy or big girl voice, call out "striking" or "eyes" when you turn on any light; while it seems refreshing to have 1000 watts of beautiful 3200 Kelvin light blasting in your eye balls, it's not a healthy choice.

Corralling and organizing your stingers, XLRs, B&Cs, and emotions will also help in the prevention of slips, trips, and ... nothing else rhymes. Keep it organized, and use that gaff tape, there's plenty to go around.

Lastly, and most difficult of all, use common sense. It may not seem like you have any, but, it's in there, deep, deep down. Use your common sense, take an extra moment to "get it right", and no need to rush, let's be honest, there's no real hurry on any set.