Pre-Production
After pitching this concept to the brand, we ventured out to tackle casting our HERO FATHER. We were looking for a man who could represent the ‘everyday bloke’. A man who works with his hands and who speaks from his heart. After doing an extensive search online through multiple casting forums, we were able to find an actor, Clinton, who already had some really fun, comedic commercials under his belt.
It was imperative that our HERO FATHER could walk the line of sweet and funny - the only way that our concept can work is if his effort to obtain all of Jerky Co.’s line as his greatest pursuit is told with a grounded sincerity. It’s silly, but also really cute. And as soon as Clinton jumped on board, we knew our HERO FATHER was in good hands.
Next came finding the perfect location; we wanted the HERO FATHER’s workshop to feel intimate and like his private sanctuary. But we also had to keep in mind the lack of natural light in generic tools sheds. Thankfully, we had a friend who had recently opened up a woodwork factory and were keen for us to use the space.
We then ventured out to the location for a recce, bringing our prop (the pegboard/turned shrine) to see how best we could utilise the space. This also gave us an opportunity to anaylse the natural light the location allowed for, and what professional lighting we could add to bring the shots to life.
The final stage was a pre-production meeting for all our crew to go over the shot list and call sheet for the day’s shoot. Most importantly, we wanted the interview/’Talking Head’ to have the most time allocated for the day - to cover ourselves for sound and variation between Clinton’s performance. Once we had agreed upon what equipment we required for the shoot day ahead, we were ready to go.
Production
Once we got to set, the crew all began organising the various setups; production design, lighting, sound and camera. A fun aspect to this location was that, as it was an active worksite, we were able to bring out our smoke machine to add some ambiance to all our shots. This made for the HERO FATHER’s workspace to feel lived in and ensure our lighting was cinematic.
When Clinton arrived, we jumped straight into filming his Interview. Thanks to our extensive planning, we had the allocated time to give Clinton a chance to play around with different ways of delivering his lines. Giving him direction on intention and pacing, we made sure that once we got into the edit, we could save ourselves having covered so many versions of the script.
Next came our time to shoot all the B-Roll that would be intercut throughout the commercials. This gave us a chance to lean into the comedy here - as it’s not clear at the start of the spot exactly what he’s building, we could utilise the tools that were organically in the worksite to showcase the HERO FATHER building something out of wood; collecting tools, planing edges, blowing sawdust dramatically into the air. All these elements combined to really tee-off our final hero shot of the product on the pegboard, which we had pre-rigged to be backlit with an LED strip light, further enhancing the comedy in this man’s pride and joy.
Post-Production
The first stage of our edit was the assembly of the best version of the script; we selected Clinton’s best performance across the shoot, and then started narrowing down the script to ensure it was as concise as possible for the end delivery. We never wanted the script to take away from the imagery of the craftsmanship going on, but work in concert with those cutaways.
The next stage was finding the perfect piece of music to accompany the spot that spoke to the sincerity of the character’s journey, but also leaned into the dramatic nature of his passion. This proved to be really fun discovering the many different versions this campaign could be simply through a slightly different tone of music. But the piece we ultimately landed on, allowed for audiences to either be in on the joke or not. Whichever way it’s interpreted, it’s never taking away from the quality of the spot or brand appreciation.
Assembly complete, we decided to focus on our hero shot of Jerky Co’s collection. George, our editor, came up with a super creative idea: he would superimpose the flat lay product shots Jerky Co. provide to us for their entire line so that each product really stands out. This also allows for this same campaign to be used in future for Father’s Day’s to come, with new products being switched out, providing longevity for the brand and their investment in this campaign.
Results
The final campaign was really well received by our client, Jerky Co. and shared to their wide audience across all social media platforms. From the initial conception of the campaign - to the pitch deck, storyboard, shot list and final delivery - throughout this entire process., we were able to execute the client’s vision, while also maintaining our cheeky Spicy Tiger flare.
We’re proud to have been a part of this campaign; as an ode to the Father’s out there with passions and dreams, no matter how big or small. Their loved ones can support them easily with Jerky Co., Because Every Dad Deserves The Best.
