Here is the story of 12 commercial films, 90 crazy days, a pandemic – and an Addy award with our client Lenovo.
We were set to shoot last March when the pandemic changed everything. We faced major unknowns. Can we shoot during a lockdown? How? And most importantly – how to protect the crew?
After a few remote shoot experiments that failed, LA authorities issued new guidance: crews limited to 10; mandatory tests, masks and 6ft distance; leading to the elimination of on-set makeup; etc.
Our scripted 40-people crew approach went out the window. Instead of actors, we found real small business owners who shared their real stories — unscripted, raw, recorded in their work environments. (For one it was a swimming pool — fun!)
video production process for Lenovo
Ten phenomenal entrepreneurs talked about how they used tech in their business every day. The stories were gripping, we were excited. And everything that could go wrong — did so:
– Day one, neighbor complaints stopped the shoot
– Day two, one of the business owners reported they’d contracted Covid. It turned out to be a false-positive, but in the meantime, we had to shut everything down, get everyone retested, have dozens of heated conversations – “I’m sorry but I have to inform you that the crew that visited the locations, was exposed and I strongly advise you take a Covid test…”
When we finally got ALL negative results and were ready to resume filming… LA got slammed with protests. Our art director was attacked at a bar protecting his friend’s property from looters. Carrying around $500K equipment in a van was not an attractive option. We decided to wait again.
It was worth it. Our Lenovo video series tells amazing, human stories. Lenovo was happy, the videos saw 5M+ views and we won an SF Addy award.
Most importantly — everyone had a blast.
HUGE THANKS to our crew who made it through.
We will be posting one video every day — check them out and tell us what you think!!
Video #1 features Brett Stanley – an underwater photographer and podcast host, who loves creating dream-like sequences in the depths of his swimming pool.
Client: Lenovo
Agency: Position2
Production company: Feel Good Video
Executive Producer: Katia Kostiukova
Director: Anthony Pietromonaco
DP: Chris Hamilton
Line Producer: Alastair Ramsden
Gaffer: Jonathan Shryder
Grip: Zach Davis
1st AC: Tiffany Murray
Tech support: Brian Cardona
DIT Ben Crump
Art/Set Dresser: Jose Rojas
PA: Hunter Moranville
Postproduction: Michael Papavero
