Bosch let drifting champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. loose on the (closed course) streets of Los Angeles with his “Bosch-sparked” Mustang and a few extra sets of tires to create what they’re calling “Performance Art” (or “Abstract on Asphalt” depending on which version of the video you’re watching), and I’m sure the resulting commercial resonates well among the automotive audience that they’re trying to target:
They also took the extra step to create a ‘behind the scenes’ video for the commercial as well:
Unfortunately, what Bosch didn’t do (besides host the ‘behind the scenes’ on Vimeo) was use that ‘behind the scenes’ video to highlight anything drastically different from the commercial itself, so it ends up looking like a collection of B-roll footage, some close-up shots of their logo and Vaughn saying “Bosch” a few extra times.
For their Timesculpture commercial, Toshiba created such a unique and innovative idea that it needed its own ‘making of’ video just to explain the process; but Bosch’s video comes off as just another attempt at selling to their audience, and is differentiated from the commercial only by the fact that it includes a few extra shots of the car with another camera in them as well, and the fact that they show a few ‘pre-production’ screens that still have the film borders around them. (In fact, I’d go as far as to say that the ‘behind the scenes’ version should have just been the main commercial to begin with, since it’s interesting in its own way, and has a more raw and gritty feel to it that would probably have been a better fit for their target market.)
I’m not saying that the ‘behind the scenes’ video was a bad video, since it was obviously well produced and contained some interesting shots and angles, but rather, that when I watch a ‘behind the scenes’ style video, I want to see more than just a few extra camera angles, and not feel like I’m being sold to again just because I clicked Play.
Show me a little more about the video and how it was made. Slow the shots down and make them longer, remove the rave music, include some facts and figures, talk about the equipment, explain why the commercial was innovative, highlight a mistake or two made in the process and make it something that doesn’t just feel like a mishmash of shots that didn’t make it into the final production. In short, really take me ‘behind the scenes’ and make me feel like a part of the production crew.
Often, I think this problem stems from the fact that companies are planning out the ‘behind the scenes’ video in their heads long before the actual commercial starts filming. Instead of looking at the ‘behind the scenes’ video as a chance to explain their process a little bit and show off their creativity, they look at it as another chance to sell to their target market, and forget that they can expand that target market quite a bit if they just cater to a slightly different crowd.
If you know the automotive enthusiasts are already going to be giddy over your main commercial, then give the film geeks a version that talks all about the equipment used or the fight the sun put up during the filming process; give the physics guys a version that talks about the suspension setup and the way you positioned the camera to highlight the best angles and the most action; or even just create a video that highlights the director’s process and the way that he interacts with the crew for those that want to know the personality behind the lens. Maybe even consider hiring a separate film crew to shoot the behind the scenes footage, or make it as simple as a guy with a Flip camera that catches moments often left on the cutting room floor, since it’s this ‘uncensored’ take on the commercial that we’re looking for when going behind the scenes.
Make it different, make it special, and make it something worth watching for its own unique value, because if it’s just a few extra seconds of footage that didn’t make it into the final cut, you’re missing out on all that a ‘behind the scenes’ video can be.
The Good:
- Additional footage gives interested viewers more to look at.
- Raw and gritty style means a small budget can still deliver a large amount of value.
The Bad:
- Lack of additional information decreases the added value.
- Pass-along decreased by limiting the target market.
- Over selling is unneeded for an audience that’s already engaged.
The Future:
- Make sure your ‘behind the scenes’ video really takes us behind the scenes, because there are plenty of people that want to know more than just what a film set looks like.
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Mon, Dec 1, 2008
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