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COX Communications Letus Ultimate Sony EX1 Commercial
I shot the human element of the spot in a few hours at a home in Rhode Island. All lighting was from a single Kino-Flo Diva 400 fixture with four 55 watt 3000k florescent lamps. I used my custom dolly to make the simple shots more engaging and dynamic. I used mostly my Nikon 55mm f1.2 super fast prime lens with the very sharp Letus Ultimate. I also used a Nikon 24mm f2.8 and a 85mm f2. At the end of the shoot, I dumped the SxS cards to my laptop, backed the 7.5GB of 1080p footage to a USB 8GB “Geek Stick” and met up with TJ in a parking lot. I gave him the USB flash drive and I was done. TJ built the graphics, edited the piece and delivered it via FTP. The client recorded the digital file to analog Betacam SP video tape and that is how it got on the air. This company is still using Betacam SP and airing stuff in SD. One of the few clients I have left down converting my stuff!  All this footage was shot with the Sony PMW-EX1 in 1080p and the Letus Ultimate 35mm lens adapter. Graphics, color grading and editing done on Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects by TJ Powers. The commercial is currently airing in standard definition 4:3.
All of this footage is used with permission. This video is not intended to be downloaded and property of Cox Communications. 11 comments to COX Communications Letus Ultimate Sony EX1 Commercial |
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Copyright © 2010 Tom Guilmette - All Rights Reserved |
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Hi,
This is nothing against you or your friend, you did great work for your client, but I can’t stand commercials like this where they subject you to a barrage of VO, zooming graphics and big fonts.
ha! thanks steve. i agree with you. this is a tv commercial format that apparently works really well, so companies keep on using it! perhaps this is why i bought the shamwow.
Hey Tom, what frame rate did you shoot it at? 24 and then convert to 30, or did you just shoot is at 30?
i just shot at 30p as the client requested.
Hi Tom,
I love your work, but I can’t get too excited about the TV commercial…
It’s too bad that these commercials are so mind numbing and uncreative…any artistic qualities lent by the DOF adapter are offset by the inane qualities of the commercial’s message…
It’s actually a bit demoralizing to see creative and artistic tools used in such a banal way…
Ronen
ronen! dont get too excited about this. i posted this because i got permission to do so and want to show people that i do all kinds of work. i do a lot of this type of stuff because the money is good. i always try very hard to raise the bar on any production, but like i said before, this type of annoying guy talking, graphics flying, tv spot is very popular and apparently works well to sell stuff.
no matter how big or small, creative or cookie cutter, i do it all and try to add some sort of flare to the production. in this case it was the simple dolly moves and shallow depth of field.
thanks for the comment and i am glad you follow my work so closely.
tom
Hi Tom,
After reading my message again I see how negative it comes across…
I just want you to know that I appreciate your work and the fact that you tried to bring some creativity to the commercial by the use of shallow DOF…
Since your personal work is so creative I think that writers/makers of this commercial should have consulted with you about how to bring their message across in a more creative way…
Keep up the good work…
Ronen
no problem ronen. thanks for the kind words.
sometimes, i wish they would involve me in the creative process from start to finish. this, however, is not always the case with many clients. i do my best with what i have, what they give me and how i execute the job. but, at the end of the day, the client dictates what the final product looks like.
nothing against the creative minds at cox communications, this type of television spot works and people pick up the phone and order this type of service. that is important. stick with what works.
some spots are too creative and the message gets lost!
Hey Tom, I love your work, you inspire me to get into film and DOP. I have you as a contact in Vimeo and I always look forward to watching your movies. Thanks for posting such informative stuff in here. Keep it up!
Even though most at home on feature sets, I too have made a few of these, where even if the client/general populus are unaware of exactly why, they do perceive something is somehow better. This work is fun, and as Tom mentioned, lucrative, and it keeps us in the game. Every project has its challenges, and I also welcome working with people, sometimes where I’m right at the bottom of the food chain. Humbling. After all, attitude is at least 50% of this industry.
Another thing I have not seen addressed in discussions about using 35mm lenses and adapters is the ability to shoot with far less optical distortion; where one sets up the internal lens at a zoom length where it’s usually optimal, and then using better front end glass, one can get both beautiful bokeh (or not, depending on demands of the scene) and better geometrical precision. Thus: Even after going through multitudes of elements, a mirror, spinning ground glass and the camera’s lens we still like it better!
The “naked” EX1 is great, but not optically versatile/satisfying. However, until the DSLRs come of age (close, but not quite there yet), or the Red people actually can ship/support to wherever I am likely to be in the world, or another player enters the game, the EX1/Letus combo will live to see another day, and may even gain strength.
nicely put. there is alot of this type of work out there. i do not enjoy it totally, but whenever i get involved, i do what i can to make it more visually interesting. i also enjoy meeting new people and these type of jobs lead you to other jobs that might be a bit more fun!