When people think about television commercial production, it’s easy to picture the obvious things. The cameras, the lighting, actors and a director shouting out “action.”
Those are the key ingredients but after more than two decades working in production, we can verify that they’re not what determines whether a commercial succeeds.
Great productions are built by great people.
That might sound cliche but it’s one of the biggest lessons a career in TVC production can teach you. Exceptional productions are rarely the result of one talented individual. They’re the outcome of bringing together specialists whose expertise, experience and personalities complement one another – all working towards the same creative goal.
This is a philosophy that has shaped the way we’ve built Ottico Lab from the very beginning.
Television Commercials are a Team Sport
Producing a television commercial is about much more than creating an award winning visual to fill a media buy. Every campaign brings together a multitude moving parts.
- Production planning
- Scheduling
- Location scouting
- Designing the right crew
- Sourcing Talent
- Cinematography
- Sound
- Editing
- Colour grading
- Motion graphics
- CAD Approvals
- Broadcast delivery
Each production component contributes something specialized to the final result and every step influences the next.
The best productions don’t happen because one person knows how to do everything. They happen because every specialist is given the space to do what they do best. And that’s why we’ve never believed in simply filling roles for the sake of a list.
It’s About Designing the right team
One of the main principles that Ottico Lab was founded on is that no two productions are exactly the same. Different brands require different creative approaches. Different campaigns require different technical skills.
Sometimes the style of a cinematographer perfectly suits a retail campaign, and sometimes another specialist is a better creative fit.
Maybe the complexity of a production demands additional expertise. Or sometimes the budget will require a leaner crew without compromising quality.
The main point of the exercise isn’t to use the same people every time. It’s to deliberately build the right team for the campaign. That might seem like a subtle difference but it’s one of the things that defines the way we work.
Over the years we’ve been fortunate to build long-term relationships with exceptional cinematographers, sound engineers, editors, motion designers, photographers, producers and production specialists. Not because we outsource work. Because we’ve deliberately surrounded ourselves with people whose expertise consistently elevates every production.
Technical skills are only part of the equation
Yes, experience matters, Technical knowledge matters and a creative ability matters. But those qualities alone don’t create exceptional productions.
The people we continue to work alongside, all share something else. They’re people who are curious, love to continue to learn. They embrace new technology without losing sight of what they’ve built along the way. They collaborate and solve problems. They’re committed to the result – a great production.
And most importantly, they’re people clients enjoy working with too. Qualities like those generally don’t appear on a resume, but they make a huge difference on production.
The best ideas don’t come from one person
One of the most rewarding parts of producing television commercials is watching specialists build upon each other’s ideas.
Ideas come from all production disciplines and the production environment encourages collaboration. Some of the strongest creative decisions we’ve made over the years simply come from conversations not instructions.
That’s exactly why we’ve always viewed our specialist network as an extension of Ottico Lab, rather than external suppliers.
It’s not a hierarchy, it’s trust.
What does this mean for clients?
A questions clients sometimes ask is whether they need to understand every part of the production process.
The simple answer is no, you don’t need to know every technical aspect of cinematography. You don’t need to understand broadcast audio specifications. But you do need to know you’re surrounded by people who do.
That’s absolutely our responsibility and our role isn’t simply to produce the commercial. It’s to bring together the right people, create an environment where they can do their best work and ensure every specialist contributes towards the same creative vision.
Great productions don’t happen by accident
Looking back, we’re proud of the work we’ve produced. But prouder of the people we’ve chosen to produce it with. People whose passion and professionalism have helped shape Ottico Lab into what it is today.
Technology will evolve, production techniques will change and new tools will become available. One constant though – great productions don’t happen by accident.
They happen when the right people come together.