Steve Hutchinson, the lead producer and director at Wet Concrete Films, works one on one with clients, advising and guiding on the best approach toward an effective campaign. Once the scope has been established and the budget approved he builds the right sized team to execute the project, bringing on board the best creatives and crew from New York’s feature filmmaking community. Stephen then actively directs projects from inception through to the final edit. His care of the process ensures the creative flourishes at the most affordable price.
This is our step by step process.
Brief creation We work with clients to create a brief that defines the goal of the video, what strategic points need to be hit and what’s possible within the budget. Identifying the single idea or revelation the audience should “take away” is often difficult and needs working through. Trying to include too much information results in overlong videos that lose focus and the audience’s attention, so a solid brief will identify that one “take away” and the 3-4 proof points to build to it.
Research and concepting Research involves in-depth background reading and a competitive review to fully understand the marketplace and context. This information fuels creative thinking that yields concepts and initial story outlines.
Pre-interviews With documentary or interview based approaches, an important part of the process is identifying the right subjects. We get on the phone with prospects armed with a list of questions to not only investigate the story but to build a rapport in preparation for filming. Transcriptions from these interviews provides the raw material for scripting.
Scripting Online audiences have short attention spans so it’s important that in the first 30 seconds of a video there is a “hook” to grab the viewer. By opening with a question, issue or dramatic problem the viewer is more likely to hang in to the end intrigued as to how the story will be resolved.
We are happy to work with provided scripts or create them from scratch. When working with provided scripts we always take time to review and adjust to making sure they work for the screen. With documentary approaches we imagine a final edit by editing the transcripts from the pre-interviews. Quotes from the pre-interviews can simulate the dialogue we’d like to shoot. Once this script is approved we then back this out to create a list of questions for the final interviews. To avoid stilted performances we direct the subjects to reiterate the story in their own words in a natural, authentic manner. The script also describes which visuals and locations need to be filmed.
It’s important at this scripting stage to establish a compelling end to the video. That way on the shoot we know every interview and every visual we film stays focused on the story. A story builds towards a resolution that’s not just strategically on point but emotionally satisfying.
Location scouting Good location scouting early in the process leads to way better creative and much cheaper costs. If this is not possible we are happy to just turn up and shoot off the cuff, but it’s important to know we may have to bring lots of equipment and extra crew to cover for any eventuality. Planning in detail ahead of time means we will only bring the equipment and crew we absolutely need.
Shot listing and design We find creating beautifully illustrated storyboards is expensive and often unnecessary. So we prefer to go into shoots with just a tight shot list. The intended look and feel is presented in the form of mood/style boards and photographic samples of how key frames will be shot. Also at this stage we design how the graphics will look.
Casting We partner with some of the best casting directors in the industry to cast both union and non-union acting talent. We are well aware that with good casting shoots are more creative and much more efficient. We actively direct the casting process and only recommend talent that we know can pull off the job to the highest standard.
Shoots Wet Concrete Films is a fully insured production company that shoots on location and in studios with professional talent and crews. Documentary crews are typically 2-3 people while studio crews can be anywhere from 5 to 15 people. We scale to whatever the shoot requires. We partner with the best equipment rental houses to bring you only the best, most up to date cameras, lenses and lighting. But be assured that Wet Concrete Films have honed a technique to shoot high-end, cinematic footage with a minimal amount of equipment and crew. We only bring what we need and travel lightly.
And because of our pre-planning, we only ever shoot what we need. We are not the type of crew that shoots lots of people talking about lots of things along with tons of b-roll. Apart from being a headache for the editor, this is the most expensive and inefficient way to operate. We typically arrive with a shot list that has been broken down into an efficient shooting schedule. Knowing the logistics are under control allows the crew to relax and be as creative as possible in the moment. But we also know that things can unexpectedly change on the day. Since we know the story inside and out we quickly come up with new ideas and approaches that still work in the edit.
Editing If we go into a shoot with a tight script that has been approved by all and sundry then there is really only need for one round of editing and one round of polishing. Everything should drop into place quite quickly. We really fuss over finding the right music to establish the emotional tone and pace of the piece. Ideally, we compose a custom score but stock music often works just as well and at a more affordable price.
Finishing As part of our normal editing process basic color correction and sound mixing is included. This suffices for most projects, especially those that go online. But for broadcast projects we bring in expert color correction artists and partner with industry standard sound mixers
Design and Animation Wet Concrete Films can also design informational and title graphics and can animate these in 2 or 3 dimensions. Steve Hutchinson’s background as a creative director in the graphic design industry means every video Wet Concrete Films produces is designed to the highest standard.