This 45 second television commercial for Baysports Kayaks emphasizes connecting to nature and meeting with friends through the sport of kayaking. We follow a young women switching her mobile off, getting onto the beautiful river in her kayak and joining with her friend further up the river. Our inspiration for doing this project came from our mutual love for nature, thirst for exploring and passion for kayaking. We wanted to showcase that kayaking is a healthy activity and an effective way of releasing everyday tensions.

Process

Once we had decided on the concept and what we wanted to convey to the audience for our kayak advertisement, we created a story and researched tides and possible locations.

We did four pre-visualisations that helped us realise which shots were the most effective and what the logistical challenges of filming so close to the water were.

We organised our actor and equipment requirements, shot lists and call sheets based on what we had learnt. We used a radio set to help us communicate over distance on and around the river.

A large part of this project was about learning the process of organizing a film project. Documents and components we created are shown below.

We filmed with a BMPCC 6K Pro, GoPro Hero 7 Black Edition and DJI Mavic Air S2 . We edited using Davinci Resolve.

Mood Boards

The theme running through all our mood boards is vibrance. The bright colours of the kayaks contrast well with the greens and blues of the natural setting we filmed in.

Location

We quickly realized that beach locations were going to be difficult to access and risky for camera equipment.

We did a lot of location scouting up and down the Brunswick River. We found a stretch of the river (Simpsons Creek) behind the Bruns Bowlo that was relatively shallow even at high tide. This prevented the cost of boat hire for shooting.

Storyboards

We created our story boards using hand drawings. This process really allowed for careful consideration of the story.

Behind The Scenes

It was amazing to be filming at such a beautiful location. We had a lot of fun filming in nature. As you can see in the photographs it required a lot of transportation and was scarily precarious in terms of keeping camera gear safe!

Jake Moser

Previous Work

Reflection

This trimester for me was one of the more challenging ones in terms of working in a group of only two people. We faced a few challenges mid way through our project and the team broke down. Through a meeting with Laurie we managed to break the ice, air any issues and collaborate effectively. It was a great learning experience for both of us and now we are closer for it.

In terms of gaining a clearer view of direction in my role and what I strive to become, this trimester has really allowed me to grow. I figured out that at present working closely with the camera is what I desire, whether it be DoP or Cinematographer. It also highlighted some holes in my storytelling in terms of writing dialog, for which I would like to gain more experience.

Overall, this trimester was a great learning experience, I have taken a lot out of it in terms of realistic goals, understanding and working collaboratively with different people. I had a couple milestones happen this trimester in my professional life, which has been really inspiring for me.

Orion Sturch

Previous Work

Reflection

Having completed the documentary module last trimester TVC was a completely different challenge for me. We had more time to be creative and fluid in documentary. In this 45-second television commercial, planning and organization were vital. This module really highlighted how essential all the different components such as mood boards, storyboards, shot lists and call sheets are.

I appreciated the pre-visualization aspects because they really allow you to consider and refine the project even before you film it. This results in a more efficient and smoother production, which very is necessary for a short television commercial.

I have learned that when you have a short production window it is stressful to coordinate many factors within the project. That was something we had to do. We were reliant upon good weather, high tide and unpaid actor availability, which at times was very hard. Additionally, shooting so close to the water was a significant risk for my camera equipment. In the future, if I need to shoot near water again, I will take further steps to protect my equipment by filming from a sturdy boat or only using waterproof equipment.

Something else that I am taking away from this trimester is that it can be far better to communicate in person or with video calls rather than emailing or texting. I realized that things can get missed or misunderstood with written communication more. And that when possible, using videocalls or in-person meetings can prevent this.

Overall I have learned so many transferable skills this trimester and it has been a very valuable experience for me.