The Joy of Sets

It’s late December 2014, and in the UK the rain is falling. I’m finalising the schedule for our company's product launch at CES Vegas, while counting down the days until Christmas Eve (so I can finally get some rest). The marketing director briskly walks over and sits on my desk, a little out of breath and overexcited… He announces (between breaths) our department has £24,000 left in this year’s budget and he wants a new product film delivered in time for CES…(The time frame runs over the Christmas break, so it’s about five working days). 

He goes on to explain our creative agency can’t work in such a tight deadline so it’s up to me…The last (and only) part of this verbal brief is he wants it set in a casino bar so we have to shoot it in Vegas, as “it will be quicker!”

The following days would give me a crash course in video production and change my perception of shooting on location versus in a studio. I would learn the efficiency and flexibility of a studio environment and how intelligent set design is one of the key components in achieving a premium piece of film on a tight budget and tighter deadline. More importantly, I would end up shooting the entire film less than two hours away from my office and yet still get asked continually during my meetings at CES ‘where on the strip is that bar in your commercial?’

In recognition of this transformative experience we have dedicated this month's Insight Film: ‘The Joy of Sets’ to everyone who has ever wondered why someone would build something to look like something that potentially already exists…

Managing director Tom Ward, and strategic director Ayo Hughes take you behind the scenes of a recent Dyson commercial to explain the pros and cons of set design.