This past summer we were tasked with the challenge to create content to be used in a corporate marketing production for McDonalds. The logistics of the shoot required filming multiple interviewees with both employees and on the spot interviews with customers to discuss McDonald’s new Signature Craft Recipes menu.
Planning To Be Effective
Due to the fact that we would be filming at a fully operational restaurant and that there would already be several members of McDonald’s marketing department on hand, we decided to keep the crew to a bare minimum of four.
We were able to section off a small area of the main dining space for our interviews but also had to contend with noise from the food preparation area, order stations, the drive through, and of course the public coming in to eat.
For the main interviews we used a combination of Canon C100 and Canon C300 along with lavalier microphones and a boom mic. All lights were LED powered via batteries to avoid cables that might become a tripping hazard.
Filming In Tight Spaces
In addition to filming the interviews, we were also tasked with filming in the food prep area. Filming in a fully operational kitchen is nothing new for us, however there is a minimum amount of space to be moving around next to deep fryers and full sized cook surfaces. For much of the kitchen shots we used a combination of the C100 for it’s compactness and the DJI Osmo to be able to get fluid, steady cam like footage without being disruptive or endangering ourselves or any of the employees.
Getting The Shot And Staying Out of the Way
Another area we needed to cover was the drive through. This was challenging more for the fact that we needed to avoid any bumper stickers or decals that promoted a political or sports team affiliation. (Not easy in an election year and a place where die hard sports team fans abound.) It also meant we had to be nimble to film around cars as customers were giving their orders and getting their food.
Overall the shoot went off without any major technical issues and we were able to capture great looking footage and effective sound bites that helped support the narrative. The final video played at McDonald’s major gathering of franchise owners and helped to bring awareness to the significant changes in the new menu that McDonalds has been rolling out across the country.
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