Saqib Siddik

Here is some inspiration for all low-budget filmmakers:

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I wrote this to provide readers with a general overview of how I made my Tide ad, You Never Listen.

THE CONCEPT

I stumbled on my concept when, as usual, I forgot to do something that my wife had asked me to do.  During the course of our discussion over why I hadn’t yet completed the task at hand, she exclaimed, “You never listen!”  At that moment, I stopped listening again (though she didn’t know it at the time) because I realized this would be a great concept that couples could relate to, and that it would also extend the original talking stain concept.

PRE-PRODUCTION

I used MovieMagic Screenwriter to write the script.  It took a few hours to get the pacing and dialog right.  My wife and I performed the first draft ourselves to time the script.  I also wrote the script in such a way as to allow time at the beginning and end to eventually fit the final performance into 24 seconds.  This would allow me to add the 6 second animation tag (which was provided by Tide) to the end.

After finishing the script, I posted casting notices on craigslist.com and soon began receiving headshots and resumes from actors.  I already knew Paras Tiwari and believed he would be perfect for the commercial, but I needed a solid female actor to play against him.  I held auditions in the business center at my apartment complex.  I eventually chose Veronica Sanders for her comic timing and hilarious facial expressions.

I taped every audition with a small Panasonic DV camcorder (the same camera I’d eventually shoot with) so that I’d be able to fully evaluate the performances later.  I had each actor read the script as they had prepared, and then I gave them some small adjustments to see how well they responded to direction.  After auditions were taped, I reviewed each one and also got feedback on the performances from my wife.  Taking her feedback into consideration, I settled on the actors.

Next, I storyboarded the shots from beginning to end.  I didn’t use any fancy software, just stick figures with crazy facial expressions.  The most important thing was to visualize the commercial and then draw the different angles.  After this was complete, I numbered each shot to create a shot list.

PRODUCTION

Having selected my actors, we scheduled an afternoon to shoot.  I would do everything myself.  Since my Panasonic camera did not have an external mic input, I decided to record sound using a Samson CO1U USB mic running directly into an old laptop computer.  To mark each take for sync sound, I used a Universal Studios gift shop slate that my wife gave me as a birthday present.  I taped a white sheet of paper to the slate (since I can’t write directly on it) and used tally marks to record the take numbers.  I didn’t bother labeling individual shots since I had storyboarded the entire commercial and only planned a maximum of 4 takes per camera angle.  I planned to shoot the entire commerical in less than 30 takes.

For each take, this is generally what happened: First, I’d set up my lights (a set of three worklight/stand combos that I purchased from Home Depot for $60).  Next, we marked the take number on the slate.  I would first press “record” on the computer, then roll the camera, and finally cue the actor, who would call out the take number and clap the slatesticks together (in editing, I will synchronize the sound by matching the audio “clap” with the visual cue of the slatesticks coming together).  We proceeded this way through each camera angle on my shotlist.  Between each take, I gave some direction to the actors.  Four hours later, we were done.

POST-PRODUCTION

I used Avid Express Pro software to capture and edit the raw video from my camera.  Then I selected my favorite takes, and put these into the timeline.  Next, I went back and forth, trying to find the best expressions to build the story.  The actors’ eyes are the best places to look.  After I spent three hours on the edit, I was satisfied with the cut.  Next, I used Adobe Audition to import my audio tracks and cleanup the dialog (digital noise reduction, EQ).  I tried to smooth out the audio bumps between the different takes, and I also made sure the ambient background sound was consistent throughout.  Finally, I mixed in the sound of the stain and exported all the audio tracks to a single, stereo track.  This went back into the Avid editing timeline.

Next, I selected the individual camera angles where the stain would be seen and exported them into Adobe After Effects.  I used After Effects to composite the stain with shirt, animating it’s position so that it would look like it really was on the shirt.  This video was then exported back to Avid.

Finally, the commercial was done.  I exported a Quicktime MPEG4 for the competition and also made a miniDV copy for myself.

CONCLUSION

Since I went to film school, I was able to use some tools that I already had available to me.  But really, anyone can make this commercial using a borrowed miniDV camera, Home Depot lights, and iMovie / Windows MovieMaker.  The key is to have a killer concept.