Before the scripting even began, I followed my normal plan of attack, working backwards from the end.  How the film would be displayed influences how the project would be produced.  Video framing, camera movement, sound design, graphics design and more are all affected by how the viewer will experience the presentation.   Because the idea was to immerse the audience into the presentation, I proposed filming in a super wide format, akin to the original 1960’s CinemaScope 2,55:1 aspect ratio.  We would film in standard 4k 23.98 and then crop the image vertically to create the ultra-widescreen effect.  This was important to decide before production because the videographers had to frame correctly for the center 1/3 of the image.

I originally proposed an over-sized, wraparound screen for the ballroom.  Something that would fill the field of vision vertically and wrap out from the wall at least 25 degrees to create that ‘you are there’ feeling.  The viewers would have to turn their heads a little side to side in order to see everything.  That was going to require a screen over 75 feet wide and 8 feet tall and proved to be too expensive for the budget.  Then Director of Studio Operations, Brad Hinton discovered a ‘virtual theater’ concept whereby the viewer would be immersed in a 360 virtual theater with the CinemaScope widescreen at the front.   VR goggles using a Samsung smartphone, all triggered simultaneously so the audience experiences the film together.    Straight ahead would be the big screen, wide enough that they would have to turn their heads a bit to see everything.  If they looked all around, they would see the rest of the movie theater.  So we could create a ‘traditional flat’ presentation and our audience would be immersed into a VR theater.  It was a brilliant discovery and knowing that delivery mechanism up front was vital to the rest of production.

Since the viewers would be wearing the headsets, we had to be conscious of camera movement.  This presentation was not designed to be an entertainment attraction so we didn’t want to have fast camera moves that could be distracting or worse, make our viewers motion sick.   All camera movement was designed to be horizontal (left to right or right to left) and it would be done slowly and deliberately.  For the motion shots, we went with an OSMO rig with x5 camera to stabilize the camera moves and all other videography was done with the Sony FS7, both shooting in 4k, 23.98.

The scripting process involved many stakeholders including the Sustainability department in Atlanta, research and development in Wisconsin, Dixie brand in Atlanta, paper making facility in Alabama and the Dixie plant in Kentucky.  What I discovered was that there was no way for me to script the intricacies of the entire manufacturing process.  The better way to tell the story would be through the people who actually know the process at the facilities.  They can speak freely in their own words because they live it every day which creates a more natural piece.  So the scripting process was more of an outline and key bullet point process.  In order to keep the running time reasonable, I worked with the stakeholders to identify the key elements of each step of the process.  Then created an outline so each person would focus on only those key areas.   I designed the presentation to go from start to finish of the process with each segment handing off the process to the next step.  The two areas that were fully scripted was the opening segment on Sustainability and the close featuring the head of the Dixie brand.  I Directed the opening scene in the forest while the filming in the Naheola and Bowling Green facilities was Directed by Doug Congleton.

Once filming was completed, I pulled together the storyline from transcripts and worked with Editor Scott Franklin to assemble the story.  Ultimately we ended up with a frame size around 4096 x 1605.  It created that ultra-widescreen look and really forced your eye to look at what we wanted you to see.  Because the screen was so big in the viewers eyes, we chose a small, minimalist graphics package that would not detract from the visuals and break the ‘you are there’ feeling.   Because the audience would all be wearing individual headphones, we ensured that there was good stereo separation and sound placement to further reinforce the ‘you are there’ experience.

Ultimately the presentation far exceeded what was requested from the client and multiple divisions from GP have come back to request a public facing version be created.   Understanding the delivery mechanism of the message and working backwards from the end is how you achieve engagement results for your message.

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Rockin the snake chaps.

So why was I wearing snake chaps in the first place?  Well it was just another day in the life of a Creative Director running around the woods of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.   Each year Georgia-Pacific is audited by an independent auditor to ensure we source our natural fiber in a sustainable manner that meets rigorous environmental standards.  I was tasked with bringing that story to life, but of course it could not be told wholly by GP.  A company saying “we’re good stewards of the land and forest” is not nearly as strong as independent third parties speaking freely about the company.   I developed a storyline and production plan that would create a natural sound piece with no scripting.  The people would tell the story in their own words.

Bill and Nick filming on Fred Hight Jr’s land

In pre-production meetings two of the key messages that came out are that there is more forest in the United States today than 100 years ago and one of the reasons for that is consumers using paper products incentivizes land owners to plant more trees.   That was an aspect of paper products and the timber industry I had never heard, but it makes sense.  In a sense, sustainable forestry is gardening on a grand scale.  Instead of hundreds of acres of crops like corn, beans and apples, you have thousands of acres of trees.  The more people use paper products, the more acres of forest are planted to meet the demand.  Thus, more trees today than 100 years ago.

Nick and Bill filming in the woods on Fred Hight’s land

Working with Bill and Nick from Mother Nature News, we spent three days roaming the woods of Hattiesburg, MS with our trusty Nissan Armada 4×4 to tell the story.  I really wanted a cinematic look to this story, so the crew filmed with the Canon C100 in 24p mode and long lenses to allow a lot of separation between our on camera talent and the background.   I Directed the shoot, conducted the interviews and then created the first outline for the post production edit.

Long lenses allow a more cinematic look by separating the talent from the background.

Telling the story was the team from the GP Leaf River Cellulose facility, PwC Auditor Cheryl Woode and the Atlanta based GP Sustainability team.  Local landowner, Fred Hight Jr. set up the story brilliantly by telling us about his land which led directly into the sustainability story.  Cheryl, the auditor, confirmed that not only does GP meet the required standards, but exceeds them.   GP’s Forest Certification Manager David Brabham delivered the message on incentives to using paper products.  And finally Fred closed out the story with a declaration that his land will be here for many years to come.

In Post I pulled together the transcripts into a loose story and then turned it over to Nick for the edit.  We worked together very well to create the final story.

Our trusty Nissan Armada 4×4 sitting proud under a gorgeous sky in Mississippi

The entire piece came together to tell a well rounded story on the commitment of GP to ensure forests are going to be here for many years to come.  Our very success depends on it.

You can see the story here on MNN’s site.

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DP Brad Hinton showing some moves in GP Studios, Studio A

We filmed entirely in GP Studios, Studio A, located in Georgia-Pacific’s headquarters.  A 2600 square foot space with a 3 wall hard cyc so we were able to get the nice, neutral white limbo for the backdrop.  Camera was the Sony FS7 set up for 4k, 23.98.   We put out an open casting call for any and all employees at GP HQ to come on down in intervals over a 4 hour period.

Using the storyboard for a guide, I had most of the talent perform most of the lines and scenes so we had lots of options in Post for the assembly.  With the huge space of Studio A, we were able to let the employees cut loose with the basketball and got some great moves on camera.  The GP Dubuque facility makes pizza boxes, so we incorporate that into the piece and it was hilarious watching the employees try to spin a pizza box like a basketball.

Believe it or not the hardest part of the entire shoot was getting a vertical stack of 26 Dixie cups to stay in place.  The tallest basketball player ever was 8 foot and 1/2 inch.  I wanted to visually show that height with the cups.

The original idea was to scotch tape them together, but the tape would not stick to the Perfect Touch outer shell.  DP and Director of Studio Operations, Brad Hinton rigged a tall pole into the lighting grid.  We used the lids as an interlocking device, you can see the dark strips at every second cup.  Very thin strips of white gaffer’s tape to the hold the stack to the pole and voila!  We had a stable stack of Dixie Cups.

I cut the piece in Adobe Premiere Pro and did the color grade using both the Adobe Lumetri tool and Red Giant’s Magic Bullet Color Suite to really give the piece a punch.   The piece recently premiered on GP’s Facebook Page.   Enjoy the spot and Happy March Madness everybody!

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