Denso "One Small Piece" Case Study - Sparkhouse

Denso “One Small Piece” Case Study

Approach & Goals For Denso “One Small Piece“

For the Denso Power Edge series we wanted to create a strong, rough around the edges look that combined toughness and durability with intelligence and precision. To achieve this goal we used a combination of different video marketing techniques and approaches in the video production process.

The Character

For our main character we wanted to capture this same sense of toughness mixed with sophistication and intelligence. Throughout the casting process we kept this idea in mind. After Bobby Marchesso read for the spot we knew that we had found our guy. He brought a sense of straightforward toughness and class that we knew would bring exactly what we were looking for to the spot.

Technocrane

To accentuate the feeling of sophistication and precision in the piece, we decided we wanted to have the camera move very smoothly and fluidly throughout the entire spot. We decided that the best approach for bringing this smooth, precise motion was to shoot the majority of the piece on a technocrane.

 

Using a technocrane allowed us to create visually dynamic camera movement in nearly every shot adding visual depth, production value, and a sense of sophistication to the whole piece.

Location

To bring out the feeling of toughness and durability in the spot, we wanted to shoot in a real commercial truck Garage. After scouting a couple of potential spots we settled on Inland Kennworth. The manager of the garage was extremely accommodating of our production and even allowed us to use one of the trucks they had on site as our picture vehicle.

Product Shots

Another area we wanted to bring a sleek, modern feel to were the product shots. After researching different options we decided that a dark, low key look on a reflective surface would be the right approach. This look is used frequently for cell phone and computer photography and we felt it would help underscore the sophisticated, elegant design of the Power Edge series.

Motion Graphics

For the motion graphics animations in the piece we wanted to do something a little bit different from traditional commercial motion graphics. We went with a much darker, more high tech look that used dynamic camera movement to add depth and make the data depicted much more visually interesting.

Production Story

This shoot was a complex one, with a lot of moving parts to coordinate, but it was also a fun experience.

 

Using the technocrane for most of our shots meant that we had a fairly extensive amount of setup time to begin our shoot, but once we had the camera set up, we were able to stay on the crane for most of the rest of the day which helped us move quickly and efficiently.

 

One challenging element of the shoot was getting a good performance of the script across the long crane shot we wanted to use for the main body of the piece. Due to the specific nature of the product the script ended up being very technical and rather long making it a challenge to perform the entire thing in a single crane take. To overcome this we decided to pick points where we knew we would be cutting to motion graphics or other shots and we broke the performance into sections and reset the camera so that the beginning of each section would match the position of the end of the previous section. This technique ended up working very well and helped produce a strong, confident performance that brought the piece to a whole new level.

Scroll to Top