 This is an excerpt from Chapter 4 (LIGHTS! CAMERA! ADVERTSING!TAKING A CAMPAIGN ON THE ROAD After we looked over the seven layouts for Johnson Outboard Motors that a Chicago advertising agency had sent, Al and I hoped that we would be chosen to shoot this campaign. Al wanted this assignment because he was in the mood to photograph romantic scenes that included boats. I wanted it because it would be fun to coordinate this obviously large and complicated job that would take us to - I quickly calculated - at least three different parts of the country. Setting the process in motion, the agency asked us to submit an estimate and told us that we would be bidding against two other photographers. When you make a bid, you have to come up with an angle that will set you apart from the competition and guarantee that you get the job. The angle can be either an individual skill, an innovative approach, or a low price. But keep in mind that dramatically reducing your price can be dangerous. It sets a precedent that is hard to undo. If, for example, a company approves a budget of 2,000 dollars per shoot day for one job, it is unlikely to approve a budget of 4,000 dollars per shoot day for the next job. Coming up with a different idea or utilizing a particular strength to hook the client is a better strategy. Al and I decided that our angle for this campaign would be to impress the client with our "wrapped tightness," which refers to our production knowhow and organizational skills. After doing our homework thoroughly, we presented an estimate and production timetables as well as appealing and unusual location suggestions. It is nearly impossible to estimate a job this size without first working up a rough production calender. This approach might seem strange to you, but it is the only way to put together a concise, organized estimation of time and money to be expended. I produce the job on paper first and then use a theoretical timetable to estimate the costs. Our Chicago-based representative told us that we would be shooting only the background images. The agency wanted a local photographer to photograph the people in Chicago in order to keep costs down; the agency also thought that doing the shots in its hometown would give it more control. Al and I didn't agree, so we called the agency directly and tried to talk it into letting us handle the entire project. But apparently the idea had already been sold to the client, and the agency was reluctant to go back and ask it to reverse its decision. You win some, you lose some. At this point, Al and I looked over the layouts for the campaign and gave some thought to where each one could be shot. The first layout showed two fishermen on the open seas at sunset. We decided that this one could be photographed anywhere along the East Coast from North Carolina southward. Keeping the job on the eastern seaboard would be more cost-effective for us (we lived in New York City at the time), thereby making our bid more competitive. The second layout was of a man fishing in a small boat on a lake. This spread could be shot almost anywhere, such as on a Florida lake or in North Carolina. In the third layout, a boat was pulling a waterskier. Al wanted to shoot this scene from a helicopter, and I felt we should try to shoot this image in Florida. I knew that finding professional waterskiers would be easy because of all the tourist attractions there. The fourth layout showed two small children snorkeling and the rest of the family in a small boat on emerald green water. Al and I agreed that the Bahamas would be perfect for this shot. The next layout was of a man camping on a tiny, one-person island. The spread also included a small Zodiac boat pulled up on the shore and a tent. This layout screamed "the Adirondacks" to me - even though I had never been there. I had seen pictures of the Adirondack region, and my instincts took over. Because the sixth layout showed several men bass fishing, Al suggested central Florida for this shot; the area is known for its bass fishing contests. And since we had already been thinking about Florida for some other layouts, it would be cost-effective to group those shots. The last layout was of a family in a medium-sized sailboat. Once again, the client wanted the water to be emerald green, so it made sense to shoot this image in the Bahamas, too. After Al and I discussed the layouts, we called the agency to get the specifications of the shoot. The agency told us that it would supply the boats and motors and transport them to and from the shooting sites. So we had to keep in mind the proximity of boat dealers before deciding which locations deserved estimates. We also had to give some thought to coordinating boats, agency personnel, talent, and crew schedules. We had been told that we would be responsible for casting and paying the models. How well we negotiated talent costs would be a determining factor when the bids were reviewed. Finally, I had to allow enough time for the arrival of all the pieces of the shoot and to include a little extra time for potential problems. At the same time, however, I had to be aware of the budget; Al and I were bidding against other photographers for this job. Taking these various factors into account, we decided to start shooting in the North and steadily work our way south because this would give us plenty of time to prepare for shooting in a foreign country. It would also give the client enough time to arrange for the boats to travel to the Bahamas. We ended up grouping the shots as follows: ______________________________________________________
I planned as many shots as possible at each location. Airfare can be one of the biggest expenses when you shoot on location. So deciding on a central location where you can shoot more than one layout will keep your final estimate low. Having chosen locales, I could now put together a tentative production calender of events. Since the shots depended to a large extent on the weather, I decided to schedule two passes for each layout. It is disappointing when an agency settles for a boring shot - the result of bad weather conditions - because it doesn't want to pay "weather day" costs. If I can get the money approved up front through built-in contingencies, Al and I have a much better chance of getting the shot the way we want it. And I don't have to worry about possibly settling for a less-than-perfect shot because of the client's reluctance to spend the additional money. Before working on the complicated production schedule, I studied my airline flight guide. Shooting in small towns can pose problems. The number of flights servicing them might be limited or the local airport might not be large enough to accommodate planes that can carry approximately 20 cases of equipment. I needed to determine how much time to allow for flying and/or driving to the various locations. When making up the production calender, I also had to keep in mind that the camping layout needed to be prescouted. I didn't know exactly where a one-person island could be found in the Adirondacks. I started in the first square on my blank calender form and filled in the prescout of the Adirondacks. I allowed one day for Dennis, our assistant, to travel to the area, two days for scouting, and one travel day back. I wanted him to have enough time to check out the area thoroughly. Next, I counted the number of days that Al and I would need to review the scouting pictures and get approval of the location. On "day one" of the shoot, we would............... excerpt from pages 44, 45 & 47 of: LIGHTS! CAMERA! ADVERTISING! ©1991 by Joy Satterwhite and Al Satterwhite published by AMPHOTO |