Panasonic Professional Video Products - Applications: HD Quanda

A national commercial introducing Panasonic’s new GU87 cellular phone with built-in digital camera was shot with the Panasonic AJ-HDC27 VariCam™ HD Cinema Camera by Director/Cinematographer J. Brown of TOMBO FILM (Hollywood, CA) for ad agency Ocean Group (New York, NY). Dubbed “Phone Flirt,” the ad, which debuted during the Academy Awards show on March 23, is currently airing during major sports and entertainment events.

Because the production company selected more cost efficient high definition video over film, Brown could affordably capture eight alternative endings for the commercial during the initial shoot. Two 30-second commercials (with different endings) have been running nationwide, and the alternative endings have been utilized in a promotion on the Panasonic web site. To encourage viewer involvement, visitors to the Panasonic home page (www.panasonic.com) can interact with the commercial by viewing its alternative endings, and then vote for their favorite. A silent version of the ad is running on the Panasonic/NBC large-screen Astrovision display in Manhattan’s Time Square, and different versions have been used in sales meetings and for trade shows.

To continue reading J's Bio, click here.

Question: Tell us about the “Phone Flirt” ad.

J. Brown: It’s quite playful. The idea was to create a fun interaction between two people that gives you a unique message about a picture-taking phone that also lets you send pictures back and forth with text and voice messaging attached. So what happens when a beautiful, young lady takes a sexy picture of herself, thinks she
sends it to her boyfriend, but instead sends it to another guy? Intrigued, the guy sends his picture back. Back and forth the pictures go until at last the guy gets caught by his girlfriend and looks to camera with a sly look of acknowledgement. We shot the spot indoors in Malibu, and inside a loft in downtown L.A.

Question: Why did you shoot so many different endings?

J. Brown: The main objective for creating different versions of the commercial was to provide lots of options for editing purposes. We had the luxury of shooting 46-minute tapes (in DVCPRO HD) at the fraction of the cost of film. It wasn't until later that the idea of running different versions and having viewers vote on their favorites arose.

Question: What were your first impressions of the VariCam?

J. Brown: The VariCam gave us a lot of flexibility. I haven’t shot video in some time, but my background is in broadcasting, and I was reminded of how versatile and easy video is. And I was certainly pleasantly surprised at how easy the camera is to use, and how good the imagery is.

Question: How did the camera perform on location?

J. Brown: The camera is excellent at hand-held work, which I wanted to use extensively. I was able to let the camera roll through take after take, which made for a much freer experience with the actors and models, and contributed to better performances. We planned to color correct in post, so I didn’t tweak every shot as I went along. We had an HD monitor with us, and I really liked not having to wait for next-day dailies to adjust lighting or other production elements. We could immediately see what we were getting, which led to a feeling of definition and certainty.

Question: What about lighting implications with the VariCam?

J. Brown: We had pretty controlled lighting situations, and the camera’s performance was impressive. In Malibu, we had an overcast day outside, so inside we were able to shoot against windows and sheers largely with natural light. Inside the loft, again we used natural light coming from the windows. I lit wide open to decrease depth of field and achieve a more film-like look.

Question: Did you shoot off-speed?

J. Brown: The camera tech and I experimented with some slow-motion, which looked really good. But the decision was made not to use any speed effects in the final cut.

As a director and cinematographer, J. Brown is a strong visual stylist whose commercials play like short movies. Beautiful imagery, eclectic casting and natural performances characterize his work, making his spots entertaining for the audience and effective for a wide variety of advertisers including Coke, AT&T, Credit Suisse, Bayer, Bell South, Google.Com, and now Panasonic. A prolific shooter, Brown honed his directing and camera skills while shooting 75 days a year as an in-house spot director at the Federated Bon Marche conglomerate. Wearing several hats including writer, producer, creative director and editor, Brown's work for Bon Marche, Macy's, Calvin Klein, Levis, and Polo Sport caught the attention of The National Regional Advertising Competition, who honored Brown with a number of Gold and Silver awards.

His recently helmed spots for BBDO, DDB Needham Worldwide, Young & Rubicam, McCann Erickson, Merkley Newman Harty, & FCB have been shot in locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe.

Brown discussed the VariCam commercial shoot from his TOMBO offices, located in a 1910 Hollywood building that, in its early years, was used by Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford to house personnel working at their nearby film studios.