Hello blink team. 

We’ve only had a brief chat, but now it’s time to fast track this relationship. Let’s be close friends and collaborators because time is of the essence. Vagrants is a creative content shop, not just a production company and certainly not an ad agency. Why is that important here? Well, because we will have to develop and refine our creative approach together while efficiently and effectively producing a world class campaign up to Amazon’s (and our) standards.

Coming home is a feeling unlike any other. 

In a crazy way, it’s every feeling, all at once. The panic of hosting a family dinner, the joy of biting into a perfectly cooked corn dog, the awkward fumbles and funny moments along the way.

Especially around the holidays, home can be a chaotic, joyful, and silly place, with something unexpected around every corner.

But whatever life throws at us, Blink is there to help. Because after all, 

Seeing is Believing.

A STORY IN MULTIPLE PARTS

To get the most out of our time, we’ve started putting together a script that can be pulled apart into smaller pieces. That way, once we get everything we need for the longer 30-second spot with all four products, we’ll be able to slice it up into shorter spots that feature one product each.

“Family Dinner” :30 

A young family is hosting a holiday dinner for the first time. 

Dad and kids are setting the table when Dad gets an alert on his Blink app. He checks the Doorbell camera to see that his cousins are walking to the door - and they each brought a date! He swipes to the Mini cam with a view of the kitchen, to see Mom cooking a very small roast. He recounts the place settings and realizes he miscounted!

Pan to the Echo on the counter to see the Outdoor cam where a whole other car of people is pulling up as well! He definitely forgot about them!

We see a few very quick cuts: He puts in a leaf to extend the table. Unfolds the legs of a card table. Puts down extra placemats. 

Then, the big reveal: Mom emerges from the kitchen with a perfect roast to the cousins’ delight. Simultaneously, Dad goes outside to the kids table on the back porch, and he unveils a platter of corn dogs to their delight. He waves his arms to turn on the Floodlight, brightening up the porch. Everyone is happy.

VO:  Whatever the holidays have in store, Blink is there to help.

SUPER:  Seeing is believing.

LOGO:  Blink

LOOK + FEEL

The lighting will be warm and welcoming.  It’s cold outside and it’s cozy in the house.  There’s a twist though.  Our camera  movements will be quick and specific to highlight the hectic moments.  Using a macro lens for a shot of the phone or Alexa Echo, and showing an extreme close up of our Dad will highlight important moments.  Matching the focal length of the Blink cameras themselves, we will recreate shots from the POV of the Blink cameras.  The kinetic movements throughout, along with a face paced edit will allow us to cover all four devices in 30 seconds and still have time for the satisfying payoff when the camera slowly pulls away from everyone seated at the table. 

PHASE 1 - Scripting

Our ace in the hole for this stage of the project is our trusted copywriter and creative director, Adam Cote. We don’t have the luxury of waiting for final scripts before we start prepping this production, so we’re doing it in parallel. We have already started and will need to work closely with you to approve a final script as quickly as we can so we know exactly our who, what, when, where, why’s of production. This is the key to the whole project’s success and it starts with our team and yours working arm in arm.

PHASE 2 - Production

We do have a production budget finished now based on our treatment.  By making initial assumptions and visualizing how to bring our family scene to life, we have a production plan in place already.  We know this might change as we discover what’s working and not working in Phase 1.  We will be up front with all budget changes as we hone in the final script and creative together.  Otherwise, this part of the process is what we do everyday and everything from locations to craft services will be dialed in under the supervision of our senior producer, Mike Bowes.  The current execution will capture all video and stills needed for the campaign in one 12 hour shoot day at one residential location.   

phase 3 - post production

We are only able to take on a project like this because we have a fantastic post production department that is involved throughout the entire process.  Our senior editor, Jack LeMay will handle the edit with some Thanksgiving weekend work to make it all happen.  Since our turnaround time from shoot to delivery is very tight, we’re prioritizing our HD (16x9) hero :30 + :15 in the edit calendar.  We’re considering this ROUND 1 of deliverables.  After that, we’ll spend the next week (ROUND 2) delivering the individual product :06’s + alternate sizes.  See full list below:

MEET THE VAGRANTS

At Vagrants, we think of production as a team sport. We’ve learned that it takes a well-oiled, multi-talented team of collaborators that know one another intricately in order to pull off the kind of shoots we do on a regular basis. Knowing that this shoot will need to be fast and streamlined, we’re assembling our most trusted and reliable core group to lead this project.

DIRECTOR | Winston Macdonald

That’s me! I love promoting the other directors on the Vagrants roster and bringing their vision to life on projects, but this project is right in my wheelhouse as a director.  We don’t have storyboards handed to us on this one, we need to be part of the process making them!  Understanding the brands goals and ethos and ensuring everything from our talents’ performances to our art direction is down in a beautifully cinematic way is my specialty, and I will be concentrated on working with your team to ensure that we are hitting all the marks.

CD/Writer | Adam Cote

Adam brings more than 15 years of agency experience as a Copywriter, Creative Director, commercial Director and Editor, working with clients like Monster, Whole Foods, and JetBlue over the years. His unique skillset of creating campaigns from both the agency and production side of things made him a no-brainer for this project. If we need to build this plane mid-air, he’s the guy we need.

CinEMATOGRAPHER | DAN KENNEDY

We can explore multiple DP’s but Dan is an obvious first choice to me. He’s a master of composing beautifully raw and cinematic images. Having just worked with him on the app campaign referenced earlier, I know he can handle perfectly orchestrated camera moves as well as intimate and organic feeling handheld shots. He always brings the same energy and experience to commercials as he does to he’s feature film work. Dan will command the camera team, setting a look and feel that will bring cohesion to everything we capture.

PHOTOGRAPHER | GREG WALDO

The only reason Greg’s photo isn’t red and blue is because he was the photographer that took the rest of our portraits.  Should have gotten a selfie in hindsight.  He has amazing lifestyle and product portfolios, which is exactly what this project needs. He is also a commercial director, so he understands film sets and collaborates alongside our shoots often.  Since we have to be efficient and capture stills alongside video, he’s my immediate recommendation. He has an unbelievable ability to pull off some of the most gorgeous stylized frames of moments no one else would notice. He’s also one of the funniest people I know and will promise to keep us giggling the whole way through.

POST PRODUCER / PM | JILL WYMAN

Simply put, Vagrants doesn’t run without Jill Wyman. She is our life force, and our mother hen. She’ll be our production manager through the expedited production schedule, planning our next move at all times. She becomes the project’s point person once we wrap shooting. As our veteran post producer, she will ensure we hit our lightning fast post schedule from VO sessions to color and final delivery. She’s also frequently a guest-star talent in many things Vagrants shoots. This double-threat makes her a valuable asset to have along the way!

PRODUCER / EP | MIKE BOWES

Mike Bowes comes with 15 + years of experience producing both film and commercials internationally. He steers a steady ship with the fighter pilot’s level of confidence. From this initial bid through all the curveballs we through at him along the way, Mike will know the best production approach to support the creative and we couldn’t be more fortunate to have Mike as our backbone!

SENIOR EDITOR | Jack LeMay

Across the board, we are assigning the best on our team for each role and Jack is no exception.  He’s also really fun to edit with. Having spent his formative years in the post-house environment, he knows the recipe for turning raw material into visual magic.  He has a passion for exploration, an eye for detail and he leaves his fingerprint on every piece.  If you're wondering where his positive vibes are coming from, look to his garden. In between projects, you’ll find a small rainforest he's created within Boston city limits.