Script and Concept

It all begins with a strong idea (or a few of them). 

We work with clients to understand the product or service they’re selling and who they’re targeting as consumers. After a few brainstorming group meetings (with a lot of energy drinks. Work Expenses of course) and “creative thinking” sessions, we come up with a script that not only tells the story but also strikes a chord. Basically, selling the product in a way that would actually compel people to buy or resonate with it. It’s a lot harder than it seems. 

Queue the often back-and-forth banter with the client till we decide on the best concept. Once that’s sorted, the idea is then refined to align with the brand's identity, message, and objectives.

Sometimes, the client approaches us with the idea that they create themselves, and we just need to find the best ways to bring it to life. We even hung a girl off the balcony for one commercial. Nothing’s impossible here.

For legal reasons I must mention that she was not actually hanging off a building. We just made it look like she was. Totally different. :)

Pre-Production

This is the foundation of any project we do. It’s where our ideas take shape, sanity gets lost, and everything starts falling into place. It’s the blueprint phase, where we make sure every element is carefully planned, leaving no room for surprises later. But just because you prepare for it, it doesn’t mean everything necessarily goes to plan (we could probably count the number of shoots where everything went to plan in our hands) and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, our best shots are the ones we didn’t plan for. 

Storyboard

Visualizing the script comes next. We create Storyboards to map out every frame. A recipe, in other words. This recipe becomes the guide and gospel for everyone involved, making sure everyone’s in the loop and in the same page, with the added bonus of giving our clients a more in-depth idea of how the video would look in the end. They’re happy, we’re happy. It’s a win-win for both of us. 

Talent Sourcing

Most of our Pre-Prod team (if not all of them in a not-so-anonymous anonymous internal survey we did) would argue that this is probably the most annoying stage in the process. Finding and picking the right actors, models, and voice artists who fit the project is like finding a needle in a haystack. And we’re very picky. 

It’s not that there is a shortage of models and modelling agencies to contact, it’s that sometimes our shoot requires a 5’9 curly brunette-haired woman with broad shoulders and a swimmer's build for a tropical shoot. Yes, it’s that specific. And more often than not, we have to compromise on one of the features we wanted (if we can’t find the perfect candidate). But not to boast about our own tail, we pull through. We’ve worked with multiple talented individuals and we always pick the best fit.

And as much as we love a loved face. We always try to look for newer faces and give them a chance to get a crack at the industry. Our internal model bank usually consists of more freshers than common models if our clients ever want to give a new guy or gal a shot. 

How do we do this? We’ve successfully held a few open auditions, calling peeps from everywhere and anywhere to try out a career in looking good in front of the camera. And we intend to keep doing this, and further encourage more raw talent to enter the scene. We use the clips we take from here to show prospective clients and try our best to land them a gig from our side as well.

Location Hunt

Moving on to the next problem. Finding the perfect setting and location. Or creating it with our bare hands. We’re not kidding. In the event that we can’t find that perfect location (and it has to be perfect), we employ the use of our external Art Team to build one. From scratch. 

The perfect example would be our shoot for Crocodile (Look below)  

But we usually find a place that fits our requirements without needing to build it. Our Pre-Prod team would go on what we call “Recces” to scout prospective locations with our in-house Art Director to make sure that the location fits what’s drawn on the storyboards (we were being serious when we called it our “recipe”).

Logistics and Line Production

Details matter. From scheduling the shoot frame by frame, to sorting out the Food & Beverages for the talents, to getting location permits and choosing the right playlist for a little music motivation. We handle all the nitty-gritty. This ensures that everything runs smoothly, with no (or minimum) surprises on the day of the shoot.

Production Design and Props

As we mentioned earlier. Every detail matters. Our production design team works on creating immersive environments, selecting the right props that complement the story and enhance visual appeal. And we’re just as selective with our props as we are with our talent. If it’s a black and white striped bean bag we need, it’s a black and white striped bean bag that we’ll get. Or get made. 

Vendor Onboarding

Lighting, sound, costumes— we work with vendors we trust, to bring their expertise to the table to make sure that this shoot results in nothing but the best high-quality output. Everyone we work with is trusted in the industry and is hyper-aware of what they do and specialize in. 

Production

This is the point after the ingredients are assembled and all that's left in the recipe, is to follow the instructions. In short, it's the execution where all the planning we did in pre-prod, come to play.

Transport Management

Getting the crew, cast, and equipment to the location on time (and safely) is no small feat. We can’t afford our Uber to get late so more often than not, for bigger shoots we tend to hire someone solely for transport if we’re not able to accommodate everything with our own vehicles. 

Equipment and Gear

This is where the fun part begins - at least for us. Every single project demands a completely different set of equipment and gear; usually, it’s a collaborative call between the director, DoP and Producer. 

The equipment we choose for each project depends on a few factors:

• Treatment - What is the look and feel we are trying to achieve here? If the treatment requires something that has a very neat daylight-toned look then there is no need for a high-power Tungsten Fresnel light which produces a warm output. If the treatment is an interior sequence with a lot of colours in magenta/red/orange tones then we would require LED lights that can produce colours in the entire RGB spectrum.
  
  

• Production Value - This is a question we ask before choosing the camera for each project. Shooting with a camera that has a small footprint such as the Sony FX3 is a personal favourite for us for most of the shoots, but let’s be honest, it can never compete with the picture an Arri Alexa would produce, which also comes with its own practicality issues in regards to mounting/rigging.
  
  

• Crew size & Budget - These are the two limiting factors when it comes to choosing equipment for each project and they usually go hand in hand. Bigger crew = added cost. It’s a DoP's dream to have an unlimited number of lights in different modules ready on set but that often comes with huge rental costs and a higher number of assistants needed on set to operate them. This also applies to the camera - renting out an ARRI Alexa Mini would be accompanied by 3 assistants. We will speak about this on a separate blog soon.

Food and Refreshments

Good food = happy crew :)

Without ample food and drinks, the quality of our output would dip. And so would our mood. So we always make sure that both our teams -internal and external- are all fed and happy.

Talent Management

If you thought just finding our talent was the only task we had with them, you're very wrong. The job doesn't end there. Our Model Coordinator keeps our talent informed, comfortable, and focused. From makeup to costumes, both the coordinator and the designated stylist ensure they're camera ready at a moment's notice. There's also the whole keeping them motivated so they don't lose momentum part of it all as well. But that's where the food, music and the occasional little chit-chat come in.

Accommodation

If you’re in this industry or worked with someone who is, you’re probably aware that maybe 5 seconds of screen time could be the equivalent of 5 days of shoot time. It’s not always, but it’s a possibility depending on what kind of project it is. 

When these projects come to us, we need to look at accommodation. Especially when it’s outstation. A place to just crash and rest up our internal, external and talent teams.

Call Sheets

A detailed call sheet outlining the day’s schedule, location, and contact information is made and shared with every single person involved in the shoot. This ensures everyone knows where they need to be and when they need to be there. 

It also gives our team a good sense of direction and order as each frame is lined up; not necessarily in order but in a more logical sense. For example, 5 out of the 10 planned frames are all in the same setting. It would make sense to film all 5 in one go even though they’re scattered in order, rather than dismantling and setting up the set every time if we went in order.

Art Direction

Details make the frame. Our art directors oversee every single visual element to make sure it matches our original creative vision. It can be either a small detail such as a potted plant or painting the entire wall a different colour to be on brand. Fun right? 

Stationing

The crew operates from designated stations, from camera setups to makeup zones, ensuring smooth transitions (heh, see what I did there?)  and organized workflows. There’s no time to dilly-daddle during production.

Entertainment

What's a day on set without a killer playlist? Our designated DJ for the shoot (which is basically anyone in our team with a minute to spare) ensures that there's a good music and vibes throughout the shoot to make sure that everyone's morale and energy levels stay up and awake.

Post-Production

Once the cameras stop rolling, the story is shaped, polished, and brought to life in post-production with our team back at our office. This is where our editors, sound designers and everyone else in Post-Production come into play :)

Edit (Offline)

This is where the narrative (or cake) takes form. Selecting the best takes and arranging them into a cohesive story is the first step in bringing the vision to life. We then forward this edit to clients to give them a vague idea as to how the final video would be done. After receiving their feedback and approval, we add the final elements. The icing on the cake, if you will.

Edit (Online)

VFX

Adding that extra “je ne sais quoi” comes next. Be it realistic explosions or subtle enhancements, our VFX team works on bringing them to life.

Colour Grade

The mood and tone of the visuals are set during colour grading. We ensure every frame looks stunning and consistent with the project’s aesthetic. It can range from Barbie to Breaking Bad. The sky’s the limit here.

Music Production

Remember how a lightning bolt made Frankenstein come to life? Music is our lightning bolt. 

Custom scores or carefully selected tracks are synced to enhance the emotional resonance of the story.

Sound Design

Sound effects, voiceovers, and ambient audio come together to create an immersive experience. This final stage of audio work polishes the project.

Wrapping It All Up

At Tones & Colours, every project is a labour of love. From pre-production mess to post-production finesse, we ensure every frame has been given our best effort.