Case Study - Shipt
Our friends at Shipt reached out to us to help develop a revamped approach to their traditional “Shopper Stories” video series. They wanted to capture a short, thoughtful portrait of a shopper but in a way that was relevant to contemporary social-media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
We revamped our production process to create a video that was specifically suited for social media platforms.
During our internal creative sessions, we decided on an approach that would integrate footage from self-filming (via iPhone) with traditional production footage from our crew. We developed a treatment and storyboards that underscored how the intimacy of self-captured footage would ground the story in an authentic, first person POV while our small production team captured docu-style interviews to give the story its narrative scaffolding.
Producing and directing remotely has its challenges but the reward of capturing an authentic glimpse into someone’s life is worth it.
We worked with Shipt Shopper, Melissa S to help devise a shot list that would capture a slice of her life. With the plan in place, she spent a few days self-filming her daily routine as a mom, small business owner and Shipt Shopper. Melissa would periodically upload the footage so we could review and pass along any helpful notes or direction via text message or quick phone chat.
Once the self-filming was complete, our small crew spent an afternoon capturing a series of traditional, (short) interviews as she went about her day shopping for Shipt customers.
With some great footage in hand, we began working on the edit. We started by using the dialog from her interview to lay out the narrative arc of her story. Once we had a workable rough-cut, we then began integrating all the useful pieces from her self-filmed footage. These little moments were the visual and narrative ornaments that truly brought her story to life.
Sometimes it’s great to have a traditional crew capturing everything for a project, but it’s also fun to allow a character the opportunity to collaborate in new ways that can open a unique window into their world.