Once upon a time, Joshua Csehak quit his advertising job, bought a 7D, and launched his new career in freelancing. Now it's five years later and after working as the DP for an O2COOL spot, he discusses the spot, its creative development, and the qualities a corporate video needs to come out on top.
ProductionHUB: Describe the creative thought process behind the video for O2COOL.
**Joshua Csehak: **My director and client on this shoot, Zoe Arniotis at Brafton, knew exactly what she wanted, so most of the creative process was done by the time I was brought on board. She gave me storyboards - which we for the most part stuck to - and my job was to simply just to make it look good. One thing that helped was I'd just bought Ilsa - my Red Dragon. There's just something about Red (and Alexa, too) that just looks better than everything else, and that in turn fed into everyone else's creative energy. It's a really nice feedback loop that I think any shoot benefits from.
**PH: **What steps do you take to come up with it? How is it different than other types of video?
JC: It was a very collaborative shoot. Zoe was wonderfully good at communicating her vision. The biggest hurdle was that the budget was lower than we all would've liked, so we had to make certain compromises. But since we all got where each other was coming from, we were able to make a final product that looked like they spent 10 times more than they did, which is something I'm very proud of. But I couldn't have done it without a director that understood our limitations, or was willing to listen when she didn't understand.
PH: How did this opportunity arise for you?
**JC: **Five years ago, I quit my job in advertising, bought a 7D, and started freelancing. One of my first clients was a company called JoVE. They produce scientific videos. The pay is crap and the shoots can be long (not to mention tedious), but I shot a lot for them and that really helped me hone my skills. I highly recommend them for anyone getting started, by the way! So Zoe was a producer there and we got to know each other pretty well. It didn't take too long for my rates to grow beyond what they could afford, and she eventually moved to Brafton and started directing spots there. When she needed a DP for this O2COOL spot, she gave me a ring, and this is the result of that. Different people have given me the advice to do the best job you can even on the crappiest shoots, and this is direct evidence that that's solid advice.
PH: In your opinion, was the video effective?
**JC: **This is one of the most effective videos I've ever shot, for three reasons. First and foremost, Brafton was happy - a C-Suite level exec mentioned it was the best video they've ever made - and O2COOL was so happy that they gifted Brafton with a short run of Brafton-branded water bottles. Second, O2COOL decided to use some frame grabs for print ads, a luxury afforded them by shooting on Ilsa. But lastly, when I was briefed, I initially thought the idea of a water bottle that sprayed you was kind of silly, but looking at the footage of the boxer spraying himself in slow-motion, it looks really refreshing! It makes me want one of their water bottles. I mean, that's the most basic point of advertising, right? - to make you want the product.
PH: How do you determine the success of a corporate video? What is considered a "successful" corporate video? (if possible, create a small list of examples)
**JC: **It's really hard to gauge success, especially with lifestyle campaigns. There are people way smarter than me who can quantify these sort of things, but for me, if my client is happy, their client is happy, and I feel good about it, I consider it a complete success. Once in a while you get a campaign like "Just Do It" that has a profound and positive impact on our culture, but 99% of the time, you're cultivating a little desire, getting someone to want your client's product over their competitor's. It's pretty cool to feel like you've succeeded.
PH: What are a few aspects that every corporate video should have?
JC: I believe every corporate video needs to look and sound top-notch. Like every other ad, your video is your brand ambassador, and if it looks or sounds unprofessional, the consumer will see your brand as unprofessional. There are some spots running now that show home video footage shot on some sort of camera phone. I get what they're doing, trying to humanize their brand, but I think an unfortunate side effect is that it -- subconsciously if not consciously -- makes their brand look cheap. That's not good for anyone. Outside of that, everything's fair game.
**PH: **How is this one from O2COOL different than other brands who promote the same thing?
JC: It sprays you! In the FACE. They actually have the patent on that. Every other water bottle is thereby inferior. Or do you mean, how are the other brands' videos different? They're great. Their only problem is they don't have any footage of people refreshing the crap out of themselves by spraying their faces with cool insulated ice water. Other than that, good stuff.
About Joshua Csehak
Joshua Csehak has been a full-time cinematographer since 2009. He specializes in narrative cinema, commercials, and industrials, and he prides himself in not only his dedication to beautiful imagery and storytelling, but also his ability to work well in a team of talents of all kinds. For more, visit his site: http://www.magicgoggles.com/.
