This was the final project to close out Spring 2010 at Sacramento City College. It was the most involved one, and probably the most fun. And I managed to kill two classes with one stone when it came to this final project.
One of the classes was a studio class. We were put into teams, and our task was to produce an ad campaign for the Rotary Club of Sacramento. It consisted of a print ad and a 30-second commercial. The commercial was going to be aired on local television and everything (ad space had been bought). Two different groups worked on two different ads. Ours was the one with lower production costs, meaning we had to shoot everything in one location and probably in a studio (we have a photography studio on campus).
I worked mainly on the 30-second commercial. There were three photographers, the incredibly talented Ron Nabity, Andrew Nixon and Kevin Fiscus. I project-managed. We were also assisted by Ann Edwards, who helped out with a lot of production, and Marika Andrews, another photographer who mainly helped with scouting models.
Our group had to do everything from scratch. We came up with the concept for our ad (it’s about showcasing a more diverse, younger face for Rotary). I wrote the script (and got lots of help editing and re-arranging it). We storyboarded the whole thing, figured out how we wanted the ad to look, found models, the whole nine yards. The faculty had hookups with a local recording studio, and both groups got to sit in and listen as voiceovers for both ads were created.
It was an incredible process. I’d been involved in some aspects of production before — I’m a former theater stagehand, and I do know my way around a recording studio — but I’d never worked on a commercial from start to finish. Our photo shoot was an 8-hour marathon involving four different models (though only three got used in the final commercial). It was the fastest eight hours ever. It was neat to work with a team of photographers and learn about their lighting and setups and watch them work with models. It was fun helping direct a shoot and fix stray hairs and straighten out collars.
Lastly, it was neat to see the concept that we thought of come alive in this commercial. It was shot entirely in a studio, all still photography.
The only thing we didn’t do was cut the final commercial. That was left to one of the teachers and his son, who are Final Cut gurus. However, I cut a version of the commercial for my After Effects final. (I told you I killed two classes with one stone.)
Working on this commercial was one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve had so far as a designer, and I truly appreciate all the work that goes on behind the scenes. And I feel fortunate that I got to work with such a fun and talented bunch of people.
Here is the commercial cut in After Effects. It’s not the real commercial that will be seen in the Sacramento region, but do enjoy anyway. 
