Locking in Level Lock+
Never in our years of experience did we think we would find ourselves shooting cinematic b-roll of a smart front door lock ten feet away from a multi-million dollar auction-ready Mercedes 300SL. In case you couldn't tell by the foreshadowing, this is exactly the unique project we were able to work on a couple of weeks back.
In this article, we'll cover all the nitty-gritty about our time shooting for Level Lock, a Bay Area startup whose products ensure total home security without sacrificing aesthetics. Users can unlock the innovative lock with an app, and connect it to other smart home devices for ultimate protection. From an unforgettable venue to carrying an entire door (frame and all) everywhere we went, there are plenty of tidbits from this weekend that we are sure our new readers would like to hear.
About Tucker/Hess Productions: We are a family-owned film production company based out of Los Angeles and the Bay Area, offering independent and commercial film production. Trusted by big names such as Google, Oracle, and Vans, our work is acclaimed and loved worldwide. Your Hollywood director may see you as a client, but we see you as a partner, and we are excited to work with you every step of the way.
Tucker Hess Productions offers:
Full-service production services
Copyrighting
Film direction
4k cinematography, 8k cinematography
Drone videography
Post Production
Animation
Don’t Scratch the Ferrari, Please
It was a typical foggy Saturday morning in Monterey, and we pulled our production truck into the parking lot of a grey non-descript warehouse. We unloaded our pelican cases, lighting stands, and camera cart, and the warehouse owner pulled a lever that opened up a wide loading bay door to reveal our weekend set. Inside was one of the most peculiar yet fun indoor sets we have had the pleasure of shooting in quite some time.
About three-quarters of the warehouse was dedicated to the owner's business - appraising and storing exotic sports cars. A bright yellow Ferrari F355 F1, Two Ferrari 360 Stradales, an assortment of classic BMW M-Series, a Porsche 911 Turbo, and of course, a grey Mercedes 300SL gullwing - one of the most sought-after collectors cars in the world. Of course, this 3 million dollar automobile was parked mere feet away from our set, so our light stands were carried around with sweaty hands.
The other quarter of the warehouse was a two-floored lounge, which served as an office, hangout for wealthy car dudes, and that day, our simulated modern home interior for Level Lock. It was perfect - almost, and required a trip or two to Home Depot for strip lights, hangers, and props.
The first day was to be shot exclusively on the top floor, where Eric, an engineer from Level Lock, would go over the process of setting up and troubleshooting the Lock on camera.
Day One: Reading Between the Lines
In this business, there is no easy day, and on that first day, all our progress rested on a single teleprompter. Eric was an equally great presenter as he was an engineer, but for the how-to video, he had to recite hundreds of lines, which is much harder than most imagine it to be. Additionally, our interns were faced with the challenge of pacing the teleprompter by hand, meaning they had to read Eric's expressions and match his pace to keep the lines coming smoothly. One take. Two takes. Nine takes. Twenty takes. Due to the nature of Level Lock's complex activation, every word from the script had to be covered precisely.
Product Shots: Admittedly, the lock was a beautifully milled piece of equipment, with metallic curves reminiscent of an Apple product. We used a plexiglass sweep table to absorb some of the overhead light, which we swung back and forth to show off the build of the Level Lock. Overall, the first day was straight business, and we got all we needed, thankfully.
Day Two: Almost Out the Door
The second day's shooting was on the bottom floor, which was more of a modern kitchen than an office. We had some great talent come in for these more dynamic shots and a shoutout to Eric for staying around for tech support.
The second day consisted mostly of our actors showcasing how the Level Lock integrates with other smart home devices in a home. The set was perfect and reflected the modern luxury feel that the Level Lock oozed. One of the trickier shots was having the actor walk into the home, and having the lights raise in intensity as if the Level Lock had activated this change. The truth is that we had to replicate this feature by hand because the venue obviously wasn't wired with a bunch of strategically placed smart lights. So when the actor walked at point A, lights 1 and 2 had to turn up in intensity at a clean linear rate until she reached point B. Just some movie magic that 99% of viewers would never even consider.
One of the last shots for Level was outside, where the actor would be sitting in her car, pretending to come home from a long day at work. We would shoot over the shoulder, showing her activating her Level Lock via the app. We wanted to showcase how you could unlock your door from far away, in the comfort of your own vehicle. However, since we were filming in a random parking lot, we had to install the Level Lock into a door and carry the entire door to the parking lot for the shot. If this wasn't enough since the Lock features a gyroscope to keep it upright, the door had to be held up while we filmed.
How Did it Turn Out?
Most of the time, the only question that counts in filmmaking is: did you get the shot? This is one of the reasons we want to share these stories with you, so you can get a behind-the-scenes look at all the work that goes into even a small-scale commercial shoot. But all said and done, yes, we got every shot we wanted from our weekend with Level.
As with all our work, we made no compromise and were able to piece together an excellent video that showcased all the ins and outs of the Level Lock. We especially love the shots that took a bit of creative engineering, such as the shot of our actor walking into the "home" and the shot of the app through the car door. And of course, Eric's patience in creating an awesome walkthrough for users to follow. In this shoot, we were reminded of the importance of having talented people in front of the camera, and we are excited to be able to work with Level Lock in the future.
Looking for product videography or other filmmaking for your company? Tucker/Hess Productions has offices in Monterey California, and Los Angeles California, yet we travel across the world to film top-tier works for aviation, business, and creative industries. Don't hesitate to reach out for a quote or any other inquiries.
Thanks, and with love always,
Tucker/Hess Productions
