Aaron Kovan
Chief Production Officer
VaynerProductions and VaynerMedia

Survey, Part 1. The Pandemic

1) Client: Budweiser
Campaign: Budweiser | Checking In, That’s Whassup
Creative Agency: Draftline & VaynerMedia
Production Company: Stink Films & VaynerProductions
Director Agency: Traktor
VFX: VaynerProductions
PR Agency: M&C Saatchi

To remind everyone to check in with loved ones and friends during social isolation, Budweiser released two new versions of Bud’s iconic “Whassup” commercial. Two films, created by Draftline, VaynerMedia and VaynerProductions, served as PSA in the time of COVID-19. The first film featured actress Gabrielle Union, former NBA player Dwyane Wade, former NBA player Chris Bosh, WNBA player Candace Parker and DJ D-Nice. The second film included both Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, actresses Issa Rae and Yvonne Orji, The Umbrella Academy’s Emmy Raver-Lampman and Broadway star Daveed Diggs.

The films were shot in the very early stages of the lockdown when production companies were still figuring out creative ways to shoot. We therefore took a very progressive approach at that time and shot everything remotely. The footage was shot by the talent through mobile phones and everything was directed remotely through video chat software.

2) Absolutely. Due to the pandemic, we had to do everything through video chat — produce, direct and scout for a location. We leaned heavily into leveraging visual effects and animation in post production via VaynerProductions resources. With the help of modern technology and our VaynerProductions services, we were able to stitch all the scenes together to make these films feel like a group video chat.

3) During the concepting phases of creative campaigns, producers and creatives have had to work closer than ever before to ensure content can be produced within the production limitations caused as a result of the pandemic. Collaboration early in the process is crucial for success. Producers are kept up to date throughout the day to better understand what can and can’t be done on set.

Amidst the COVID restrictions, as chief production officer, I’ve had to truly study and double down on the ‘new’ way of producing. At VaynerX, we are adept in being nimble and agile in our approach — COVID has added another layer, but nothing our team can’t handle.

4) When it comes to the director and crew working together, there’s been a lot more video calls which has allowed for us to stay in touch and streamline communication. In terms of changes during the post process, with no in-person working sessions, meetings and reviews, the workflow initially was slower. However, during the last six months we have refined the process and managed to adjust and build specific steps into our timelines.

5) Over the last few months I have learned some prime lessons. This process and new way of working is new to us all, so the best thing to do is remain patient and keep pushing on. In addition, I’ve learned to account for time delays and continue to over-communicate. Not being together with our teams in-person isn’t easy, but when you’re able to over-communicate it keeps the teams in lockstep.

Survey, Part 2. Emerging filmmaking talent. 

1) My advice for new directors is to never hold your creative vision back. It’s so important to stay true to your vision, and at the same time, be open to feedback and collaboration. I think directors should persistently be proactive by adding and continuing to build on the idea he or she has conceptualized.

2) I have a few pieces of advice for up-and coming producers. Firstly, always say YES. Be ambitious and strive to produce big and deep ideas. In order to make great work, teamwork is crucial. So, my advice is to cultivate true partnership amongst all agency teams on the project, whether that be creative, account, strategy – everyone. Last but not least, study study study director, editor, visual effects and animation reels.

3) I’m going to answer this on a broader level. I’d say in the past six months since the pandemic hit, we, as a production department, have had to be more prolific and disruptive than ever before. At VaynerProductions and VaynerMedia, producers come from a culture of YES. The word NO does not exist in our vocabulary. So, we’ve had to become more resourceful and innovative — from getting scrappy and making content in-house or partnering with production companies, to make great work happen. What is key is being creative, patient and understanding the current limitations of production.

4) I am always looking for new talent. Especially creative agency producers and creatives who can not only pick a talented director to shoot their script but can also shoot and edit their own ideas- I call them agency creators.
At VaynerMedia and VaynerProductions, we believe in a culture that is built on diversity of all things: diversity of thought, socioeconomic background, self-identified gender, self-identified ethnicity, religion, work experience, disability, veteran status, etc. So, we collaborate with various organizations in order to ensure we are recruiting diverse talent. For example, most recently we sponsored the “Where Are All The Black People” event and hosted virtual recruiting rooms and portfolio reviews throughout the three-day event.

5) I’m really happy with the Budweiser project we dropped a few weeks ago called, Budweiser | Vote #Bud4Utah. It’s a funny, kind of unique idea that we partnered with Community Films’ directors Ben/Dave (Ben Hurst and Dave Thomas). VaynerProductions handled the post production. This campaign was the first shoot since lockdown in which we traveled to multiple locations (following all COVID-19 protocol, of course.) The prep felt small and limited, but the execution and final film has really great production value. I was super impressed with how safe the shoot went and how collaborative the creative process was overall.

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