The Story Lab Work Placement

The work placement I conducted for my first year was at The Story Lab, a creative advertising agency in London. The company is located at 20 Triton St, NW1 3BF. My contact was head of content Max Garner, telephone number - 07710305365 and email address - Max.Garner@storylab.com. The Story Lab is part of the Dentsu Aegis Network. They combine their marketing and commercial expertise to innovate the supply chain of storytelling through four Story Lab products. These being ‘investment’ (co- developing, investing and distributing content), ‘originals’ (creating new concepts) ‘partnerships’ (collaborating with clients) and ‘strategies’ (to produce the correct media content). The nature of the business is to produce, distribute and invest in premium entertainment content that travels across territories, media channels and devices.

When I arrived, I was introduced to the members at the office and given a tour of all the functional departments. The hierarchy of staffing is different by role. However, all members of staff are invited to be collaborative in the creative process no matter what their role or grade. The Story Lab strongly believe in cross functional teams to get the best creative outputs. A reason for this being that their reputation is key to their success, therefore everyone must do their up most to produce high quality work. The teams are clearly structured by departments, for example finance, HR, creative copy writers, digital content, post production. The layout is open plan to encourage cross communication and streamlined teams. I was told that during my time with the company, I would be acting as a production assistant. The team I was in specifically focused on producing the creative content. The roles in this team ranged from the staff who created the ideas for the stories, the editors who piece this content together, and the creative producers and directors who bring the idea to life through to the end of the production process.

It was interesting to be surrounded by people of older ages, as it definitely tested me as a young adult to strive to reach their professional level. The learning environment is clearly different to being at University where you are in a more familiar and comfortable situation, with everyone being around the same age with similar work experiences.

After I had met the team, Max informed me on their different clients, for examples Cadbury’s and Lego. He also talked about their work with long term partnerships, including Microsoft, Casio and Budweiser. After this I was shown a slideshow representing the company and all the services they could provide. Expressing how they are able to combine the data given to them by a client/company with editorial talent to create effective media content. It was important to understand this as this background information is used when pitching to their potential new clients. Their aim is to become the most innovative global investor, producer and distributor of premium entertainment content that attracts audiences, media owners and advertisers.

The Story Lab are very commercially aware of the pressures on brands and their media budgets. The current market place means that brands media budgets are under constant review to ensure that they give the very best return on investment. So it is important that the content and choice of media is optional for the brand to achieve this. The way The Story Lab has responded to this commercial trend and change, is by ensuring they offer a strategic arm to help with creating the right communication platform and content. Whether it be in the form of a television advert or on social media.

Throughout my time at story lab, I was involved in various different projects. The first took place in Soho where Max and I met other members of the team at a place named Absolute. We were then taken into a showing room for a ‘grad post production process’ where I witnessed the editing for several Wickes TV adverts. I was shown the importance of colour enhancement and how all the shots needed to match and line up to create a seamless portrayal of the content. Seeing as these adverts were for a campaign, all 3 adds needed to be linked through consistent colour schemes to show continuity and consistency. It was explained how certain colours are associated with other home wear brands, for example orange as it is associated with BnQ and therefore shouldn’t be used as main colour of focus. The advert had to be suitable for pre watershed, so it was important that no alcohol could be seen in the party scene and I learned how crucial it is that there is no other product placement.

I learnt about how the advert inserts that are played before TV shows need to be sent to the TV station with a number, so they can programme the schedule order. These are called 'clocks.' For this advert the format of the order was ‘15 seconds, 5 seconds, 5 seconds, 5 seconds, 5 seconds, 10seconds.’ There were 16 different themed adverts. I was tasked with figuring out all the possible ordered formats so that each were original. I conducted this on an excel spreadsheet. I believe I performed well as I was able to portray as many orders as possible for Max to then email to the TV stations.

Later in the week I was tasked with checking the script for several Wickes radio commercials. I had to correct spelling mistakes and ensure it sounded fluent adding in the location of each specific store to suit the location of the script. We then travelled to the studio where I was introduced to the producer and greeted the voice over artist. Whilst the commercials were being recorded, I worked on cross media for the Wickes campaign, creating posts for their website. I watched a video and then had to write a step by step guide for how to DIY using specific Wickes equipment. For example, one was titled ‘How to - Remove and replace a dishwasher.’ These will then be sent to the company before appearing on their website.

Another main project was working on the set of a ‘Rachel's yoghurt’ advert. I went to the location, a house in Ealing, where I met the cast, crew and clients. Together we looked over the storyboards and the various scenarios included within the 8 adverts set to be shot. They are short extracts set to be shown before ‘Goodman’s Food’. Venturing to different locations was extremely useful in progressing my knowledge of the industry, as I gained a sense of professional independence from being able to travel to different places and meet new people so regularly.

I then helped with setting up, focusing on prop placement. From this I discovered how important each individual prop is in setting a realistic tone to the advert. House rental for adverts was explained to me as well as how you can also rent home objects to convey a convincing, homelike atmosphere. All the objects used for props were labeled and had to be cross checked accordingly. I spent the latter half of the day working within the art department, it was interesting to see how costuming works for shoots like this. There were many items of clothing separated into different character sections, I steamed/ironed all items so that the head of costume could put various outfits and accessories together.

I was asked to take test photos to see which ones would work well in the scenes. I was able to perform this well as I have been provided with camera skills from my photography module within my University course. These were then shown to the creative director who made the final call. Then I was introduced to the food stylist who taught me about working with food in commercials. It really is an art being able to enhance the texture and quality with chemicals yet at the same time looking as naturalistic and aesthetically pleasing as possible on screen.

The next project we were working on was for the product Philadelphia soft cheese. My first task had me sitting in on the first meeting of the day, a Pre-production meeting for Philadelphia advert. This was a very important meeting with the clients to reassure the content and what they wanted for the advert before the day of the shoot so that adaptations could be made. I was told to make notes throughout to give to Katie after.

The concept of these adverts revolve around Lorraine Pascal, a professional chef, cooking meals using the various flavours of the Philadelphia soft cheese product. There is a script for guidance however, the clients would prefer more ad-lib, preferably more fun and free flowing. They want Lorraine to make it as personal as possible by being more informal, adding her own opinions and professional expertise.

The adverts needed to ensure that the main focus was on the Philadelphia and not to draw too much attention to other ingredients in the recipe. They also had to push the product, adding emphasis to how easy it is to make these meals. I learnt the importance of showcasing a products unique selling point, homing in on 'Why Philadelphia?’ Philadelphia’s U.S.P’s are that it is fresh, creamy, silky, doesn't melt and holds its texture.

The content varies depending on what platform it will be broadcast - 1 minute 20 clip for the telegraph website (therefore everything needs to be cross checked by the telegraph) as well as 30 second version for TV and a 15 seconds for social Media. The desired framework ensures the product is in clear in the shot with interaction, ie. scooping the Philadelphia with a spoon.

There was then a discussion on set design, as we presented a slideshow to the clients. They believed it was too busy, meaning it would distract audiences. Adaption’s were then made on the set so that there would be more breathing space. Then we decided that Lorraine will be wearing different tops for the different recipes. Mostly pastel colours and denim paired with natural complimentary make up and tied back hair for cooking. This was a really valuable experience as I was able to see what takes place in a professional pre-production meeting, adding to my knowledge of what it is like to work in the media industry. It was interesting to see how advertising agencies converse with clients and what is discussed before the commercial is produced. It is so vital as it is the last opportunity for the two to come to a final agreement before entering the shoot.

I then went into a separate meeting with the Creative Director to ensure the recipes matched the scripts correctly. Afterwards, I shadowed Katie Cowell as we travelled to the Creative Directors house. Here we met the food stylist who cooked the recipes to certify that the measurements and ingredients were correct and created a successful end product. She timed each recipe so that we were able to see if they would fit with the Assistant Director’s time schedule for each individual advert. We needed to work out which would take the longest time to see which parts of the recipes would have to be pre-made. This step was crucial, as we may have completely misjudged the duration of each recipe, causing disruption to the schedule.

When it comes to the timeframe, we had to consider how long we had Loraine on set for as she was only available for a certain amount of time. The process would take longer than the time that Loraine would be there, so to resolve this the company decided to bring in a hand model. The hand model would film all the close up shots with the product as these are so important and need to be done many times to ensure the shots are correct.

I was tasked with casting a hand model to double with Lorraine’s hands. I had to visit various websites to find female ethnic hand models, then I called up several agencies with the names of suitable models. Explaining the role and asking who would be the most suited, as they required cooking experience or had worked with food. I managed to find someone appropriate and emailed over the location and arrival details. This really challenged my communication skills, as I have never had to make that style of phone call before. I feel this experience helped me in regards to my course module ‘Music Industries’ as for this I had to make calls to music artists as well as different venues and from this practice during my work placement, it really enabled me to gain a sense of professionalism and confidence when talking to people in the industry.

The day of the shoot finally came and I was very excited to see how the production process would go as I felt I had been a part of the development and seen how it had evolved over the week. I arrived on set in the early hours of the morning and was introduced to the lead runner Josie on the shoot. She explained how her role fits in within the industry, sharing some personal experiences. We then began making tea and coffee for the cast and crew whilst they started to set up. I then made enough photocopies of the schedule for everyone who needed one. After this, I helped to unload the prop trolley and set up all the food in order of what was to be cooked first. There was a team of chefs/food artists working in a kitchen next to the room for the shoot. I carried the finished product onto the set so that the creative director could place them where needed.

I then assisted Josie in greeting Lorraine Pascal, welcoming her into hair and makeup as well as wardrobe. This was a great experience as I was able to see what it is like to work around important figures. I continued to help out where ever I was needed, whether it be making drinks or going to the shop for people. Although I was mainly running small errands, I was able to observe the process and see how the camera crew operated and responded to direction. I found this interesting as it was very similar to how I had worked with my group in our TV studios devised show at University.

The second day was focused on the close ups of the hand model. I greeted the model and Josie and I showed her some video footage from the previous day. I then continued to run standard errands. Finally, as the shoot came to an end, I was tasked with collecting all the receipts and doing the petty cash to figure out the total money spent. I believe I learnt a lot about starting at the bottom and how you have to be available to help and do whatever is thrown your way. I think this is important, as in this industry you have to start somewhere and if you are known for being cooperative and reliable it will hopefully go in your favor in the future.

I feel that my knowledge on what it is like to work in the media industry has grown immensely from being a part of it and witnessing first hand. The experience was beneficial for me to learn how to apply the skills I have learnt at University into real-life working scenarios. Being a part of The Story Lab team definitely allowed me to develop my personal and professional skills as a media worker. It showed me how crucial the demand for integrated media production skills are. Making me more aware of developing as a doer and a thinker in regards to media.

When reflecting and evaluating how I worked within my placement I feel that me showing confidence and keenness to learn has benefited me hugely as in my employer Max’s feedback in my testimonial he said that my great aptitude for the tasks means that he wouldn’t hesitate to offer me a graduate role at the end of my course. This has made me very aware of how crucial people and communication skills are. It is important to be helpful, clear and confident when approaching media workers and I will ensure I continue this in the future as I broaden my contacts within the industry.