How It Started

I awoke early in the morning, stumbled to my espresso machine, pulled a few shots of sweet nectar from the gods, slouched to my couch sipping hot goodness and expected good things to happen when I turned on the second season of Knight Rider. As usual, I watch TV off my DVR so I can watch many episodes of one show back to back, especially season openers because at times they can be intense to wait an entire week for the next installment.

What Happened

The title appeared, the producer credits ran and I awaited redemption. Hoping something new would come this season, surely they wouldn’t let this viable franchise die or make it into a larger advertisement like last season. Well, let me save you, no let me crush you, your hopes, your dreams, your aspirations. Ok, so maybe you and me are a little different but still I’m sure you’re wondering what happened. Not only does the miserable advertisement come back strong, it gets worse.

How Could It Get Worse?

Well, it’s easy, first you start with horrible dialogue, not a horrible concept, just bad, cheesy dialogue. Then you add in the fact that KITT now is Transformer, yeah, it’s true, but Michael Bay is no where to be seen. KITT can now turn into a Ford F-150 (a sad attempt to push more units in this type of economy given current gas prices) enabling the driver to instantaneously be transported to the bed of the truck only to jump out of it moving without any kinetic energy. Third, KITT now has feelings, him and Michael are friends, best friends, buds, learning the ever-confusing dynamics of human relationships. It’s not a lack of letting the impossible reign free, it is the lack of plausibility, the lack of caution given to this franchise. Oh, yeah, KITT jumps too, you know, like a rabbit with a jet on it’s back.

What’s To Be Learned By This Nonsense?

• Great concept doesn’t equal great product or execution
• Stop forcing Ad-Placement that don’t make sense to the story
• Just because someone else did it doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to
• Sometimes tried and true are the best thing you can do
• If you think it’s cool, ask a friend who doesn’t know about the project, they’ll have a different opinion
• Sometimes when you fail the first time, you should just walk away from it
• Don’t repeat your mistakes and call it innovative

How much product placement is too much?

I’m sure many of you saw the NBC remake “made-for-TV” movie of Knight Rider and I’m sure like me many of you were hoping and excited by the possibilities of KITT stopping international crime again and again. I watched with anticipation and baited breath. With the start of the show my love for the series was slowly shattered and I say it wasn’t because the new remake was cheesy (although it was a bit) it was because of the overt, loud, in-your-face advertisement for Ford.

For starters KITT is a Ford Mustang Shelby Edition, of which, I’m actually happy about, it looks good. But moving beyond that every vehicle is a Ford which wouldn’t be the first time Ford or any other advertiser overstayed their welcome in television or films. However, there were so many action shots of every vehicle it begins to make you sick, it began to look like a horrible, ugly, exasperating commercial that would never get to the story. The only non-Ford vehicle that was shown was a GMC Yukon (with all the signage removed) and it was only in the show for a few moments right before it was in a crash, which the Mustang (KITT) was not harmed.

The show is not miserable or unbearable but the bad tact used by Ford WOULD make me stop watching. I actually believe in embedded advertising as it can be effective and help move units if executed correctly.

Here’s a few ideas how not to be ridiculous in your embedded (product placement) advertising:

1. Don’t say the name of the product over and over
2. Don’t show the product out of place of the story or show
3. Don’t let your advertiser dictate to you what to do (Your audience loves you for a reason, don’t betray them)
4. Don’t always show the product features (Use it yourself, you know your audience, let them engage)
5. Consider practical use (In Knight Rider the bad guys drove a Ford Edge, nice car but highly unlikely for a goons vehicle)
6. Advertisers don’t care how your audience views you (You do, or should, treat them accordingly, they made you who you are)
7. Don’t be afraid to be daring with the product (The advertiser wants results, if you can bring it, they don’t care how you do it)

We (GIMP) were out filming a nice little piece for Ford on the Explorer today, we were doing some great driving shots. When shooting driving scenes it is always about safety first, even though you are driving at relatively low speeds (always looks faster on camera) you can still damage the vehicle or worse get injured.

There are so many things to watch out for when filming a driving scene here’s 7 quick ones to consider:

1. Where are you driving? (Terrain, Temperature, Climate Conditions, Sun Rise/Set)
2. What are the capabilities of the vehicle (Is it 2WD, AWD or 4×4)
3. What shots are needed (Close, High-Speed, Wide, Epic Landscape)
4. Don’t hit other vehicles or your chase vehicle (Makes people hurt inside)
5. Plan, plan, plan and plan more (These situations are prime for a small mistake to result in huge injury)
6. Don’t drive near hunters (There angry, there old and they all look like Dick Cheney aiming for you)

Yes, don’t get near hunters, today we were filming some of our principal photography which consists of nice wide shots driving through the mountains and a little off-roading using the 4×4 abilities. While filming there was a small group of local hunters out and about shooting quail or some other small bird. (Isn’t quail illegal to shoot in California?) Well, they saw us driving around on what was apparently their property (there was confusion as we thought we had the rights) and they started shooting towards us. This isn’t the first time, which makes me wonder “Where the hell do I live that we get shot at when filming?” So, to say the least, we got off their land rather quickly and sat on the public road filming them, hoping they would shoot again at us causing Michael (who was filming) to get grazed on the shoulder providing great YouTube video. It’s not that we’re gusty, I guess it is because after filming for some time in these type of situations you become accustom to it and embrace it. The situation, not the bullets hopefully.

All this to say, when filming indie style, like we all do nowadays, it is important to watch your surroundings and be alert as to any crazy, orange-touting, garb wearing, face shooting (Cheney) hicks who think you’re a better target than their most precious illegal to shoot (I think) quail.

Be safe!