round the table.

the ask.

We were asked to create an “About Us” video with a difference. The newly rebranded Company of Cooks wanted to celebrate their relaunch with a promotional video that not only immersed the viewer in a Company of Cooks hosted dinner party but also communicated the business’ key values; and all with a memorable and slick style.

A challenge we were certainly up for, especially as the client was able to provide the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts as our location along with everything else required for a sophisticated dinner party. 

the answer.

We wanted to give the viewer the feeling of walking into a dinner party and speaking to some of the guests. To do this, we wanted the film to be captured in a single shot with no cuts.  

Company of Cooks gathered together 18 people around a large table and put together the perfect menu. We worked with the client to craft scripts that various contributors would deliver as the camera travelled around the large table.  The single lap of the table in one take posed some production challenges. The first was the delivery of the scripts. A successful take would require everyone to be word perfect and for the camera movement and focus to be on point. With no cuts or b-roll there’s nowhere to hide! Or so you’d think. To avoid multiple long retakes, when blocking out the path we choreographed 2 points to add invisible cuts breaking the performance into three sections and taking the pressure off the cast and crew. This also allowed us to subtly show the different courses of a dinner party. 

The second challenge was lighting. Whilst the location provided the perfect setting and aesthetic, our 360 degree point of view meant we had to think creatively to avoid the lighting being visible in shot.  Our solution was to float a 6m lighting balloon above the table. This gave a warm soft light perfect for our desired look but, importantly, didn’t require any unsightly stands and rigging. 

The post-production process included the edit, colour grade and sound design.  Along with the hero film we also created a number of other videos for Company of Cooks’ social channels and an internal version to help induct new starters.

The results speak for themselves, it launched on LinkedIn and after the first few weeks had over 10,000 views and 300+ reactions. This all led to a click-through rate of 9.5% (LI average 0.26%) and an engagement rate of 16% (LI average 2%).