NICK ROBERTSON TREATMENT
STORY “Sell” Open on a close up from inside a car, as suds and sponge energetically swirl around a sunlit windscreen. A wider shot outside reveals the silhouette of a middle-aged man washing an old car with passion and verve. A voice over begins “When you sell a car you want to know that everything is on hand to make the job easier.” Cut to an over the shoulder shot of a young woman taking a photo of her Volvo C30 on her smart phone. She frames it beautifully, taking the shot with ease. An extreme close up shows her fingers activate the Carsales.com.au app, “From being able list it quickly and conveniently…” while the smile on her face reflects her confidence in the forth-coming sale. Cut to a long lens wide shot of a young guy working away on his laptop in the comfort of his lounge room. In extreme close up, various dynamic angles of fingers moving over keyboards begins to produce a sense of anticipation as the edit begins to build the Carsales.com.au story as the production moves from one location to another. Various images of cars begin to appear across several different screens. The VO continues, “to a guide that tells you the price of similar cars so, you’re confident you’re setting a reasonable price…”
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 2
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 3
More and more online activity occurs as various people across Australia begin to navigate through the Carsales.com.au search engine as intercuts of warm smiles reflects the efficiency of Carsales.com.au. In close up we cut to the desk of a car dealer as he downloads an image of a vehicle for sale. The VO continues, “even sell it directly to a dealer if you don’t have the time to list or were considering a trade in…” The VO continues, “and know your details are kept privately and that they’re safe…” as a young woman standing in front of a polished sports car outside her suburban house discusses sale details on her mobile phone. Cut to two guys standing in a driveway shaking hands. The deal triumphant as the voice over concludes, “Sell anywhere, sell simpler and sell safer.” Carsales logo and end device appears with VO, “Carsales – Where the buyers are.” “Buy” Open on a woman relaxing in the kitchen of her home with a laptop and cup tea. She’s browsing through Carsales.com.au as a voice over begins, “When buying a car you want to know that everything is on hand to make the job easier.” Through a series of macro shots we can see her navigate through the Carsales.com.au search engine and settles on a vehicle to her liking. A warm smile spreads across her face.
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 4
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 5
A young couple nestled into one another on a couch examine a vehicle on an iPad, a dream car purchase as the VO continues, “Compare multiple cars side by side for feature’s like size, fuel and safety” Cut to a gentleman standing outside a suburban driveway that presents an antique sports car. He’s using his smart phone to check the vehicles history; the VO runs over the macro imagery of the screen, “Check a car’s history for peace of mind…” followed by a close up of the man smiling once he’s reviewed the results. Cut to a woman seated at her dining room table. Paper work and calculator are scattered across the table as she works away on her laptop. A macro shot shows her exploring market value and existing prices on various cars she’s reviewing. The VO continues, “understand the market and what you should be paying, so… you know you’re getting a good deal.” In a series of engaging macro and medium close ups, a couple at a busy inner city café compare notes of various cars on their Mini-iPad. The VO continues, “and browse for one anywhere at any time…” Cut to the closing of a deal as a couple and young man shake hands; a gesture of the success and ease of Carsales.com.au. The young woman excitedly moves around to the driver’s side door and climbs in as the VO concludes, “Buy with knowledge and buy with confidence.” The boyfriend smiles broadly clearly thrilled with the sale. Carsales logo and end device appears with VO, “Carsales – Where the buyers are.”
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 6
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 7
What a couple of great scripts, simple and to the point in its communication, providing a wonderful opportunity to engage the audience in a truly arresting manner. It’s a rhythmic flow of vision and sound. Vignettes of the pattering of fingers over tablets, smart phones and the inspection/preparations of cars by an array of assorted characters are at the heart of this simple yet visual engaging spot. The index finger and hands becomes the central tenant of the narrative, appearing frequently at different periods throughout the car sales journey. By using touch screen technology as the catalyst, it demonstrates to Australian audiences the power and ease of use of Carsales.com.au, and does it in a very photogenic manner. It is told from both an intimate macro perspective through to the natural width of car photography, as the narrative explores the exciting path of the car buying/selling journey. It’s very important that this particular film explores the complete scale of the Carsales.com.au journey. Different settings need to be obvious to the audience, even when photographed as a tight macro shot. Changes in light and atmosphere around each keyboard and monitor give the sequence breadth and diversity. These scenes are set in cafes, driveways and streets as the vignettes move from one vehicle and another. Steaming coffee mugs and personal trinkets in the deep background give each different vignette a sense of personality and humanity. All these scenarios need to feel believable filled with an individuals nuance and patterns. Balancing the tight, macro shots that reflect the digital world are the wider one that cars inhabit. Various streets, driveways and suburban settings help make up this diverse Australian canvas. It’s also important to explore all the avenues that Carsales.com.au can be accessed from. This means shooting all the various technologies like iPads, smart phones, laptops, etc. A lot of the film will be shot predominantly on a macro inspired stage to capture what the details of what Carsales.com.au is all about. The macro nature of the campaign will give audiences a unique glimpse at what happens within the heart and soul of a successful car sales campaign.
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 8
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 9
Like in the Realestate.com.au spot I directed last year, I will make sure that the camera composition will reflect the intrigue and suspense of the sale or purchase. The camera will work in harmonious unison with the edit and rhythmic sound design. The lighting will be bold and striking, but naturalistic. This will give the production the opportunity to play with some very interesting light interaction with the elements presented in each scenario. Hot pools of light refracting over metallic surfaces and reflective computer screens will give the piece incredible realism while creating a unique photographic milieu. Movement is important within each shot. Movement within each frame will give each macro vignette a sense of life and animation. Macro Lenses are specially built for the art of miniature photography. They allow the production to get right into the action without worrying about depth of field and composition set-ups. The Macro Lenses all come mounted on an intricate designed snorkel system, called the Revolution that allows us to swivel the frame into very difficult positions and helps opens up a world to audience often too difficult to access.
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 10
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 11
What’s a really important aspect of the photography is that the entire scenarios have a sense of personality to them. I don’t want this to feel like it was shot in a clinical studio with a bunch of extras with smart phones. It needs to feel as though it were captured in a spontaneous manner as if we were intimately capturing each moment just as it happens. This will be achieved with some considered art direction and some lovely natural lighting plans, giving each scene a personality. Flares and reflections will also help embellish a sense of realism and natural atmosphere, giving the piece an organic feel as opposed to a contrived studio one. Showing a broad canvas of different locations is incredibly important, different area and times of day will give the impression that Carsales.com.au is truly a nation wide phenomenon. The edit will be like the photography, engaging and suited to the nature of the macro platform. It will feel seamless and rhythmic as it works off the physical metaphor of each scene.
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 12
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 13
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 14
This wonderfully simple script has the potential to be incredibly sophisticated in its execution, further establishing Carsales.com.au as the national market leader it is. The success of this campaign comes down to the approach the production will take in all disciplines of the process. The photography needs to be captivating, while the edit and sound design needs to be dynamic, fully supporting the tempo and actions of the exciting Carsales.com.au journey. I believe this treatment offers a winning approach that matches the mechanics of the script itself. I look forward to developing this project further with you guys in the coming weeks. Regards, Nick Robertson
CARSALES.COM.AU | NICK ROBERTSON
PG 15