Fostering Interaction Through Agile and Cost-Effective Production

Those of us who work hand in hand with brands in the audiovisual realm understand the significance of aligning film productions with their strategies to amplify reach and foster audience engagement. Customizing each asset produced facilitates this, as each platform has its unique format and language. Gone are the days of addressing everyone solely through a captivating TV commercial; now, we require numerous personalized assets tailored for multiple platforms and devices. Accomplishing this outcome demands meticulous planning—from creative ideation to pre-production, production, post-production and adaptation. Throughout this journey, we rely on skilled talent capable of optimizing resources to their fullest potential and delivering the best craft.

Inspire interaction through multiple formats. 

The possibilities for creating audiovisual content are limitless. As part of the Studio capability within Media.Monks, I work alongside producers, post-producers, animators, designers, visual effects artists, editors and sound designers who can bear witness. One day, we may be working on a commercial, only to produce digital content the next, as well as tabletop shoots for food and beverages, always-on content, live streams, event coverage or even an AR billboard.

While each production is unique, one constant remains unchanged: the imperative to tell impactful stories that resonate with the audience. You don’t only want to captivate them with beautiful pieces but also engage them and motivate them to have a dialogue with the brand—whether that’s through a short film competing at Cannes or a social post.

During our collaboration with KFC on The Battle of the Chickens, we witnessed the direct impact of culturally relevant creativity on audience engagement. TikTok, in particular, proved to be the platform that showcased this effect the most, with numerous interventions. On a personal note, this also represents one of the pieces my team is most proud of, as it was awarded by IAB Mexico and, more importantly, it was made 100% in-house with emerging directors, executive production and post-production all done internally.

Unlocking speed and value through a multilocal team. 

As exemplified by The Battle of the Chickens, a crucial factor for success in 2023 is the creation of culturally relevant content. However, for brands to actively co-create culture alongside their audience, it is essential not only to tell compelling stories in diverse formats but also to develop them rapidly. To tackle that challenge, we developed a global production network based on an end-to-end model combining internal expertise with the skills of independent directors (both established and emerging), which allows us to swiftly adapt to any format and stay ahead of the curve.

Moreover, the combination of a robust ecosystem of global talent and local expertise forms a foolproof formula for executing exceptional productions at a reasonable cost. By seeking the localization of production design in LATAM, we can maximize budget efficiency. While working with a Mexican director for a local brand, for example, our people in New Delhi may jump in to help from their virtual production studio specializing in Unreal Engine, and the post-production team in Buenos Aires may give the final touches for a faster turnaround.

“In 2022 alone, our team shot more than ten commercials for the US in Mexico City,” says my colleague Octavio Gortazar, who is Executive Producer for Media.Monks.

Producing captivating content that knows no time, size or budget constraints.

In our industry, there seems to be a growing trend of shrinking budgets and increasing demands, and to a large extent, this is true. As a result, production teams are faced with the challenge of efficiently handling projects of various scales, delivering them in the shortest possible time, and managing costs effectively. While having a diverse team with local expertise is advantageous, it is also crucial to rethink and transform conventional production processes in order to unlock a higher level of innovation and speed.

We define this strategy with a single word: Nimble. In a nutshell, Nimble represents an in-house production model that effectively caters to the content requirements of social media in the local market. It provides an agile and compact production design, characterized by its cost efficiency and perfect craftsmanship. From covering an event with a content creator to developing a marketing shoot for a series or producing one-year content for a digital campaign, it always allows us to maximize the possibilities of a set with the highest level of craft.

An example of this is our work with Santa Clara, a renowned dairy brand in Mexico that needed to connect with its diverse audiences through social media. Knowing that tabletop can be both costly and technically demanding, we combined our Nimble and tabletop teams to devise a more efficient shooting plan. In just three weeks of pre-production and five days of filming, we delivered 80 photos and 100 videos tailored to the various communication channels across different digital platforms.

Shootings for automotive brands, as well as marketing productions for series or artists, can also leverage a Nimble production design to generate efficient, crafty, and creative content.

In constant transformation.

Another way of generating efficiencies is experimenting with new technologies. Today, AI is pushing us to revolutionize traditional approaches and co-create new processes with other disciplines. We are making progress in experimenting and training our teams in the new AI-powered tools that enhance and enable creative developments. This powerful tool is utilized across various applications, enabling us to generate text-to-image content, create precise storyboards, expedite post-production processes and even streamline back-office operations, even in its early stages of development.

Today, brands have countless opportunities and formats to connect with consumers thanks to agile and innovative production efforts that allow for personalized scaling of each project, enabling interaction with multiple audiences. Content is supported by creators, the community and technology. That’s why we continue to democratize access to diverse and young talent on set, regardless of scale. We engage in dialogue with the community and constantly update ourselves collectively with our partners, colleagues and clients.