On Location: Realm films product videos for Blue Ember with iQue

Recently, Realm went on location for several days outside of Nashville filming raw video for Fiesta's new product - Blue Ember. The experience was exciting and nerve wracking. Filming videos was nothing new for the pair, and shooting food was nothing new either. But putting the two together poses unique challenges.

The plan was to shoot three different "stories," each focusing on a different core benefit of the iQue system: convenience, simplicity and precision. Different locations and cast were used for each video as well as a different set of recipes.

On paper, this all sounded simple. The challenge came in timing. Because the videos were designed to be explanatory, there was a lot of button pushing, opening and closing, and over-time cooking. The actors were fine as was the grill. The problem came from the food - which didn't appreciate pauses in the cooking process.

What isn't captured on screen is a small army of other grills cooking the food that was going to be shown on the grill and eaten by the actors. Food had to be brought on set and taken off set throughout the cooking process to give the cameras and actors time to reset and prep for the next shot. Our client, Tammy, coordinated with 2 other cooks to create the meals that are seen in the final production.

Luckily, the product itself is what helped pull the whole system off. Not trying to sell you a grill (they are, however, now available at Lowes!) but you need to understand the inherent unpredictability in grilling. Grills are basically open fire with no real control beyond low, medium, high. This grill, however, has digital controls over timing and temperature beyond anything ever seen before. Getting a piece of meat, vegetable or even cake at exactly the right stage of cooking was pretty easy. More than that, it was predictable!

If we didn't have this kind of grill, filming this kind of video would have cost a small fortune in wasted food. As it was, almost all the shots didn't need a stand-in. Food was cooked part on-camera and part off-camera. And, in the end, it presented a very consistent result.

The videos were completed in time to be showcased at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. Not only was Fiesta sitting right at the entrance to the show, but they had wide-screens playing the video announcing a whole new idea - a digital grill!

Props go to Fiesta for being a great client throughout the entire process. The food tasted delicious, too!

All three videos are currently available on YouTube as well as other video from the product launch.