INTRO

“If the kids like it, then it probably tastes good.” This is a motto in the food industry,
and it is true. Mom’s biggest critic will always be her kid. No matter the age, Mom
will always feel the need to rise up to the expectations of her children.

So what better way to show this than by presenting some very critical children! I
find the idea very direct and effective. Even though visually the reference to Master
Chef is very clear, this is also a reflection of our own experience as children. While
writing this text I started reminiscing about the time when my mother used to fix
me fun new dishes that I hadn’t tasted before. She would make sure the food looked
fun and also tasted incredible. So there I was, very expectative, my gaze fixed at the
broccoli with melted cheese on top. The result was…disastrous. I think I didn’t taste
broccoli for ten years after that day. What was my mother’s reaction at the time?
She couldn’t understand the disaster. But those times when I really enjoyed a dish…
Well, let me tell you that twenty years later she continues to proudly cook it when I
go to visit.

The challenge lies in generating tension in thirty seconds without losing the
tastiness of the food while at the same giving the piece its own distinct personality.
In the following sections I will elaborate on how we can achieve this goal.

VISUAL LANGUAGE

We have to be very precise in what we take for inspiration from Master Chef since
that show tends to build suspense little by little. In thirty seconds they’ve only used
four shots while we need to do the whole piece in that time.

In that sense, I only want to take what is really evident from Master Chef: the
lightning rig visible on the shot, epic music, the incisive looks of the critics, and the
arrival of these to the set. For everything else we will have a free flowing camera.
We want to have movements that will convey the sense of urgency and precision
needed to prepare the dishes. We will also have a very dynamic editing rhythm to
show the preparation and details of the food. By doing this we will be able to play
with the gaze of the children and show their judging attitude.

It is beyond saying that we will completely avoid the type of lightning used in
Master Chef. I want to be able to justify the beautiful lightning for our delicious
dishes and deliver a piece that feels atmospheric and brimming with flavor.

LOOK AND FEEL

Our story should not only be a tense one where Mom is pushed to cook the tastiest
breakfast; we should also have some mischievousness. We can’t afford not to have it
when our judges are eleven-years-old at most! Let’s not back away from this playful
element in our story. Our characters should have very distinct personalities that are
visible thanks to their costume design; they will feel tridimensional and not like
some kids that came out of a stock catalogue.

Mom should feel like a character of flesh and bone, with little imperfections present
on her hairstyle that has come undone. Nerves tend to make us pull our hair a bit
unconsciously, wipe away the sweat from our brow, even if it’s just seven AM. After
all, these kids are comically relentless with their mother.

I will go into more detail on a different section about our characters, but I wanted to
mention this approach before hand since it will make the story more our own
without going against the Master Chef reference.

I want our image to be full of textures; the costume design of our characters and
kitchen will allow it. While the kitchen will have a tv set look to it; I want to use vivid
woodwork and scrapped metals on it so that on the detail shots we can transmit a
natural sensation. If you look at the ads by Lurpak you’ll see that the textures where
the food products are resting look worn from a daily use.

Let’s think of our kitchen as one that was taken from Mom’s home and into a
television set with its typical arrangement.

Are you not craving an atmosphere like this one? Because I sure am! The
commercials that we identify the most with are the ones where the details feel “less
perfect” and more humanly. This is why I want to take only what is strictly essential
from Master Chef and allow ourselves the creative freedom that will help us achieve
a piece with lots of personality.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

We have a television set, but it’s also 7am in a kitchen, time for breakfast. I prefer to
light the set as if it was 7am. This will help the dishes look natural, plain and simple.
Master Chef benefits from the show’s time length to generate expectations and
suspense, we need to use the atmosphere to our favor. This way we can have a
somewhat lateral key light with backlights that a traditional TV setup wouldn’t
allow. Instead, this setup will give us more details and textures of our succulent
product and its ingredients.

The artificial element (but essential to the narrative) of the lightning consists of
spotlights above the children. We will also use a dramatic backlight when they
arrive on the set.

As I mentioned earlier, the camera will flow with dynamic and precise movements
to generate tension for the moment at hand. I propose shooting on a 2:40
(widescreen) aspect ratio to give the piece a cinematic look. We will generate more
tension with this visual approach since the film aesthetic automatically invokes
dramatic expectations. We can discuss the format. If for any reason the 16:9 aspect
ratio is more convenient, we can certainly use it for our story.

CHARACTERS

MOM: She is the mom next door…She’s that mom who embodies all the moms and
every child would like to have. What is she like? Well, she’s not perfect. She’s
pleasant to the sight: wide expressive eyes (this is important since tension is built
through the characters’ gaze), not perfectly combed, and with very little makeup on
(it’s 7am). She takes proper care of her body, but doesn’t brag about it. We will need
a mother who shows that she always wants what’s best for her children and herself.

Mom is no stranger to the kitchen. Even though she’s nervous, she gives little winks
and smiles to the camera every time she sees that the dish is turning out well. When
she’s about to drop the Puck from the bread and quickly catches it; she tastes it and
can’t help smiling due its delicious flavor. Since her every move is being judged, her
smile is a bit sheepish, but for us as spectators, it’s a delight to watch.

THE CRITICS/JUDGES: I would like to make a brief observation before commenting

on the personality of each one of them. We shouldn’t limit ourselves by the
recommended age rage in terms of gender. That is, let’s look for the best possible
boys and girls without worrying if the youngest has to be a boy and the middle child
a girl. By this I don’t mean we will have three boys or three girls; but let’s stay open
to the possibility of having two boys and a girl, or two girls and a boy. This is in an
attempt to get the best actor for the role possible and have a superior result.

The youngest of our characters should have a natural spontaneity. This young one
should be the most expressive one. It would be great if he/she had a plush with a
chef personality (maybe a teddy bear with an apron that links it to the world of
cooking). After trying the dish, the child could look at the plush companion and nod
in approval.

The middle boy or girl should have a sweet inherent haughtiness. Maybe the kid is
drawing on a napkin while waiting and dazzles the camera with a smile when it’s in
front of him/her. This child is conscious of his/her charming image.

The eldest is the keenest of the siblings. We could have the character holding a
tablet making sure Mom is preparing the dishes to perfection. This seems the be the
offspring that never approves of the food, although in the end this rigidness will fade
with the expression of joy Mom’s dish gives him/her.
FOOD STYLING

Mom is preparing the food for her children. She’s not a professional chef cooking for
a customer; but she is a family professional showing love to her young ones. Her
love is diligent, not perfect. At least the designs of her dishes aren’t. Mom’s tender
heart, her uneven cut vegetables, excess of Puck, and rough dish presentations are
the ingredients that make the mouthwatering possible. In her dishes we see love,
not the ideal catalogue representation. If this mom cooks pancakes, they wouldn’t
have a perfect circumference since that would mean they came from a freezer or a
restaurant.

In terms of a dish selection, we will look for everyday recipes that are rich with
ingredients and appetizing textures (colors, taste, and ridges). We don’t want any
flat textures. If we have a tomato on the shot, it should be cut in half to see its shape
and juiciness. If there’s bread, we will have crumbs falling off the golden toasted
surface. And if there’s meat present, we will see the juice that comes out of it.

We will also look for dishes that allow us to mix the ingredients in order to see how
the textures and colors mix. Remember that all the food shots will be presented in a
dynamic montage where color and movement generate a sensation of appetite.

The pouring and spreading of the Puck should be the least perfect action that we
present. We shouldn’t be scared of having a bit more product than usual so that it
creates a small mount that seems to be about to fall off. This is because, when we are
dealing with food, the moment we see something about to fall off the reaction is to
stick our finger to return balance to the dish and enjoy the surplus ourselves. We are
striving for a mouthwatering moment here.

Even though this isn’t exactly food styling, I would like to capture the moment in
which Mom grabs the Puck container in a rather dramatic way. We will generate this
sensation with a camera flare coming from one of the spotlights available on the
kitchen set.

ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN

As I previously mentioned, I want a kitchen that has the arrangement of one from a
TV set, with its isle for kids; but in its textures I want it to resemble one that has
been used. I want a mix of vivid wood and scrapped metals. The cooking utensils
don’t need to be too professional, but also not too amateur. Just like the rest of the
kitchen, we should be able to notice that they’ve been used to prepare many meals.

Even though we can see the kitchen is on a set, when we enter the panel the place
should feel homely. I insist that it’s important for this breakfast to feel natural.

If we want to increase the branding presence on the ad, we could have touches of
blue without saturating the scene. The closer we get to showing a homely kitchen,
the more identification appeal we will generate.
FINAL THOUGHTS

Thank you for the invitation to share my ideas with you for this fun project for Puck.
I hope we can continue to work in conjunction to further develop our ideas and
achieve the best possible piece.

Mom will always feel the need to nurture her children. Let’s show that nervousness
and hard work millions of mothers around the world put every day when they rise
to prepare the best possible breakfast.