C H A N N E L 4/ THE MCDONALDS MUSIC MIX UP.
One value I took away with me, something I didn't expect was
that, to initially gain some media production experience, you don’t necessarily
have to have a supreme knowledge in the process. Production teams are very open
to willingness, supply and a positive attitude when it comes to applying
yourself. In addition to this I secured my first ‘real’ professional media
production role as a ‘Runner’ and on this day, set out on my merry way for my
biggest adventure of the week yet. Leaving the office on Thursday evening I
reflected on my profile. I had always been a creative, the editor, the one who titivated
the PowerPoint's, in the sense that I could while away the hours artistically
doing something that I loved but as a career prospect, I’d just never yet
considered them in that way. Now I was going to instigate a completely
different pathway, and still within my placement time, I decided that it was a
better time than any other to have a trial at another media production dream.
During my office rounds within the Channel 4 hub, I received an
email. It was from ‘Harriet Breen’ a
production coordinator who worked alongside Broadcast Design and Commercial Production.
Having recently shared a conversation with her in the staff toilets (of all
places), she invited me to be a runner on location over the production period
of ‘McDonalds – McFlurry – 4Music Mix Up’.
JACK POT! We had passed many times in the office too, but what had made me
stand out was my personality as a freelancer. Funnily enough, the perception
was that media undergraduates are more willing to use learnt skills to assist
the growth of a big business. They already have creative bodies on board and
just needed some assistance with general duties. I was happy. I had my foot in
the door for Channel 4 Production. The greatest feeling of all was being
submerged in active creative projects and subsequently I had my first job as a
runner. Already I was depicting images of seeing the ad several weeks on TV
later and had the first buzz that media production gives you – ‘I was part of
that’. Professionals, of course, don’t have to give you this time or they may
not be able to, so when they did, I ensured to give them plenty of thanks after
receiving my call sheet and scheduling that evening.
So what was the objective of this campaign?
Box TV had partnered with McDonald’s McFlurry to commission a new music
entertainment show,-‘McFlurry Music Mix
Up.’ The showcase is presented by 4Music duo Rickie Williams and Melvin Odoom,
featuring celebrity culture, performances and pop music knowledge. The show is
billed as “a funny, tongue-in-cheek, irreverent and entertaining show for all
discerning pop fans”. I was involved,
(and also starred in!) the advert which
would act as a teaser for the show’s activation strategy. To complement the
programme, an interactive consumer experience had been developed, giving
McDonald’s customers exclusive online content when they purchased a limited
edition McFlurry, scanning the QR codes on the McFlurry cup, in combination
with the consumers smart phone, users were directed to the McFlurry Music Mix
Up online hub, created by ‘Bauer Media’s’
digital team, a fresh and fun way, where they could view unique content and be
in with a chance to win ‘money can’t buy’ prizes including VIP tickets to the
live gigs. In addition to the product integration, the show was promoted
through bespoke TV commercials as well as mobile platforms and online Facebook
activity. Many acquaintances asked me after the experience – what was the
connection with McDonalds and Channel 4, I described it as being a perfect
example of how networks can work with innovative brand partners, to create an engaging,
fresh format of TV and online content. It’s another step in offering brands extensive
promotional options and McDonalds will experience the benefits of Channel 4’s
brand equity to add an extra dimension to McDonald’s customer experience and
also create more exposure using their commercial integration opportunities. The
McFlurry Music MixUp was cleverly juxtaposed on the screens, relevant to the
peak of the summer festival season, engaging the surge of music fans who are
actively seeking new music content. Unfortunately I have not been successful in
locating the online viral this year, so my amateur phone videos will simply
have to do!
Having set a good alarm and bewildering myself in an array of train
journeys in an effort to be at Croydon’s central McDonalds for 8:00am, I
realised instantly today was going to be a long one. I was the first one on set
with texts rolling in of what the team wanted for breakfast (It doesn’t sound
too glamorous yet, but bear with me). There was time to better acquaint myself
with the production team where not only did I jot down reminders on a scruffy
piece of paper on who-was-who, but I also found that a lot of these
high-powered executives and directors were once runners themselves and had
climbed the ladder to get to where they were today, this was a prosperous
opportunity for networking, not many people before me can say they shared a
McDonalds breakfast with the brand marketing manager of McDonalds – ‘Thomas O’Neill’, working for one of the world’s
leading globalised brands. The tasks were menial, one job saw me running
through Croydon’s town centre to find a camera ‘squidgy’, however I soon realised
one of my main duties was to simply quench the teams thirst, with coffee order
after coffee order, I was fetching masses of cappuccinos, frappuccinos, ccinos
I’d never even heard of and other fancily named beverages and snacks, heaven forbid
I forgot the directors mint chocolate en route back to the set, there was an immense
sense of pressure. My tip to anybody becoming a runner would be, if you can’t
face heading back and forth to ‘Costa’,
remembering mass orders, then this job isn’t for you.
The setup was an interesting and exciting one at that, because we were
filming with two charismatic celebrities, our space attracted much of the
passing public eye, in many circumstances, causing great disturbance to the
filming time, however from my Applied Media studies, I understood the difficulties
when filming around the public, keeping a close eye on the health and safety of
the team and for risks immediate to our high-profile celebrities. Still, I was
happy to be part of the crew, I had practically no crucial decision making
involved in the overall day, other than the best standing position to keep
Rickie Williams’ head sheltered under my umbrella from the rain, they expressed
that I should politely urge the public to proceed around our set rather than
through it. On the flipside, being told what to do, meant I was able to step
back and appreciate the world I was working in.
After a disrupted lunch of young girls queuing outside the restaurant for
autographs and photos, we commenced filming before the McDonalds scene was
wrapped up. From being at university I know what it is like to struggle
carrying several books back from the library while my legs are ready to
crumble. Being a runner is often like this, because one thing was for sure: I
was carrying a lot of equipment on a regular basis that day, a camera in one
hand, a boom in the other, sometimes all whilst the director could merely walk
back to the tour bus. On the plus side I knew I didn’t have to meander around
London to look for a gym and it then occurred to me for
the first time that people did this type of thing for a LIVING. Another
point one might add is to not get offended if producers are having a
conversation right next to you and they don’t acknowledge the minor roles. Or whether
senior crew ask you to do something without referring to you by your name,
conforming into a specialist workspace can come as a culture shock, but I
realised not to take it personally, these were professionals and it was a
matter of taking a deep breath and smiling throughout. (Even if it was through
gritted teeth)
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