Three shoot days, a client watching the monitor, and no time to fix anything in post that you could have fixed on the floor. Commercial work has a different shape to drama, and the effects package should reflect that.
We supply commercial and branded content shoots across Toronto, and the pattern is consistent. Agencies do not want a big effects sequence. They want clean atmosphere that makes a product look expensive, they want it repeatable across takes, and they want it to stop instantly when the client asks to see the shot without it.
What commercial work actually needs
Three things, in this order.
Controllable atmosphere. On a drama you can let a room fill and live with it. On a commercial you will be asked to take it out, put it back, and match it across a morning. That means a machine you can dial, not a can you can only fire once.
Consistency across takes. The client will pick take nine. Take nine needs to match take two. Anything you cannot reproduce exactly is a liability.
Speed. Nothing that needs a cleanup crew or a permit.
The atmosphere package
A Look Solutions Viper S at $1,900 is the right machine for most commercial interiors. It is quiet, it is quick to heat, and the output is controllable enough to hold a level between takes. For larger sets or exteriors, the Viper NT at $2,450 gives you more.
Fluid choice matters more than people expect:
- Regular Fog, $100 for 5 L. General purpose, clears at a normal rate.
- Slow Fog, $145 for 5 L. Hangs longer. This is usually the right answer on a commercial because you are holding a look while the client deliberates.
- Cryo Fog, $200 for 5 L. Low lying fog. Specialist, and you will know if you need it.
Buy two 5 L jugs rather than one. Running out of fluid at hour ten of a three day shoot is an expensive way to save $100.
The fan is not optional
This is the single biggest difference between commercial atmosphere that reads and commercial atmosphere that looks like someone left a fog machine on. A fogger makes fog. A fan makes it behave.
- Antari AF-3R: $850. Variable speed, DMX controllable, right for most interiors.
- Antari AF-4R: $1,375. More output for bigger spaces.
If you buy a machine and skip the fan, you have bought half a package.
Colour, used sparingly
Coloured smoke on a commercial is almost always for a single hero shot, not for coverage. EG18 coloured smoke is $25 a can across nine colours and burns heavier. EG25 is $20 and lighter.
Buy more than one can of whatever colour is in the boards. You will not match a second can of a different colour, and you will want another take.
One warning. Coloured smoke stains porous surfaces. If you are in a rented studio or a client's real premises, test it somewhere invisible first and tell the location manager before you fire it.
Small things that save the day
- Spray Frost, $20. Instant cold look on glass and metal. Beverage and automotive shoots go through this.
- Rosco Flamex PA, 237 ml, $25. Flame retardant. Some studios will ask before they let you shoot.
A real three day package
This is what we would put together for a standard interior commercial with atmosphere in most setups.
- Look Solutions Viper S: $1,900
- Regular Fog fluid, 5 L, two jugs: $200
- Antari AF-3R fan: $850
- EG18 coloured smoke, six cans: $150
- Spray Frost, four cans: $80
Total: $3,180.
If the machine and fan are already in the rental package and you only need consumables, the same shoot is $430 in fluid, smoke and frost.
The thing that goes wrong on day three
Machines fail on the last day. They almost always fail for the same three reasons: fluid left sitting in the line from the last job, a tired pump, or the wrong fluid run long enough to gum the heat exchanger.
We are an authorised Look Solutions service centre and we keep parts on the shelf in Toronto, so a repair does not wait on a transatlantic order. Diagnostic is a flat $75 and you get a written quote before anyone opens the machine. Typical turnaround is 5 to 7 business days.
If you are shooting a multi day commercial and the atmosphere is in every setup, have a plan for that. Knowing there is a service centre twenty minutes away is part of the plan.
Come by before you commit
Come by the showroom at 333 Bering Ave, Unit 100, open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Run a machine, see what the fluid actually looks like in the air, and buy the one that does what you need.
Call 416-487-3211 or email sales@spfxsupply.com.