Production Brief
24 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago -Join Mark Welker and Brendan Lee as they unearth the latest news and developments within the Australian advertising production industry. Featuring interviews with directors, DoP’s, agency leads, post-production gurus and many more, we’ll bring you weekly stories of how those in the advertising and content production circus are working in this new post-COVID-19 world. Brendan Lee is a freelance producer of TVC and advertising content for over 15 years. From big-ish jobs, to teeny title little ones, he does them all. Mark Welker is the owner and director at Commoner, a video production company based in Melbourne.
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Episodes
Good night and good luck
April 04, 2022 03:00 - 5 minutes - 3.73 MBAnd so we come to the final episode of Production Brief! It has been a blast entertaining your earbuds for the past two years, but, as all good things do, we come to the end. We launched this podcast in 2020 in the early days of COVID as a way of sharing vital information during the most difficult of working times. Since then we've evolved the format, expanded our range of guests, and kept the pie maker jokes fresh, but we're ready to tend to our own gardens for a while, hence saying our c...
Conversations on colour
December 20, 2021 01:00 - 1 hour - 50.3 MBIn episode 22 of Production Brief we speak to colourist and host of The Colour Couch podcast, Vincent Taylor on the art and science of colour grading for advertising. From etiquette in the grading suite to staying ahead of the technology curve, Vincent chats through his journey from DP to colourist, his 2021 essential skillset, and what drives his best work today at Harbor Picture Company.
Conversations on colour with Vincent Taylor
December 20, 2021 01:00 - 1 hour - 50.3 MBIn episode 22 of Production Brief we speak to colourist and host of The Colour Couch podcast, Vincent Taylor on the art and science of colour grading for advertising. From etiquette in the grading suite to staying ahead of the technology curve, Vincent chats through his journey from DP to colourist, his 2021 essential skillset, and what drives his best work today at Harbor Picture Company.
Director spotlight with Madeline Kelly
December 06, 2021 00:00 - 48 minutes - 33.2 MBFor Ep 21 we kick off a new series of 'spotlight' conversations starting with director Madeline Kelly. Born in Sydney and now working across the US and Australia, Madeline is a Young Director Award finalist and Canne Lion winner. Her commercial work includes brands such as United Nations, Gilette, Maybelline, Nike and Blackmores. Madeline talks through her fantastic commercial spot for the 2020 UN Women gender equality campaign 'She'll be Right', making the move to the US as a relatively ...
Making music for ads with Cornel Wilczek
October 18, 2021 02:00 - 1 hour - 45.8 MBCornel Wilczek is an award-winning screen and commercial composer and the owner of Electric Dreams, an award-winning production company making music and sound for brands. Cornel's feature film work includes ‘Cut Snake’, ‘These Final Hours’ as well as recent TV series Stateless, The Glitch and Offspring to name a few. His company Electric Dreams is the music behind many top brands including Myer, Carlton Draught, BCF, Twinings, McDonald's, Tennis Australia and NAB. We chat to Cornel about ...
Art of the Ad with storyboard artist Maria Pena
July 23, 2021 01:00 - 50 minutes - 34.9 MBIn Ep 19 we chat with storyboard artist Maria Pena, the woman behind some of Australia's most iconic commercials. For the last 30 years, Maria's storyboards have helped many of the world's top agencies and directors sell in their concepts to clients such as Macys, Subaru, Tooheys, the ADF, Geico and many more. We talk through Maria's process from initial sketches to final shooting boards, what makes a director/artist collaboration work, and why Maria's work continues to be sought out aft...
On the road with Dir. Mark Toia
May 26, 2021 05:00 - 41 minutes - 29 MBEpisode 18 features Mark Toia, one of Australia's most in-demand commercial directors, as we take his back catalogue of car commercials for a spin. Mark is a DP/director/feature film producer behind some of the world's biggest brands, including Ford, Honda, Tourism Australia, Coke, Hyundai, Mazda, Isuzu, Bank of China and Yamaha to name a few. His 2019 super bowl commercial for Jeep racked up more than 106 million views in the first days of release and his work is frequently sought out by ...
Behaviour Change with Nigel Dawson
April 21, 2021 22:00 - 45 minutes - 31.4 MBSo we're a bit late out of the 2021 gate, but what worth waiting for isn't worth waiting just a little longer...In this episode we look at how commercials convince us to be better (and safer) humans with Creative Director Nigel Dawson. Nigel has spent some 40 years in advertising and worked on the Transport Accident Commission account for more than 16 years, producing over 150 behaviour change campaigns to help lower Australia's yearly road toll. Nigel walks us through the tactics common...
Virtual Production 101
December 14, 2020 21:00 - 56 minutes - 39.2 MBIn this episode, we sit down with Mark Grentell and Rick Pearce of Sydney's Spectre Studios to get the dummies course on Virtual Production (VP). We chat about the adoption of this relatively new technology in Australia, how it's currently been used for commercial advertising production, and where VP is headed over the next few years. If you're a crew member curious about virtual workflows or a producer looking to set up a business case for VP, this is the episode for you. Spectre Studios...
State of Play vol. 2 with Martin Box from Airbag
October 14, 2020 02:00 - 25 minutes - 17.9 MBWith the next 'COVID-normal' step for on the horizon for Victoria, we thought we'd follow up our last State of Play episode with an updated view of the near future of advertising production in Melbourne. To get a fresh perspective, we speak to Martin Box, Head of Production at Airbag, one of Australia's most awarded production companies, and get his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities of the last six months and well as his outlook for the remainder of the year and into 2021. Airb...
The Wandering DP with Patrick O'Sullivan
September 22, 2020 05:00 - 49 minutes - 34.3 MBAnd we're back. Had a bit of a breather there as we headed into lockdown 3.0 here in Melbourne, but we've brushed the dust off our mics and recorded a new episode with Patrick O'Sullivan, aka The Wandering DP. Patrick gives us some great insight into the makings of his career as a commercial DP and popular podcast host. We talk about the ups and downs of forging a production career in Perth, one of the most isolated cities in the world, and what life is like outside the COVID bubble. Pat...
Sustainability on Set with Tanzy Owen
August 25, 2020 04:00 - 39 minutes - 27.1 MBIn Episode 13 we talk through sustainable practices on and off set with Tanzy Owen from Sustainable Screens. Tanzy sheds light on how we can champion the conversation around sustainability within advertising production. We talk low hanging fruit for those just starting to 'green up' and where to go next for support and more information. Tanzy Owen was most recently the Sustainability Manager for Endemol Shine in Melbourne, overseeing sustainable initiatives on commercial TV programs such ...
Cutting during Covid with Mr Fox
August 07, 2020 00:00 - 32 minutes - 22.5 MBIn episode 12 we chat to Andrew Stalph from post production studio Mr Fox about the challenges and opportunities of editing during a crisis. Andrew talks about how the role of an editor has changed over his 20 years in the industry, how he approaches collaboration with producers and directors, and how remote editing is helping campaigns to stay on track during COVID-19. Mr Fox is a full service film and video post production house in Melbourne with editing, Flame VFX and post-producing se...
Casting during COVID with Sarah Alekna
July 03, 2020 01:00 - 28 minutes - 19.9 MBWe chat to Sarah Alekna owner of Highway Casting about the past, present and future of casting advertising talent in Australia. With social distancing fast becoming the new norm across all industries, getting back into the casting room is a very different prospect in 2020. Sarah talks through her journey as casting director, how the industry has changed over 20 years, and how production companies and agencies are overcoming casting challenges today to keep projects on the burn during COVID-...
Business as Unusual with Jackie Archer
June 23, 2020 23:00 - 38 minutes - 26.2 MBFor our first double-digit episode we chat to Head of Production for Sydney and Perth, Jackie Archer from Wunderman Thompson about the new normal in agency side production during COVID-19. During the episode we touch on client-less remote shooting, Jackie's doomsday approach to backup plans, and how COVID-19 is impacting production runways and client collaboration. Also new to this episode is a pre-show production update where we check in with contacts from across Melbourne and Sydney to he...
State of Play with Film Victoria
June 16, 2020 23:00 - 29 minutes - 20.6 MBIn this week's episode, we finish our mini-series on shooting safe during COVID with an update from Joe Brinkmann and Dan Beck from Film Victoria. Joe and Dan discuss the impact of COVID on the Australian screen production industry, introduce the new Screen Australia COVID-safe filming protocols, and get Film Vic's outlook for the future of both screen and advertising production in Australia. Joe Brinkmann is the Manager Production Attraction & Support at Film Victoria and Dan Beck is the ...
COVID Creative with Julian Schreiber and Tom Martin
June 03, 2020 06:00 - 43 minutes - 29.8 MBWe chat to creative duo Julian Schreiber and Tom Martin from Special Group on how COVID-19 is shaping present and future advertising concepts. Tom and Julian have been partnering up on award-winning campaigns for more than 13 years, bringing home 34 Cannes Lions and a host of best in shows for brands like Uber Eats, NAB, Australian Open, Four 'N Twenty and Tourism Victoria. Now joint Executive Creative Directors and Partners at Special Group Australia, the two share their secrets on making ...
Safe Sets with Kieran Cato
May 26, 2020 23:00 - 30 minutes - 21 MBWhat exactly is safe right now? With restrictions lifting in Australia and the economy grinding back into action, now is the ideal time to start charting the high road to a corona safe production workplace. In Episode 7 we take a deep dive into current COVID-19 safety protocols with some sage advice from Kieran Cato of CATO Location Services, and an extended discussion on currently available guidelines. We cover safety officers on set, how Cato Logistics have pivoted to meet the extra pr...
#6: Table for One with caterer Tanya Badenhope
May 20, 2020 00:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBFood, glorious food! In this episode, Mark and Brendan continue their 'safe set' conversation with Tanya Badenhope from Sweet Seduction catering. The holy lunch break is an integral part of any TVC production (and TBH our favourite setup of the day) but with social distancing and hygiene measures currently pushing us apart, the treasured bain-marie is under threat. When it comes to creativity, we eat therefore we think, and managing meal breaks is often the key ingredient in maintaining a...
#5: Anatomy of a COVID-19 Shoot
May 13, 2020 05:00 - 23 minutes - 16.4 MBToday we talk to DP Marcus Cropp, Director Jesse Richards from Cummins and Partners and live streaming expert Aaron Maguire from Live Streaming Events and get three perspectives of the same socially distanced shoot. Safety on set is gaining a number of new pointy angles at present, with productions forced to interpret and react to changed social distancing recommendations and ways of working. To help ruminate on this a bit further, we've decided to devote the next few episodes to what it me...
#4: Creative Accounting with Ben Chiverton and Tony Nagle
May 06, 2020 01:00 - 28 minutes - 19.7 MBIn this episode, accountants Tony Nagle and Ben Chiverton deliver the who, what and how on the Australian government COVID-19 support payments for creative freelancers and small businesses. Few of us look forward to hitting the books after a day on set, yet keeping one eye on the accounts remains an integral part of surviving in any creative industry. With the financial realities of COVID-19 bearing down us from many angles, we've dedicated this episode to cover freelancer eligibility for ...
#3: Crew call with Caroline Logan from Freelancers Promotions
May 01, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 19.7 MBIn this episode, Brendan and Mark call in Caroline Logan from Freelancers Promotions to get an update on crew bookings under COVID-19. Freelancers is one of Australia's largest film and tv crew booking services, managing the bookings of everyone from DPs, gaffers, sound recordists, and set designers to makeup professionals. Caroline takes us through the impact of COVID-19 on production levels in Victoria, the new onset guidelines and practices for socially distanced productions, and what Fr...
#2: Gear Check with James MacGregor from The Vision House
April 29, 2020 04:00 - 29 minutes - 20.6 MBIn this episode, James MacGregor from The Vision House talks through the impact of social distancing restrictions on the camera rental market. Commercial rental turnover is a good indicator of the amount of in-progress advertising productions, with most medium to large sets requiring specialist camera and grip support to operate. The Vision House is one of the oldest players in camera rental market and in this two part interview, James reflects on the personal and professional impacts of COV...
#1: What is Production Brief?
April 21, 2020 05:00 - 3 minutes - 2.64 MBFirst episode! Well after much talk about what to say and how, it turned out to be a pretty short session. Brendan and Mark explain the idea behind a podcast dedicated to the advertising production industry, why it's a good time to launch in a time of crisis, and a hint for the next 'full' episode.