Thank you for the opportunity to direct a series of films for Deloitte’s live induction event. From the treatment you gave us I could tell immediately that this was not your average corporate event. From a countdown hype intro film, office walkthrough, to a personalised game show - this is not only an opportunity to be creative but also to show off how Deloitte stands out from other consulting firms.
As the induction is for experienced hires, the audience will already be familiar with Deloitte’s reputation as a leader in the field — so the key takeaway will be for them to understand Deloitte’s values and work culture, the kind of insight you can’t get as an outsider looking in. I’m very excited to be part of the project and to showcase Deloitte in a personable, engaging way.
For such a prestigious event we want the visuals to feel like high-end television. Think an Apple event or a Google conference.
This doesn’t need to be needlessly complicated or flashy — tastefully clean and stylish visuals will create a high-end and, above all, memorable experience. Each of the films will feel cinematic, not shot like typical corporate video, and have a cohesive style across the films. We’ll use Deloitte brands colours throughout so the whole thing comes together seamlessly in the live event.
The Deloitte sting is the first film to play after the countdown to the start of the event, and will set the tone of everything to come after. This is our hype film. 60 seconds of high energy visuals to get our audience excited and show how Deloitte does things differently.
In a fast-paced montage, we’ll see Deloitte’s people hard at work, crunching numbers, generating ideas, and drawing parallels with the impact the work has on the world outside the office. Consulting on construction — we whip zoom to building sites out the window. Empowering businesses with tech, we cut to a macro close up of the health app on a smartwatch.
To keep the film full of action it would be ideal to be able to shoot some of Deloitte’s people outside of work — are they in sports teams, do they volunteer? Where do they network outside of an office environment?
We’ll intercut this with high quality graphics of numbers climbing, messages between colleagues encouraging each other, all getting faster until we cut to the Deloitte logo.
Nearly two years into the pandemic, many of us are used to working from home or hybrid working — and for those who’ve never seen the Deloitte office before, this film will be a cut above your standard walkthrough. We’ll follow our comedic host as they guide us through the front doors, give us glimpses into people’s offices or meeting corners. As they reel off a ‘Planet Earth’-style commentary - ‘and here are Deloitte people in their natural habitat’, they bump into senior leaders like Jackie Henry and jokingly go off-script to discuss Deloitte values and purpose, and ask important questions like ‘what’s your favourite thing about working at Deloitte?’
With a single handheld camera following the host, this film has a natural, documentary feel to it. For talent, we’ll be looking for someone who can give off-the-cuff witty observations and still come across as genuinely interested and curious about what our speakers have to say.
These 30 second films will break up each section of the live event. It’s both an interval between speakers and a chance to raise the energy of the crowd again.
We’ll make these idents by pulling different moments from the main Deloitte sting, and customising a new title for each of the induction sections.
The audience isn’t made up of fresh graduates — it’s experienced hires who know what they want to do and are here because they want to understand how Deloitte gets people there. The tone of the interview films will be professional yet personable — this is a chance for senior leaders to not only explain ‘performance’ and ‘client engagement’ but to speak from the heart about their experience working here. This will set the tone for the networking and interaction at the live induction.
We want to hear from Deloitte’s people from all around the UK. Ideally we shoot speakers in each of their offices, in front of some interesting architecture or a bold colour backdrop, not behind a desk. If we need to shoot speakers all in one location, we want people from all walks of life, accents, seniority.
The game show is one of the brilliant ways Deloitte will set themselves apart from other consulting firms to create an induction like no other.
The live facilitator will hand over to the game show host, a pre-recorded VT, so that the game will be interactive for the live audience as well as the online guests. Our Host introduces the game, rules, points, time limits, (prizes?) etc and hands us over to the 6 Deloitte experts who will ask 6 questions on key topics, such as QRS and brand.
Our experts will be in a different set-up — perhaps sitting comfortably in an armchair or a seat in a well-lit part of the Deloitte offices. They’ll ask their question directly to camera, then we’ll cut back to the host who will give the audience time to note their answers and comedically stall for time while we hear a clock ticking, to add a little pressure.
At the end of all the questions, we’ll cut back to each expert who will give the correct answers, and the host will wrap up with the number of points and what qualifies as a score to be proud of. They’ll then hand back to the live facilitator to continue the induction.
Though simple, there’s room to have a lot of fun with the gameshow ident intro/outro animation and overlays that can make the game come alive — like onscreen timers, clues, and a points counter.
A simple straight to camera with our main host getting people hyped for the live induction — clean and stylish graphics can form a countdown to the date and time of the event, with info on how to join online.
To elevate these films beyond the typical corporate video, we’ll create a narrative thread that runs through the Deloitte sting film. We’ll return to the same people as they push through mental blocks, tackle problems and call on their colleagues for support.
The cinematography will be intimate, over the shoulder, natural lighting. We want to feel as though we’re in the space with these people as they work and play. Deloitte pays attention to the details and we’ll reflect that in close up macro shots. We’ll move between scenes with quick panning motion and ramp the energy up and down by contrasting between the hectic times — hurtling towards a deadline — and the quieter moments of problem solving.
The idents and interviews will share a visual language and be unified with clean typography and Deloitte’s brand colours.
MOODBOARD
MOODBOARD
Casting the right talent is vital to nailing the tone of the films, and the event itself.
As for hosting for the live induction and giving us the comedic walking tour of the offices, a comedian who can capture attention and keep things light as well as engaging would work - and would be great for the game show segment. Someone like Richard Ayoade or Dara O’Briain, wickedly funny and whip smart.
However, if there’s scope in the budget, it’d be ideal to have two hosts who can play off each other and provide a little anticipation and surprise. Casting the walking tour role and game show host to a comedian, and allowing a presenter to host the live induction will give more of a television broadcast feel, as though we are radioing into different segments of the show.
For presenters, friendly faces like Alex Scott and Fearne Cotton bring heart and banter to offset what could otherwise be a day of informational overload.
Casting the right talent is vital to nailing the tone of the films, and the event itself.
We want one talent who can give us a comedic walking tour of the offices and be great for the game show segment, a confident public speaker who can capture attention and keep things light as well as engaging. Someone like Richard Ayoade or David Meade, wickedly funny and whip smart.
Handing off between the live facilitator and a VT host who can improvise and give a natural performance — maybe even giving a tell-tale pause before speaking, will give more of a television broadcast feel, as though we are radioing into different segments of the show.
For other host options, friendly faces like Alex Scott and Fearne Cotton bring heart and banter to offset what could otherwise be a day of informational overload.
Deloitte Sting + Ident VTs
1 Day Shoot, 2-4 Locations, 2 x Cameras
+ Stock Graphics / Screen Records
Deloitte Game Show
1 Day Shoot, Host, 6 Experts, 1 Location, 2 x Cameras
Explore The Office + Pre Event Comms
1 Day Shoot, Talent, Senior Leaders, 1 x Camera
Interviews
1-3 Days Shoot, Dependent on Speaker/Location Availability, 3 x Cameras
It’s important not to underestimate how much impact a good location has on the quality of the film. When we shoot the Deloitte sting in the offices, we’ll avoid as much overhead artificial light as possible and prioritise bright, airy spaces with natural light. We can contrast this with stylised backlit scenes, with people’s faces artfully shadowed and a projected screen lighting them from behind.
We want the interviews to feel relaxed, not stifled behind an office desk. To be able to shoot enough action for a fast-paced montage we’ll make full use of the space, shooting indoors and outdoors where possible.
Our game show setup will require a small studio hire — and little details like the Deloitte colours projected on a screen behind the host, a podium covered in green fabric, even glossy cue cards with the questions written on them, can really elevate a simple space into a realistic set.
For films projected at a busy event, sound is so important to carry clearly across a big room. The sting will feature a pumping soundtrack that keeps up with the high pace, and may feature soundbites from Deloitte people as we zip through scenes of them working together, but the film isn’t lead by voiceover. Instead it’s a symphony of workplace sounds, down to the smallest keyboard click, in contrast with the roaring impact they make on the world outside — construction building, railways whooshing, technology whirring.
The game show’s sound design will be inspired by 80s electronica, with comedic error bleeps blaring over wrong answers and a catchy jingle to bookend the segment.
The interview films & pre-event comms will be subtitled for accessibility and for sharing easily on socials.
The grade will be bold, saturated, contrasty and with grain for a natural, filmic look.
Though our Deloitte sting won’t be so reliant on voiceover to tell its story, this film is a great reference for the tone we want to nail — colleagues all working together towards a shared goal, a banging soundtrack, subtle details like shifting sound of indoors and out, and drawing parallels between how what they do creates impact on the world at large.
An inspiration for the interview films, these professionals speak candidly and informally, with room to go off topic and have light banter before getting back to business. We’re going for something similar — a conversation that feels very natural and unscripted. The second camera that reveals the set up is also a nice touch for ‘pulling back the curtain’, a visual parallel to what the induction really is.
This ident forgoes all voiceover and instead cuts boldly to music and an energetic soundscape. Short and sweet, it’s just what we want for the ident VTs to bring each section of the day sharply into focus.
