By Lauren Monitz, Marketing Communications Coordinator - Dean Katz, set designer and props buyer for NBC action/comedy series, Chuck graciously took the time to show me what goes on behind the scenes of a hit series on the Warner Brothers back lot studio. Through my tour, I was introduced to his talented team and taught the importance of product placement in the TV and movie industry.
My obvious first question was how did a SANYO Biomedical grade refrigerator get requested to be in a techie show about a computer geek working at the local electronics store, turned secret governmental CIA agent? It seemed like a strange fit for a crime drama, especially when ER was filming right down the hall. To respond, Katz said, “Picking pieces for a set is like fitting an intricate puzzle together, it’s the littlest details that create authenticity. We saw the SANYO freezer/refrigerator work well in the sci-fi set of the Will Smith film, ‘I am Legend’ last year and NBC likes to reuse innovative and interesting looking props. Since we wanted an authentic medical look, we went straight to the source.”
The Chuck crew saw the SANYO unit and decided it would be a good fit for the “Castle,” a newly designed permanent set that will serve as a repeat location for Chuck (Zack Levi) and Sarah’s (Yvonne Strahovski) secret CIA lair, complete with gun room, medical center (where the unit will be staged), and debriefing/informational headquarters where they receive FBI updates. The MPR-214F will give authenticity to the first aid station as a combo refrigerator/freezer stocked with medical supplies for the many intense and bloody action sequences. The “Castle” will be visited in most episodes of the fall season, with other key product placements coming from Dell computers and wiring equipment and Panasonic LCD TVs, projectors and special paneling to make the set appear larger.
Product Placement is a tricky thing in the industry, as it must be worked into a set seamlessly and naturally. Too many endorsements upset the network stations and cause a show to look more like a branded commercial, but there must be enough exposure to satisfy the sponsors
into believing they are getting their advertising dollars worth and stretching the message to their target. There is a very delicate balance to achieve during the filming of highlighted products between too much camera focus on a brand’s logo and just panning over it enough that it’s readable and memorable. The Chuck team learned this lesson last season during a bout with NBC when Bombay Gin was highlighted for too long in a bar sequence. On the issue, Katz said, “Product placement is both a positive and a negative in the industry, if done poorly it can ruin a show’s credibility, but it is a great way to stretch your art budget to create a more natural look and feel, while getting to showcase cool new products. The overall idea is that the relationship should be mutually beneficial for network and company. We only use items and brands that are a good fit for a certain episode. Sometimes I go in search of a certain type of product, like cool gadgets that can always be incorporated into a techie show, and sometimes big companies approach me looking for ways to be integrated. We would love to find a place for SANYO electronics, as well as the show is mostly shot in an electronics store.”
The Chuck set is extremely intricate, spread across 4 sound stages and props range from $80,000 working yogurt machines to mirror the popular Pinkberry ice cream shop to multiple $10,000 Panasonic LCD projectors spread across the elaborate Best Buy type store Chuck works at. Shooting days are extremely long, typically around 12-14 hours and single scenes are repeated continuously until they are nailed from every possible camera angle. SANYO is pleased to be working with such perfectionists and we look forward to many more positive associations with NBC, the WB and Time-Warner pieces. The potential sales opportunities from regular, casual consumer exposure has the potential to huge influence our brand and keep SANYO top of mind.
Catch the MPR-214F on Chuck season 2 beginning September 29, 2008 at 8/7 c.
Photo: Dean Katz, set designer with SANYO MPR-214F