OPEN LETTER creative production agency
work
stills & motion
manifesto
pricing
contact
make it RIGHT
Write for the budget, shoot for the edit and swing for the fences.
Global campaign or a mico-documentary, we bring production experience into the writer's room and editing experience onto the set, turning obstacles into opportunities.
WRANGLER "Long Live Cowgirls"
We knew an emotional arc could hold an audience but we needed to prove it. So we wrote and produced this film.
On paper, none of it worked. Minimal budget, two-person crew, a cast who'd never acted, kids, stunts, animals and six times the normal runtime. But if there's anyone who knows how to tell the story of an underdog...it's an underdog.
Wrangler bought it outright. Awards were great but what we're proudest of is that the full three-minute cut played on the Jumbotron at every rodeo for the entire season.
Resourcefulness over Resources. Time instead of money. A new playbook began to emerge and Open Letter was born.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON "LIVE YOUR LEGEND"
WRANGLER "WILDFLOWERS AND WILD HORSES"
Harley-Davidson's global "Live Your Legend" campaign. Directed by Scott Pommier, lensed by Jeff Cronenweth ASC. The casting was spot on. A real deal Harley rider and his four year old son. It became the Motor Company's most shared and most watched ad.
This was a bit of a magic trick.
Wrangler was shooting their fall catalogue in Jackson Hole. There were models, Cowboys, Rodeo stars and Country Music sensation Lainey Wilson.
The challenge was finding a story of cowboy life inside a celebrity fashion shoot. The gorgeous vistas helped. The clothespins and racks of steamed chambray shirts did not.
So we went the extra mile...and then went 867 more. A supplementary shoot at a Bakersfield cattle ranch gave us the family, the dust and the drama that Lainey's anthemic track deserved.
OPENDOOR "This is a door"
HARLEY DAVIDSON "LIVE YOUR LEGEND"
WRANGLER "WILDFLOWERS AND WILD HORSES"
click the dots for a little story
FISHER-PRICE "See Toys Everywhere"
W+K reached out. Quick turnaround, tight budget, in-house post, producer attached. The script was cute, so we jumped at the opportunity. There was an ice-storm the day of the shoot, so our Director/DP picked up the forest exteriors on his own time. Voila.
Adweek named it their "Ad of the Day"!
Director/DOP Scott Pommier shot twelve spots (plus 24 cutdowns) in four days. The client was so delighted with the results of this "social" campaign that three were upgraded to real deal national TVCs.
All for less than the downpayment of Eagle Rock bungalo.
HERRADURA "LUCK IS EARNED"
HERRADURA "LUCK IS EARNED"
Shot as a single scene within the Anthem Spot, the Art Director recognized it could stand alone. We grabbed a few extra angles and it became its own ad. In the ninety seconds between setups, the director turned around and shot the print campaign.(which can be seen in our Stills + Motion section.)
STILLS + MOTION
You need assets... lots of assets. Whether it's simultaneous capture, shooting in between setups or pulling hi-res stills from the footage, we handle the tightest of schedules.
ÉMIGRÉ BRAND LAUNCH FILM
WARSAW "DUST TO DUST"
ÉMIGRÉ BRAND LAUNCH FILM
HONDA ATV
EMIGRE BRAND LAUNCH
HERRADURA "LUCK IS EARNED - BARREL"
ADIDAS "3MC-ANTHEM"
Visual Consistency, considered workflow
The best results come from working SMARTER and HARDER
THOUGHT STARTERS
Be interesting.
Wit never goes out of style.
Resourceful beats well-resourced.
Good taste exists at every budget level.
Copying a trend means you're already too late.
Beautiful isn't mandatory, shouldn't it be the default?
If you have someone's attention, attention span isn't a factor.
Control is the most expensive element of any production.*
It's possible to work both smarter and harder.
Time is the only substitution for money.
Showing is better than telling.
The audience wants to care.
Brevity wins.
*giving up a little is the easiest way to lower your budget.
Which means the easiest way to lower your budge
WRITE
LIGHT
Concepting, strategy, writing scripts.
RIGHT
Logistics, casting, lighting, shooting.
MAKE IT
Editing, mixing, color grading, graphics.
Everything it takes to deliver projects that stands out.
PRICING
The lack of transparency in this industry, leaves clients feeling like the cost is...whatever's in their pocket.
The formula isn't all that complicated: Time is money.
Anchoring bias be damned, projects starts at $30,000 for something that takes roughly two to three weeks to deliver, with minimal crew and equipment. That's the floor, not the whole picture. Casting, locations, and music licensing, any of these c can drive up costs, but since our bids tend to come in at
less than half what our competitors charge,
the more you spend, the more you're saving!
To put it plainly: that starting price is about what a competent, if uninspired, local production company charges for a run-of-the-mill TV spot for your local windows-and-siding company.
Writing, strategy and art direction run roughly $1,000 a day for smart, thoughtful work at a fraction of standard agency fees, because we're more interested in making the thing than billable hours.
OUR SERVICES
Diverse solutions tailored to your every need
Commercial
Warehouses, outdoor, malls
Residential
Neighborhoods, multiple homes
Infrastructure
Roads, pipes, etc.
ABOUT
About Romano & Daniels
This is the space to introduce visitors to the business or brand. Briefly explain who's behind it, what it does and what makes it unique. Share its core values and what this site has to offer.
