THE ZAPRUDER SHOT: Unveiling the Creative Process of a Video Director

Every day, we watch dozens and dozens of commercial videos  that are entertaining.

Before on TV and now on Internet and platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram at the peak of their popularity, it’s no surprise that video consumption has skyrocketed in recent years.

In this picture, a commercial video is a concise advertisement typically seen on TV, streaming platforms, social media, and various digital outlets.

Usually clocking in at around 30/60 seconds (but it can also last longer), these videos aim to captivate audiences by showcasing a company's mission, product, ambassador or service in an engaging manner.

This kind video can be a  product demos or explanatory videos, or provide a brief overview of the company's value propositions, fostering an emotional bond and generating enthusiasm among a wide audience through targeted digital advertising campaigns.

Crafting an effective video ad can be a complex process. Defining your goals, creating a storyboard, and of course, investing in high-quality video production are all a part of the complex process.

What makes an effective commercial video production?

To make a video stand out in a crowded marketplace you need to consider several points: from understanding the brand’s identity to delivering a compelling narrative. Understanding the target audience is also critical to the success of any spec commercial.

A robust script is necessary as the backbone of the spec commercial, encapsulating the core message alongside dialogues/music and directions that’ll bring the story to life.

The Storytelling is also a big point: creating a narrative similar to a short film with a clear beginning, central theme, and a conclusive resolution makes ads more persuasive and relatable. 

Overall, an effective commercial video combines strategic planning (pre production), creative execution (production), and meticulous attention to detail to deliver a compelling and memorable viewing experience that resonates with the target audience and achieves the desired objectives (post production).

The goal of a commercial video?

To build brand awareness and motivate your target audience to act.

Typically, the purpose is to increase sales for a business– and that intent is what qualifies it as a commercial video.

Commercial and corporate videos can be used in a number of ways – for TV, video ads campaigns, social media videos, employee recruitment videos, and more.

That said, whatever you use them for, the end goal should be the same: to make a deeper connection with your potential customers.

These promo videos can also improve your ROI, and, most importantly, build customer loyalty while enhancing your search engine rankings.

Creating commercial videos can be very advantageous for both your brand and your customers.

I had the luck to ask some questions to the Italian most brilliant talent in this sector: Senio Zapruder.

He is based between Milan, Berlin and New York, and he has over 10 years of experience as Video Director. Versace, DOLCE&GABBANA, TOD'S, PUPA Milano, Liu Jo , MOSCHINO, DSQUARED2, LANVIN, Giorgio Armani, Rolling Stone, X FACTOR, Calzedonia Group, Diesel, and Yves Saint Laurent Beauty are just some of his clients.

Let´s find out what he has to say:

Hi Senio! Please, can you share your background and journey into the field of video directing, particularly within the realms of advertising and fashion?

I’ve always been fascinated by the art of visuals on the screen. Since I I was little I got myself in front the tv and always questioning what I was watching, why the colors were the way they were and why the actors acted that way. That became slowly an obsession on films technique and how to translate an emotion into a complex scene and on how to use the various films techniques in order to achieve that results. Fashion arrived later in life. I wasn’t always keen to fashion. I guess moving to Milan transported me into this world.

Advertising, on the other hand, was more in to my creative sphere.

What inspired you to specialize in advertising and fashion video directing? Are there any particular projects or experiences that influenced this decision?

MTV was always my biggest inspiration. Back in the late 90 - early 2000s the line that was between music videos and advertising was very thin. I remember watching music videos directors producing cool and dynamic commercial and always with that extra sparkle typical of a director that knew art. Artists like David Lachapelle and Spike Lee always inspired me in this sense. Besised all the magic from the music videos I remember vividly this huge series of tv spot directed by David Lachapelle for Nokia. It was like entering in a special world where everything was making sense but at the same time it was making me feel like I was in another world.

How do you approach translating a brand's message or a fashion concept into a compelling visual narrative in your video work?

I am a bit of an anarchic on this matter. In the sense that, even if I surely know that the identity of the brand should comes first, every time I need to put myself on the brainstorming of ideas, I always go to my world and on how I could bring my twisted and - sometimes - dark and hard perspective to the project.

The narrative is always coming from a place of dirt from the world but somehow combined to a sexy and confident portrait of a woman. Yes, I do love to work with the women attitude and personalities. In particular I most of the time play  with red tones color mixed with very fast editing but I also love to create a contrast with a more angelic side of the sort, sometime with the music or sometimes vice-versa.

What role do you believe storytelling plays in advertising and fashion videos, and how do you incorporate narrative elements into your work?

Storytelling is mandatory in advertising and especially in fashion. As Ru Paul said : the biggest crime you can commit on show-businnes is to be boring.

And I totally relate to that in the sense that when you dont have a storyline, in any of the media outlet out there, it’s hard for the audience to feel connected and so they won’t be connected to the eventual product you are promoting the video with. I usually say that storytelling comes in different forms, not necessarily you must add a complex plot to your contents but you must have a sort of a storyline in your head in every process of the production. When it come to lighting, for example, you need to tell a story - again, even if it’s just in your own mind - with lights. They need to be telling the same story as the images. Editing as well.

Can you discuss a project where you faced unique challenges or constraints, and how you overcame them to deliver a successful video campaign?

Ouffff there’s so many. And every time that this has happened it was always because I lost focus of the primarily direction and vision of the whole project. As I said: you must apply to every aspect of a film production the same vision, your vision. If you are talking about purely commercial jobs, where you must satisfied the client then it’s an other story. Communication and approval of every steps of the production is mandatory because 70% of the times clients dont have a clear and final idea on what they want. Especially when you want to deliver a vision. But if I have to name a project where I had more problems than others was for an Italian brand named “Coccinelle”. A famous Italian bag brand where the main issue was on how the model (Arizona Muse) was portrayed to “sexy” and not “accommodating” to the viewers.

In the fast-paced world of advertising and fashion, trends evolve quickly. How do you stay current with industry trends while also maintaining a distinctive style in your work?

I actually don’t! I made the conscious decision to not be stuck on what other people do in the business because it 100% of the times I will be in my own head and self-doubting myself to not be delivering what “the wiorld” want. This eventually would play at your favor, but it takes time to realize that.

You also collaborated with different School and Universities, and at the moment you are teaching image/video at the Istituto Marangoni in Milan. How would you describe this experience? How do you find the new generation?

I am teaching at Istituto Marangoni since 6 years now. At the moment I have this course called “Image digital processing”. It basically is post production of photos and video contents but of course I am adding to every lesson my personal and professional experience. Showing them every phases of my film production and how to deal with the difficulties that might occurred.

The new generation is hard to explain. I hate to sound negative but the only thing im confident to say is that they really need references and a better guidance.

It might seems they dont have any willing to learn or any sense of the past but im slowly getting to understand that it’s our job to educate them and maybe - my generation - is not doing it well.

What technical skills or tools do you rely on most heavily in your video directing process, and how do you ensure the technical aspects complement the creative vision?

Generally I dont put too much emphasis on the gear itself. I’d rather have a clear vision on the direction and a strong point of view. Usually my style is to emphasize macro close ups of the model in order to get a claustrophobic feeling and at the same time giving the viewers an immerse trip to the subject emotions.

A huge role is played by lighting - I love to create very dark scenarios, usually using red lights and lights animations. For me it’s all about the rhythm and I guess this comes from my heritage memory of MTV. Lights as well need, for me, to be moving and changing constantly creating some sort of magical dance together with the camera movement.

How do you navigate the balance between adhering to a client's brief and injecting your own creative flair into a project?

I still  actually dont navigate this very well to this day. I guess that some artists never will win the battle with the constant “judgement” of their work but I suggest always to be a little bit detached from every project. At the end of the day a job is commissioned by someone, so you must adopt your vision to their demands. Something that really helps me, and now I might sound a bit crazy, is to anyway put a little bits here and there that clients won’t notice but that make me feel some sort of a naughty person. For example I am used to put very short frames, mostly flashes, here and there of macro close ups of eyes or lips of the models in the editing. You won’t notice it when you watch it but I know it’s there and it gives me peace, if it’s making any sense. Or most of the time I add extra sounds effects taken from famous movie or songs that I relate to and I distort them or making them sounds something else.

For more information about Senio:

http://www.seniozapruder.com