A New Twist on an Old Genre: Breville.tv

Posted Sep 18th, 2008 by Andrew Davis

I’ve heard time and time again that there are no new ideas. The longer I’m in this business the more I realize that to be true, but that doesn’t mean you can’t push the limits and come up with something innovative. When Breville wanted to highlight their products in a series of cooking videos, we turned the traditional cooking show into an interactive viewing experience, and it worked.

Blend Two Successful Concepts

When we were pitching television shows in Los Angeles, we learned very quickly that you’ve got to paint a picture of your show very early on in the pitch. One easy way to do this is to combine two ideas that connote your concept to create one brand new idea. For example, when I say, “It’s American Idol meets the presidential campaign,” you might immediately assume that we’re pitching a concept in which we combine the process and drama of American Idol to choose the next president of the United States.

“We wanted to appeal to the foodies out there with an aesthetic that was hip and chic.”

Jim Cosco
Partner, Tippingpoint Labs

When we pitched Breville.tv, Jim Cosco, the director for the project presented the Breville team with “Ocean’s 11 meets Rachel Ray.” Jim envisioned music and editing techniques from Ocean’s 11 (like split screens and ’70s wipes) from Ocean’s 11 to deliver high-energy cooking segments that were short, fun, and easy to watch.

“We wanted to appeal to the foodies out there with an aesthetic that was hip and chic but didn’t dilute the action or the message,” says Cosco.

If You’re Going To Shoot: Shoot More than You Need

Over the course of one week, Jim and the Tippingpoint crew shot more than 40 hours of hi-def video at the Breville test kitchen in Los Angeles. Although we really needed only a couple of minutes of content to launch Breville.tv, we know from experience that keeping the content fresh in an interactive platform is a real key to success.

In addition to shooting the video, we had a still photographer shoot each and every plate we created so that we had all the elements we’d need to build the online interactive platform.

Post Production Bends Time and Space

“The Ocean’s 11 post production techniques we employed really helped compress 10- or 12-minute cooking segments into fast-paced three-minute segments,” says Cosco.

In addition, the Tippingpoint team composed custom music that is in keeping with the entire concept and that suits the Breville feel.

“Split screens, wipes, and multiple picture-in-picture edits really allow you to bend time and space so that you don’t miss any of the important action,” Cosco adds.

The Art of Product Placement

From the outset, we wanted to produce a series of videos that didn’t oversell the Breville products. “Curtis Stone, of TLC’s Take Home Chef, creates great meals using the Breville products, and so can you. That’s the message we want you to get,” says Tippingpoint Labs producer Aaron Bleich. This subtle product placement allows Breville.tv to be a brand experience that’s useful, interesting, and fun.

“We hope viewers spend five to seven minutes immersed in the interactive videos and find themselves wishing they had a Breville appliance in their kitchen,” says Cosco.