We've produced a cool series of videos for Mazars. 

And we're really humble. But seriously, it turned out great! We were commissioned to create a series of 10 videos about the international consulting company Mazars. With these videos, our clients wanted to increase brand recognition, attract recent graduates to work for them, and pique the interest of university applicants. The last part is more for future prospects, but nevertheless...

It was quite an unusual task. We needed to create reference works following our French colleagues' style and adapt it to the mentality of local youth. We had to add jokes and gags that would resonate with our audience.

These short, cheerful videos were intended to introduce young professionals to the specifics of working as an auditor at Mazars. They needed to understand what the company is about and the M-Talent internship program. They should get a glimpse of the relaxed working atmosphere despite the busy workday. They should learn how a mentor can help, what career steps await an intern, and why auditors have s0o many business trips.

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Preparation for Filming

The script, honestly, was written quickly. However, there were some minor challenges in aligning jokes and other humor. The humor we proposed, specifically designed for locals, didn't always align with the corporate culture of Mazars. We had to quickly find a balance, and it didn't cause any difficulties.

The casting went smoothly. We were looking for two charismatic actors (a guy and a girl around 25 years old) with an intelligent but not "nerdy" appearance, a great sense of humor, and good English pronunciation.

They had to naturally perform jokes - and the entire script. So, viewers would watch with enthusiasm and believe every gag, making the information about Mazars more credible. The entire casting process was in person and took several days. Candidates acted out scenes from the prepared script, and we recorded the process on video. Then we edited the material and coordinated the choice of actors with the client. 

On-Set Work

The production designer set up the location based on the reference from the French original. We maintained the overall style but added effects and accents using lighting. The scenes became more dimensional and expressive, intensifying their impact on the viewer.

It took us two days to shoot 10 videos. We filmed wide shots and close-ups, with the protagonist speaking and smiling directly into the camera. The camera angles were straightforward, so we could have shot even faster if it weren't for two circumstances. First, there were a lot (!) of costume changes and plenty of mini-scenes for sketches. Second, we used clone technology, which multiplies the shooting time by a significant factor.

How Clone Scenes Were Made

Let's say there are three clones involved in a scene. Each scene is shot three times, not counting duplicates. The actor plays one clone, changes costumes, plays the second clone, changes costumes again... The location remains the same, and the camera doesn't move.

The merging of the cloned characters occurred during the editing stage using mask technology, video fragment cropping, and seamless stitching. It's not as complicated as it sounds — the main challenge lies in flawless timing and scene direction. The clones interact and move. Their gazes need to be directed towards each other, and movements and dialogues must be perfectly synchronized.

All of this was done to make it look natural and organic in the final product. We managed it!

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