Give More

Give More was a spec commercial we made when MV2 Productions first launched, to get into commercial work. We chose Mentality, a clothing brand sitting at the intersection of fashion and fitness — two of the spaces we wanted to work in.

The hard part

Planning at a scale we hadn't attempted before. Finding a location, casting the talent, coordinating everyone's schedules — all of it was new, and all of it was ours to solve. Then, after our one shoot day, our editor looked at the footage and suggested a second day to capture something more dynamic. It was the best note we got on the project, and we think it's what turned it into an award-winner.

How we made it work

We got the plan out of our heads and into tools: rough notes on a phone, then Milanote to see the structure take shape, then StudioBinder for a proper call sheet and schedule we could share with everyone. It was a grind, but it showed us what we were capable of. Casting Fitzhugh Huff gave the piece its spine — on-screen presence and a gritty voiceover that carries the narrative and turns a spec into a story.

On set

Gastonia, NC, across two shoot days — the first in the cold of late autumn, the second in the new year. Production company: MV2 Productions. Director and colorist: Maurice Victor II. Producer: Jazzlyn Victor. DP and camera operator: Joshaun Anderson. First ACs: Hunter Villano and Ally Hoover. BTS: Nathan Laterre. Talent: Fitzhugh Huff, Jumal Rolle and Nick Rodriguez. Editor: Christian DuPrez. Sound design and mix: Charles Gaddis.

The result

Mentality didn't share the film on their own platforms, so we did — on ours, on this site, and eventually into awards. Give More became one of our earliest award-winning projects, taking a Silver Telly Award in the Online Commercial category.

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