Branson Tractor
Commercial Filmed
at the High Lonesome Saloon
PBR
Comes to Georgia
Shooting A Branson Television Commercial
(LR) Guilherme
Marchi Mark Eubanks, Mike White,
Chris Shivers and Greg Potter visit before
the television commercial is shot
Many Branson
dealers across the country have requested a professionally
produced television commercial In response to those request,
Branson hired TeleMedia Productions of Harrisonburg,
Virginia in May 2006 to produce a 60 and 30 second video
commercial as well as a longer "point of sales" video for
use at trade shows and other marketing events.
According to John Salem, owner and president of TeleMedia
Productions, "Shooting a television commercial is similar to
shooting a movie, only a little shorter. You still need a
story line, script, stars, extras, a realistic set, make-up
and wardrobe professionals as well as the experience of a
sound and video crew to capture the whole production"
When considering who would star in the commercial, the
cowboys of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) were the first
choice. At the invitation of Branson Tractor, four top PBR
stars traveled to Rome, Georgia to shoot the commercial over
a three-day period.
The four PBR stars featured in the commercial included Chris
Shivers, Mike White, Guiiherme Marchi and Greg Potter. With
two Texans, a Brazilian and an Australian, this was a real
international cast.
On the
first-day, the "points of sales" video was shot at Branson
headquarters. The voice of the PBR, Brandon Bates,
interviews Mark Eubanks for approximately 20 minutes in this
video production that features all sizes of tractors. This
DVD production can be used at trade shows, county fairs or
even in a dealerships showroom to emphasize the important
sales features of Branson Tractors.
The next day, the big production television commercial was
shot. The story line for this "mini-movie" involved a poker
game set in a saloon in the Wild West. Four cowboys (our PBR
stars) are playing a high-stakes card game for the ultimate
prize — keys to a Branson Tractor. As the commercial ends,
Chris Shivers wins the keys and drives away from the barn
with the caption flowing across the screen saying, "You can
bet on a Branson Tractor."
An authentically equipped western barn was located
approximately 20 miles north of Rome, GA (Branson's North
American headquarters) and the owners of the property were
so willing to help with the project, that they served as
extra cast
members. Other
stars in the commercial included two lovely barmaids and a
bartender with a real handlebar moustache who flew in from
Philadelphia at his own expense just to help with the
project.
Activity for the commercial's production started at dawn on
a Thursday morning with the PBR cowboys being fitted for
costumes that had been shipped from Hollywood. Following the
costume fittings, they each received professional make-up
applications, while the camera and sound professional from
TeleMedia prepared the set for the few minutes of video
capture that would not occur until almost noon.
The images and sound were digitally recorded by TeleMedia's
crew that attend to every detail The clinking of silver
dollars is...
Top Photo: This authentic saloon even had two beautiful
barmaids and a bartender. The location of the commercial
Proctors Farm, was equipped with a bar and other western
props. This facility is often rented-out for western-theme
parties and cowboy weddings.
Middle Photo: The PBR stars enjoy reviewing their progress
on a video monitor positioned by the camera crew for their
viewing.
Bottom Photo: The production and camera, PBR stars,
extras, and Branson officials including Mark Eubanks, Glen
Ezell and Jeff Miller pose for a shot outside the "Branson
Dance Hall" after the commercial is finished.
A crew of 20 people
including four stars of the PBR worked all day
to produce a Branson television commercial
Chris Shivers
was the winner of the poker game for the Branson television
commercial and won the keys to a new Branson tractor.
...the first sound captured, the roar of a Branson Tractor
is the last sound captured.
In the late afternoon, the final scenes of the commercial
were shot when the real star of the commercial, a Branson
6530 ROPS was unloaded at the site. This tractor was driven
away from the barn (or as a big sign over the door said
"Branson Dance Hall") by Chris Shivers, the winner of the
keys in the poker game.
On the final day of the video shoot, a local rodeo was held
in Rome sponsored by Branson. It had several surprise guest
stars. Although they didn't compete, Greg Potter, Guilherme
Marchi and Ednei Caminhas took their turns at bull riding
along with the amateur bull-riders who were entered in the
local event.
After TeleMedia puts the finishing touches on the
commercials and `Points of Sale" video, copies will be made
available to Branson dealers. The commercials have space at
the end for a dealer's logo and contact information to be
added by local television stations or cable channels, where
a dealer might want to use the commercials..
Guilherme Marchi, #1 PBR
Rider in the "Ford Built Tough Series" point standings at
June 1, 2006 was photographed with a fan during the
commercial production. This cowboy that rides for Branson
Tractors is from Brazil and was #1 in his country before
riding for the PBR.
