By Manny — Mi Media Productions, Miami’s Video Production Company Miami · South Florida · Commercial Production · Case Study
When H&R Block came to Mi Media Productions with a project targeting Generation Z heading into tax season, we knew it was going to be a fun one. What we did not fully appreciate until we mapped it out was just how much production we were about to pack into a single day.
Three commercial spots. Three different talent setups. Three aspect ratios for every deliverable. One day of production.
Here is exactly how we pulled it off.
The Brief: Reaching Gen Z for Tax Season Across OTT and Social
H&R Block asked us to create a series of videos that speak directly to Generation Z as they head into tax season, built for both OTT and social media. That meant every single spot needed to be delivered in three formats: 16×9 for OTT and YouTube, 1×1 for feed placements, and 9×16 for vertical social like Reels and TikTok.
The timeline was tight. All three spots needed to be shot within one day of production. That constraint shaped every creative and logistical decision we made from that point forward.
The Creative: Three Gen Z Stories, One Relatable Message
Instead of one generic message aimed at an entire generation, we built three distinct characters that reflect the real range of how Gen Z actually works and earns today:
The gig worker. Hustling, not making a ton of money yet, and unsure how any of it translates to tax filing.
The social media influencer. Great at being on camera, constantly fumbling her equipment setup, but relaxed knowing her taxes are being handled by H&R Block.
The high performer. Excellent and efficient at their job, but completely lost the moment tax season arrives.
Each character got their own environment and their own story. That is what makes this kind of campaign land with a Gen Z audience. It does not talk at them. It shows them themselves.
The Location Strategy That Made One Day Possible
The key to shooting three distinct spots in one day was finding a single location that could be easily transformed to feel like three completely different environments.
Here is a fun production secret from this shoot. The location we used was actually a set designed for photo studios. A lot of photo studios have these intricate, well-designed sets built for still photography, and if you are smart with your video production approach, they work beautifully for video too. That is exactly what we did for H&R Block, and it gave us multiple distinct looks without ever loading the truck between locations.
The Crew Strategy: Leapfrogging Setups All Day
A location strategy only works if the crew can keep pace with it. This project demanded a strong, nimble crew and a tightly choreographed shooting plan.
While we were shooting the first talent on the first set, hair and makeup and our props team were already prepping the next talent and dressing the next location. The moment we wrapped one setup, the camera crew moved directly into the next one, which was already built and ready. No downtime. No waiting. No wasted minutes.
The first location was essentially pre-built, which meant minimal fabrication to start the day and gave the rest of the team a head start on prepping everything that came next. That leapfrog rhythm carried us through all three spots in a single production day.
Scripting for Post-Production Before We Ever Rolled Camera
One of the smartest decisions on this project happened in the scripting phase, long before the shoot day.
Because every spot needed to exist in 16×9, 1×1, and 9×16, we scripted the entire project so that every asset would be utilized the same way across all three aspect ratios. Anything that was going to be voiceover was clearly marked as VO from the start, which meant we could grab those voiceover takes on set while we still had the actors with us instead of chasing them down later in post.
That planning made the edit dramatically faster. In many cases we could work primarily on the 16×9 versions, make our adjustments there, and carry them across the other formats. And when micro adjustments were needed for micro targeting specific placements, our post team could make those edits extremely fast because of how the project was structured from day one.
We have a bit of a secret sauce for how we handle multi-format editing on fast turnaround projects. If you want a full breakdown of that post-production workflow, reach out and let us know. That is a video we would genuinely enjoy making.
Screen Replacements and Light Motion Graphics
If you watch the final spots you will notice a lot of screens across all the different channels. Phones, computers, devices. Going into production we did not know exactly what content would live on those screens, so we shot everything clean and handled it with screen replacements in post.
Our in-house post-production team handled all the visual effects and screen replacements, and they came out looking completely natural. We also layered in light motion graphics to keep the energy up and speed the path to delivery.
Having post-production in house is a real advantage on projects like this. There is no handoff to an outside vendor, no waiting on revisions from a third party, and no communication gaps between what happened on set and what needs to happen in the edit.
What This Project Says About Working With Mi Media Productions
This H&R Block campaign is a perfect example of what a full service production company brings to a fast turnaround project. Smart creative built around the audience. A location strategy engineered for efficiency. A crew that moves like a well-oiled machine. And scripting and post-production planning that started before the camera ever rolled.
Three spots. Three formats each. One day of production. Delivered.
If your brand needs commercial content built for OTT and social media, or you have a fast turnaround project that feels impossible on paper, we would love to talk about it. There is no project too big or too small for our team.
📍 Mi Media Productions — Miami, South Florida 🌐 mimediapro.com
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