Fountain Hills East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) seniors, Ben Nielsen and Malachi Viloria, have both shot commercials before for their TV/video production class, but never have they produced a video on such a short timetable as they did on Saturday, April 13.

On that day, Nielsen and Viloria competed in the SkillsUSA Arizona State Championship, creating a 60-second advertisement for the Phoenix Convention Center in only eight hours. The two placed third out of the 32 high schools competing.

Going into the day, Nielsen and Viloria thought they knew what their commercial was going to be about.

“We had first started by planning to advertise for SkillsUSA but the prompt turned out to be totally different,” Viloria said.

This meant the two had to start at square one of an already lengthy process.

“Basically, what we first did was find out what the Convention Center is about, what they host and how we can best represent them in a promotional video,” Viloria said. “Then we started writing all that information down and breaking it down to a 60 second script. Then we added a shot list. Then, after that pre-production stuff, we go and shoot, following our schedule.”

Even with a schedule the day was still hectic, filled with unforeseen obstacles and hurdles.

“During the production phase they completed all filming, including recording voice overs,” EVIT instructor Bruce Haseley said. “The rules required they stay within a two-block radius around the convention center. It was hectic. At one point they inadvertently got locked in a stairwell while looking for a quiet place to record their voiceovers. However, in the end they managed to get all the shots they needed.”

Nielsen and Viloria have competed in a similar competition before and were able to use what they learned from the experience to make a better commercial.

“In regionals we actually placed 10th because we got dinged with so many penalties,” Viloria said. “So this time we said, let’s focus on hitting the objectives first and then doing the creative aspects, because last time we got in way over our heads.”

Nielsen and Viloria were able to keep their heads above water this time, even on a time crunch.

“Making a video is a team sport,” Haseley said. “Throughout the project Nielsen and Viloria had to make many decisions that required excellent communication and the ability to compromise. Judging by the results, they were a great team.”