Behind the scenes on a Brookfield Residential commercial

Here at Brookfield Residential, we’re really big on being authentic in everything we do. For example, when it comes to our advertising, we feel like it’s more meaningful to show real people who live in our homes rather than paid actors or models. For our latest television spot, we were looking for a real family who had chosen a Brookfield home, and the Liscanos were the perfect fit. We sat down with mom Melissa to find out what filming a commercial was like, how the process worked, and what they love about their home.

Lights, Camera, Action

With a background as a copywriter, Melissa had actually been on film sets before, but this was the first on-camera appearance for the rest of the family. “We have a family saying, ‘Just do it for the plot,’ and this definitely fit that — it just sounded like fun,” Melissa says. “We were nervous, because with young kids, you never know how things are going to go, but we had a blast — we wanted to keep it going!”

Capturing Real-Life Moments

The creative team had developed a rough outline for the commercial, but they knew they wanted to shape the footage around the actual family that was chosen. Once the Liscanos signed on to participate, the production team visited Melissa and Miguel’s home to do a location scout and plan some real-life moments to film. “The team was amazing with the kids,” Melissa said. “We talked about how we live in our house, and we planned some breaks for the kids’ naptimes. We always make pancakes on the weekends, so they wanted to be sure to capture that. And we often have our neighbors over for dinner, so that was a good way to show off the dining room. And they loved the kids’ door with all the artwork on it! The finished spot shows Hattie pushing Henry on a little car around our kitchen island, and that’s absolutely true to our lives - they are always running around the island playing tag or pushing ride-on cars or something. It’s like their own little built in racetrack so that was a very authentic moment in the commercial.”

Surprising Miguel

The actual video shoot took place over 2 days, and the last scene included a surprise.  “The last shot was the dinner scene, and it was the day before Miguel's birthday,” Melissa says, “I conspired with the team, and when it was done, they brought out a cake for Miguel and we all sang Happy Birthday. Since Miguel had to wear pajamas in one of the scenes — and he’s not exactly a loungewear kind of guy — we had the cake say, ‘You look great in pajamas.’ It was a funny little nod to the shoot, and the whole moment was adorable.”

Home, Sweet Home

For the Liscanos, being part of the Brookfield Residential commercial was something they’ll never forget. And we think their love for their home comes through in the finished product. “It’s just such a special thing for our family to keep, so we were so glad to be a part of it,” Melissa says. “We have not had one single issue with our house since we moved in. When we bought our house, we had so many jaw-dropping moments where we thought, ‘I can’t believe this gets to be our home.’ It’s beyond what we ever thought we would ever get to live in, and we’re so proud of it. We really love it.”

Finding the Best Place to Call Home

We hope that all of our homebuyers will feel as satisfied, comfortable, and happy as the Liscano family. That’s why our team is continuously committed to doing the right thing, cultivating an exceptional customer experience, and creating the best places to call home. Ready to find your dream home? Check out our latest savings on move-in ready homes.