Commercial series · 4 × 40s
My Transit App
Four tiny comedies about the moment you realise you have no bus fare.
Films that
hit
twice.
Once on screen.
Again on the drive home.
Double Whammy is a boutique film and video production studio in Calgary and Toronto. Commercials, documentaries and social content, from the first idea to the final mix.
SC.01The ideaDouble whammy, n. two hits in one
Why Double Whammy
Anyone can make something people watch. We make the thing they’re still thinking about on the drive home. That’s the second hit.
SC.02Selected work06 titles
The portfolio is the pitch. Press play.
Commercial · 1:36
Better Recycler
A recycling spot made for Calgary’s Punjabi community, in its own language and its own sense of humour.
Fundraising film · 1:53
Dream Big
From small moments come big dreams: a film that shows donors exactly what their gift sets in motion.
Mini-doc · 4:23
Affordable Housing
A mini-doc about the people who make affordable housing happen, and the neighbours who make it home.
Mini-doc series · 2:50
Downtown Recovery
After the pandemic emptied the core, downtown business owners explain what it takes to bring it back.
Feature documentary · Feature
Made in Vietnam
Our founder fled Vietnam at four. Decades later, he went back with a film crew to find his father.
SC.03How it gets madeConcept → final mix
One crew.Idea to final mix.
No hand-offs between four vendors. The people who pitch the idea are the ones in the edit suite at the end. Drag the playhead.
-
00:00:00:00
01 Develop
Brief, strategy, concept, script, storyboards. If it helps, we test the idea with a focus group before anything costs real money.
- Creative treatment
- Script
- Storyboards
- Budget + schedule
-
00:00:18:00
02 Prep
Casting, locations, crew, permits, wardrobe, art. The unglamorous part that decides whether the shoot day is calm.
- Cast
- Locations
- Call sheets
- Shot list
-
00:00:36:00
03 Shoot
Direction, cinematography, sound and art on set. Vertical and horizontal planned together, so social isn’t an afterthought.
- Picture
- Sound
- BTS
- Stills
-
00:00:54:00
04 Post
Edit, colour, VO, sound design, mix and motion graphics. You review cuts online; we sweat the frames.
- Edit
- Grade
- Mix
- Motion
-
00:01:12:00
05 Deliver
Masters for broadcast and cinema, cut-downs for every platform, captions, and a post-launch check-in if you want one.
- Masters
- Cut-downs
- Captions
- Archive
SC.04FormatsPlanned on set
One shoot.Every screen.
We frame the vertical while we frame the wide, so the Reel doesn’t look like a cropped TV spot and nobody loses their forehead.
2.39:1 · Cinema
SC.05Made forPublic sector · Education · Brands
Clients and screens
- City of Calgary
- Calgary Transit
- University of Calgary
- on Cineplex screens
SC.06The studioEst. Calgary
Started by adirector whofilmed his ownstory first.
Thi Vo left Vietnam as a refugee at four. Years later he took a crew back to find his father and made Made in Vietnam, a feature documentary.
That’s the bar at Double Whammy. If a story can survive being that personal on camera, it can survive a 30-second spot. A transit ad gets the same care as a feature.
SC.07Straight answers06 of 10
Questionsworth asking.
Q.01How much does a video cost with Double Whammy?
It depends on shoot days, crew size, cast, locations and how much post the piece needs. A social content day and a cinema commercial are very different budgets. Tell us your range in the brief and we’ll tell you honestly what it buys, including where we’d spend it and where we wouldn’t.
Q.02How long does a production take?
Most commercials and branded films take four to eight weeks from signed brief to final delivery. Social content can turn around faster. Documentary work runs longer because real life doesn’t keep a schedule; mini-doc series usually take six to twelve weeks.
Q.03What’s included in end-to-end production?
Everything from the first idea to the final file: concept, scripts, storyboards, casting, locations, crew, the shoot, edit, colour, voiceover, sound design, the final mix, motion graphics, captions and every cut-down you need. You can also hire us for any single stage.
Q.04Do you only work in Calgary and Toronto?
Our studio is in Calgary and we shoot regularly in Toronto, but we work across Canada. We bring a core team and hire trusted local crew where it makes sense, so travel stays sensible.
Q.05Can you work with our agency or in-house creative team?
Yes. Plenty of our work starts with someone else’s creative. The Calgary Transit and recycling campaigns were made with the City of Calgary’s creative team. We can take a script to screen, or come in earlier and help shape it.
Q.06What formats and cut-downs do we get?
Whatever your media plan needs: broadcast and cinema masters, 16:9, 9:16, 4:5 and 1:1 versions, 6, 15 and 30-second cut-downs, and captioned files. We plan the vertical frame on set so social versions don’t feel cropped.
SC.08ContactCalgary · Toronto
Have a script, a half-idea or a deadline?
Let’sroll.
Start a brief
Replies within one business day · 7130 Fisher Rd SE, Calgary