Warm Fuzzies

One of the cool perks about shooting video is learning about something new in your own backyard. Dave Poyzer, Robb Moore and I recently had the pleasure of shooting a project for United Way of Central Iowa and one of the programs it supports: Conmigo Quality Early Learning Center. It’s the only bilingual preschool in the metro area, and it’s just a stone’s throw away from the 515 offices in the East Village. Who knew?

The program is an incredible resource for the community, giving parents the opportunity for their kids to grow up speaking two different languages and learning to appreciate other cultures. And it’s great to see organizations like the United Way promote diversity by supporting such a program. Not a bad way to spend a day on the job.

RED Shorts

We’ve had the RED EPIC for a month now and just can’t seem to put it down. I am a RED junkie. And instead of trying to kick the habit, we’ve decided to try to make playtime somewhat productive. So we’ve started producing what we’re calling “RED shorts”. Quick little videos of whatever subject presents itself during the course of a week. We’ll be posting them on the various social media feeds for your viewing pleasure. Hopefully they’ll serve as a 30-second pick-me-up during the daily grind. Please enjoy. And let us know if there’s something you’d like to see in a RED short.

Here’s the most recent RED short. Shot last week during the snowfall. I’m driving. Dave Poyzer is shooting. We’re both equally geeked out.

Bling

Freeride Entertainment recently entered “Where The Trail Ends” into the X-Dance Film Festival in Salt Lake City and walked away with the award for Best Cinematography. Since I was a part of the crew, this little gem just arrived in the office:

I was extremely excited to be on the crew, and now even more so. It’s a great testament to the level of passion and commitment that went into making literally the best bike movie ever made!

Ever wonder why it can sometimes take hours for a video crew to get set-up and ready to shoot? Most of the time, it isn’t because they’re unprepared or lazy. In fact, it is often quite the opposite. Properly prepping a set is crucial to the quality of the final product. Today, we’re sharing a few secrets from one of the masters in the art of lighting and a critical member of the 515 team, Mr. Robb Moore of Truthpoint Media.

Why is good lighting so critical to good video?

I think lighting is just as important as the camera image and sound in production. Together, they’re like a 3-legged stool. Lighting makes or breaks the image. Lighting motivates a mood when communicating…it tells a story in itself. The color, direction and shape, etc. And when I say lighting, I mean both added light, and control existing light–it’s a big ecosystem of rays that when done well, work together to form a “whole”. Lighting is the fuel the camera uses to expose properly.

What are some common mistakes people make when it comes to lighting?

Not using light properly to motivate emotion and composition is a common mistake…meaning, throw a light up, wrong color, turn it on and shoot.  Light in a scene has to come from something, from somewhere. This is why people look orange sometimes, or blue, or their glasses have a huge light reflection, etc. Light has “color” or “temperature” to it, scientifically, and understanding that leads to desired effects, or undesired effects. So, motivation and proper light sources are 2 mistakes we see often.

How do you fix those mistakes?

I enjoy shaping light and painting with light…simple as that. I approach it organically, naturally. What’s the scene supposed to “feel” like? We all love in a world of light, and if you pay attention, you can start seeing patterns and you start seeing where light comes from in your own light. So, when approaching a scene…you need to feel it out. Lighting is very technical as well…knowing light temperatures, knowing how to shape light and where light should come from. Sometimes it’s not about light. It’s about taking away light….controlling light.

What are a few basic tips for good lighting?

Know where your light source is supposed to be coming from. A lamp? the sun? a hallway light? a TV? a fire? You need to match the color, shape, softness, size and other attributes about the source when using artificial sources. Just remember, lighting instruments are maybe 30% or 40% of the equation, most times…light control and available light are the rest of the equation.

Final thoughts?

Lighting is subjective…so get out and try some things. Lighting technology, camera, media, type of project and even personnel change things immediately and over time. There’s really no right or wrong way….look at it–if it’s bad, work on it. If it’s good, continue to practice. If you’ve reached perfection..move onto another career! 🙂

There’s always the fear that the next up-and-coming trend or gadget is going to replace what already exists. Sure, it happens in some cases. Who uses a typewriter anymore? Or a cassette tape? Or a CD? But unlike the Buggles’ prediction, video did not kill the radio star. You still listen to the radio, right? Maybe not as often as you used to, and perhaps in tandem with other outlets like iTunes and Spotify. But music on the radio certainly isn’t dead. It has just evolved.

The world of video is much the same. It used to be, television was the only outlet for video. You couldn’t watch it anywhere else. Now, thanks to the internet, video is everywhere. On your laptop. On your phone. Some predict the internet is going to kill TV. I disagree. Video will continue to exist on both platforms. But, as we’ve seen in recent years, the uses for video are evolving. And the prospects are only growing. The opportunities for internet and TV videos to work in tandem with each other– to co-exist– are offering some exciting new avenues for advertisers and video production houses.

But don’t take it from me. Here’s an interview with one of the greats in the world in advertising: Dan Wieden, the ad exec who co-founded Wieden+Kennedy and coined the Nike tagline “Just Do It”.

Seven years ago this month, my wife and I took the plunge. No, I’m not talking about wedding bells. I’m talking about our first camera. We purchased it on February 17th, 2006, and thus, 515 Productions was born. It was exciting and terrifying. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times when we wondered if we’d made a huge mistake. And if you had told us then where we’d be today, seven years later, we wouldn’t have believed you. A RED camera? Get real. Of course, such success wouldn’t have been even remotely possible without the hard work and dedication of a very talented group.

In the world of video production, the majority of projects requires a crew of people to handle everything from cinematography to craft services. Over the months and years,  the 515 operation has grown into a core collective of video professionals that is able to handle pretty much any project you put in front of it. No, it isn’t your traditional agency structure. But we don’t do traditional. As the economy evolves out of the recession, more and more companies are hiring sub-contractors instead of full-time employees, because it is more cost-efficient. As an unofficial conglomerate of contractors, we like to think that we’re ahead of the curve in that respect. Sure, it gets a little complicated when it comes to name and brand identity,  but that’s just semantics. And as long as our clients are pleased with our approach, we don’t care about semantics.

I want to thank my partners in crime, who’ve made this outfit what it is today. Dave Poyzer is a creative genius. Robb Moore is a lighting and logistics genius. Brent Willett is a graphics and animation genius. Aaron Ward is a genius at making a shoot flow as smoothly as possible. And Tyler Dreher is a genius in-the-making. I’m incredibly lucky to get to call these guys my colleagues and friends. In a way, it feels like we’re almost family. Robb and I bicker like an old married couple sometimes. But, really, what family is perfect?

I also have to give props to the city of Des Moines and the state of Iowa. I fully admit, when Lynn and I first moved here from Alaska, I did not love the place. But Iowa has been good to us. It has given us opportunities we wouldn’t have had anywhere else. What’s not to love? It’s a big reason why we’re proud to call Iowa home.

You often hear about the so-called “seven year itch”. At the risk of sounding corny, I’d like to turn that phrase on its head and declare: we’re itching to get started on the next seven years.

We’re just days away from the Super Bowl. A day when the art of advertising gets almost as much attention as the game itself. Count me among the millions who can’t wait to see the commercials that the country’s top ad agencies have turned out.

In this era of “a new, crazy-awesome camera is released every other year”, the possibilities are mind-boggling. Advertisers can produce high-end, movie-like commercials on a minimal budget. It allows the imagination to run wild. However, in the quest to produce a cutting-edge commercial, sometimes there’s too much emphasis put on using new technology– simply for the sake of using new technology. It doesn’t work. All the CGI in the world can’t make up for a really bad story line. In my opinion, at least.

So, as the clocks ticks down to kick-off, here’s a glance back in time:

Jetta kept it real simple. About 15 seconds in, you are really pulling for the kid. It doesn’t make some over-the-top sales pitch about how owning this car will make you faster, smarter or stronger. It just keeps things simple and pure.

Unlike this one from last year:

Really? Own a chevy and you will make it through the end of the world? It just feels like they had a ton of money to blow and decided they wanted to use a lot of CGI.

Coming up this year, I spotted this one from Duracell. A battery manufacturer. When you think of batteries, you think electronics and power. They thought of something different:

How many companies say to themselves:  ‘let’s not market our batteries. Let’s just tell a cool story about overcoming adversity.’ That is a risky move. The only branding they get in is at the end. Truth be told, I found this on Youtube when looking for something else. I had my mouse hovering over the “you can skip this ad in 5.4.3…” button and found myself watching the entire thing. Mission accomplished on their part. Not exactly a Super Bowl commercial, but keep an eye on Duracell during the game. I’m sure they won’t disappoint.

Now bring on the nachos and wings!

There’s something very powerful about taking advantage of the seasons. Even the cold ones. Usually, when you think about shooting something outside, green grass and sunny skies come to mind. This week, we got to capture the refreshing beauty of winter for a project for our client, Yess Yoga. It’s just another reason we love Lucia:  she was game for bundling up and shooting some stretches on the frozen surface of Little Birch Lake in central Minnesota.

If you’re familiar with yoga, you know that breathing is a major focus of the practice. And this week’s sub-zero weather allowed us to actually “see” her breath. Yess Yoga emphasizes finding peace with yourself– letting go of regrets and expectations. We found the crystal clear sheet of ice was representative of “coming clean”. And the sun salutation, one of the most important poses in yoga, was made even more beautiful by the long shadows cast over the ice by the rising sun.

I’ll be honest. We were wary that this was just a corny idea. That it wouldn’t work. And even we were a little surprised at how well the shots came together. We’re lucky that Lucia was brave enough to risk hypothermia, in order to give it a chance. Because the results speak for themselves. The final video will be posted soon, and we hope you agree, that the frostbite was well worth it.

I know most people are down on winter. They don’t like the cold and the snow. But if you take a few minutes to fill your lungs with that crisp air– and breathe– I’m willing to bet you’ll find some unexpected beauty in the season.

January, 10, 2013

Here’s a couple of crazy statistics:  72 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and a billion pieces of content are shared on Facebook every day. When marketing experts talk about “cutting through the clutter”, this is just how huge that mass of clutter has become. Getting your message out to the masses has never been harder– and at the same time– never been easier. In 2013, we have the luxury of numerous (free) platforms from which to launch a video, but getting that video to rise above the rest takes more than dumb luck. The ad agency, Unruly, recently posted this blog about some strategies for getting your video noticed in 2013. I found it enlightening and wanted to share.

January 3, 2012

Keep it simple and have fun: the two rules I try to follow at the beginning, middle and end of a project. Because I’m a nerd, I spend countless hours scouring the web for great videos. It gives me inspiration and its entertaining as well!

There haven’t been many videos that have really hit the mark for me recently, but the videos that have ALWAYS been an inspiration are the Jeep commercials done by the ad agency Wieden Kennedy out of Portland. They started with a great commercial introducing the new Grand Cherokee:

In my opinion, this was the first success of the “manifesto” style campaign. Now, while the production-side of things may not have been simple, the message was clear and concise. It would be a safe bet to say it resonates with almost everyone. It pays homage to the old pro-American commercials during WWII. In a time of economic turmoil, they really hit the nail on the head with this commercial. Hell, it even made ME want to buy a Jeep.

After that, W+K really started playing to my weakness…the single shot commercial. I have been looking at doing one of these for a LONG time, but the proper subject has never really presented itself. Expanding on their success with the Jeep commercial, they launched a series of single shot commercials touting the strengths of certain aspects of the Jeep:

Now THIS is what I am talking about. I know its been out for a while now, but it is a good reminder that SIMPLE is STRONG. You don’t need fancy effects, crazy transitions or scantily clad women. You just need a good message and a little bit of creativity.

Next time you embark on a project, take a second and ask yourself how you can strip away all the excess stuff and make it as simple as possible. It will help keep your message believable and most importantly, keep the audience engaged.

December 31, 2012

I won’t wax poetic about 2012. Simply put, it was a fantastic year for 515 Productions: traveling to China to shoot some super cool bikers break their ribs, winning the “Best Cinematography” award for “Where the Trail Ends”, moving to a new HQ, shooting a Degree video campaign with the infamous Bear Grylls,  and- oh yeah- hanging out with President Barack Obama. It takes a dedicated team to pull all that off, and I want to thank all those who gave their blood, sweat and tears to make the last 12 months so successful. I’m incredibly lucky to get to work with such talented– and FUN– people.

At the risk of jinxing myself, I’m optimistic that 2013 will be just as good– if not better. It’s shaping up to be another stand-out year, and I’m excited to get cracking on the projects already in the hopper. I’m looking forward to collaborating with the crew– to push ourselves creatively to turn out some more amazing videos that we can be proud of– and, of course, show off to the loyal readers of this blog. Both of you. 🙂
So stayed tuned…