For 10 years I’ve been shooting video on a smallish scale. I reasoned that smaller equaled busier, as I could attack small scale jobs with efficiency and speed. The most people I’d ever worked with was 2 others, and that suited me fine.
In recent years though, the realisation has become clear. Smaller budgets ALSO tend to equal a compromise in ideas. I can dream up some sort of blockbusting notion, only to have the Client shut it down, not due to any concerns over the idea, but rather a lack of funds to carry it through. The frustration of then having to dilute the idea so it falls within those constraints has become fairly commonplace.
You may have gleaned from the above, that one thing I do really well is come up with ideas. Once I understand who I’m shooting for, I have never fallen short of an ‘out there’ notion to get my Client attention. Please note Exhibit A (below), which was a 15 second cinema ad, designed to work in with the new Star Wars movie being released at the same time.
The above ad was so well received, Cineads ended up using it in their nationwide showreel, which then sparked off a spate of imitators, but the issue for me was still the same. I’d done the best I could with a restricted budget. In fact, I shot, edited, inserted CGI and composite effects, whilst simultaneously directing AND throwing light around, myself (you know… because that isn’t a real light-saber-auction-gavel and a light source needed to come from SOMEWHERE). Don’t get me wrong.. I’m happy with what we accomplished. I just knew that it could have been more.
Which brings me to the photo at the top of this article. Contained therein, are a group of people who I have worked with at different times and places, who have all displayed JUST the right amount of insanity and creativity. A group of people who are also NUTS about what they do. So I got them all into a room, and explained the crazy notion of expanding by combining, to become something more. And they concurred wholeheartedly.
My partner Melissa (Marketer extraordinaire and Director of her company Divine Creative Agency), when confronted with my special brand of creativity, coined the phrase ‘Impactful Storytelling’ (something which dovetails in BEAUTIFULLY with her ‘Connection Marketing’ but that’s a whole other story). And that’s exactly what I’m about… telling a Client’s story in the most authentic and impactful way. And by working closely with 7 other highly creative individuals the improvement is exponential.
The difference between what we are accomplishing when compared to other Production/Creative houses filled with wage earners and encapsulated in expensive offices, is both simple and profound. We are ALL individual business owners, all keen to do the best we can, and therefore contributing significantly to the task at hand. We are also a very lean operation, with every single person fulfilling a crucial role.
What this means for the Client, is attention-getting, beautiful creativity, designed primarily to attract attention to their brand. The Client deals directly with the Creatives who push boundaries and where necessary, raise hackles. Our intentions are to cut through the online noise, where thanks to smart phones everywhere, YouTube is now inundated with over 300 hours of video being uploaded EVERY MINUTE. It also means no job is too big or too complex (dedicated Directors, Producers, D.O.Ps, Photographers, Marketers, Drone Pilots, Makeup Artists, Actors, Presenters, Compositors and Tech Experts). We also have two Internationally renowned musicians (one currently in the Australian Aria charts) and our own world class recording studio, so even original music scores can be created in house.
Do you collaborate with others in your industry? Have you found it effective? For me it came down to the right combination of people and personalities, and took many years to get it perfect. After 10 years in this fulfilling role, it’s finally game on for high end stuff. I’m looking forward to sharing the promo when we’ve finished it.
JAMES LOPES
ARC SHOT MEDIA
Time to talk?