I like a beautiful picture, a nicely composed frame. Good music, images that awe and inspire, visual metaphors that make you think. I have a pretty good sense of humor (so says me. Why couldn’t the cranberries make it to Thanksgiving dinner? They got bogged down. Ha!) And I love when a project allows us to run wild, when I can turn to my collaborators and say, “What do you think of THIS” and our collective imaginations can explore something new.
I am often asked by prospects: What is the biggest trend that I see in video production? Three years ago everyone wanted to talk about a whiteboard animation, now there’s a lot of buzz about 3D, tomorrow? 4K, maybe, if Apple and their new iPhone have a say. And when I am asked that question, I always have a sense that this is what they are really asking. What’s the hot new style? Or, the next hot style.
And my answer is a reflection of what I learned very early in my career, on the backlots, soundstages, and location sets of over one hundred Hollywood films and TV shows. If you’re looking to jump on trend, chances are good that you’re already behind. Cultural trends come and go, and more quickly than ever now with the speed of technology. The best projects, from plays to films to TV shows to novels to, yes, to business and corporate videos, are those that utilize those hot tools of the moment to tell a great, enduring story that will stick to the audience. That’s it. That’s the great secret. There are wonderful tools at our disposal, and we work with a creative team that is constantly updating their knowledge and expertise to use those tools. But a pretty picture is just a pretty picture, unless it tells a story.
Bottom line, just like CAD files provide the wireframe for an accurate 3D model for animation, story provides the basis for the images, camera moves, music, and graphics that make a beautiful and compelling video.
Want to know more? Contact me.
