IMHO we spend too much time and resources on making images look good and not enough on what we’re trying to communicate. In other words, on style versus content. That’s not to say that style and image quality aren’t important. In fact, image quality or, more broadly - to include lighting, sound and setting - production values, make the first impression on the audience and set expectations for the conte
When the pandemic suddenly stopped business as usual, we took a new look at our almost twenty years of making films and videos under the Pickerel Pie banner. One thing we became aware of, over that time, working with dozens of clients on hundreds of projects, is that our clients would benefit from a better understanding of the language and grammar of film. First, because the language of visual co
Paradigm shift: Recent advances in streaming technology, software and the capabilities of personal digital devices have set the stage for a paradigmatic shift in our perception of, and approach to, virtual, streaming large multi-location meetings - what we call Virtual Town Halls (VTH). Also, there are some other powerful drivers - including concern about the cost, logistics, time (away fr
The Interview is one of the fundamental modes of storytelling (what can you tell me about…?) and, yet, one of the most under-rated and, thus, under-examined skills to be mastered by creative producers and directors. Charming/cajoling/extracting information or stories from someone on camera is an art - with as many possible approaches as practitioners - but there a few basic guidelines to keep in mind – p
Very few projects have been as eye-opening and surprising as this video we produced for the Workforce Initiative of the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) about what it’s like to be a Juvenile Counselor in one of the City’s two juvenile detention facilities. As a kid in New York, you definitely want to avoid “juvie” but the staff we met were really inspiring; truly focused on giving kids
With LA design firm SLAQR we produced this spot for Burlington and WEtv that helps young people make responsible choices about fall outerware. Added to Children and Animals as things to beware of on a shoot, we would add Trampolines, especially in combination with fashion footwear.
Today, even low-budget filmmakers have access to extraordinarily high production values. In addition to crazy levels of high resolution image capture, previously exorbitant devices like Steadicams (copies), jib-arms and sliders have been made relatively affordable, portable and are now standard equipment in many shooters’ arsenals. LED technology has transformed lighting; now a handful of small, lightwe
Our best clients spend substantially on video production and, with all but the most ephemeral projects, there is always the hope, if not the goal, of producing something that will deliver value for a long time. That kind of staying power is rare and worth examining. I was doing the dishes and, as is my wont, listening to the kind of mix that only Shuffle can DJ (Curated Randomness will be addressed in another
People often ask us, is it true that police once raided a nightclub where the video feed from the StarBox was being projected live over the dance floor and causing what a sober person might call a riot? Unfortunately, we're still not at liberty to discuss that night (although the resulting NY POST cover is framed in one of our edit rooms) but I’m happy to describe how the StarBox - the personal, portable
One of many favorite moments from Cucaracha Theater Company shows a long time ago in a Tribeca that no longer exists was a monologue by Todd Alcott in which he tells a story about falling asleep while driving cross-country. He talks about the struggle to keep awake and how, when his eyes close, going 70 miles an hour down a two-lane highway, he begins to have “the most marvelous dream”. The whimsical de