LinkedIn IG

Author: Pickerel Pie

Corporate Film School #3: Setting or How to Escape the Realm of the Un-dead

It turns out that where we can shoot video is the aspect of production perhaps most disrupted by the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic quarantine. And, with most communication - both business and personal - happening through video - almost exclusively shot at home - the focus on setting has been, well, kind of hilarious. The fact is that, while there may not be a Twitter account dedicated to it (but you should check) we consciously or unconsciously scrutinize every setting in every video we watch. Setting is a major element of film language and it delivers - like it or not - significant…

Read more

Corporate Film School #2: The Seductive Trap of Production Values

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 content they frame. And, often, the content of the communication demands the highest possible level of production values. But not always. And it’s important to understand how an automatic application of highly polished production values can…

Read more

Corporate Film School #1: Film Language

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 communication is fascinating and constantly evolving but also because, we think it would help the process of making great video if we all spoke the same language.   This series, somewhat cheekily titled, Corporate Film School (where else…

Read more

Considerations for Virtual Town Hall Meetings

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 from family & clients) and environmental impact of in-person meetings – that are accelerating the push for more effective virtual gatherings. This deck outlines the key creative and technical considerations with some recommendations for implementation. With an updated approach, companies should be able to focus more…

Read more

The Art of Asking Questions

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 – particularly, if you decide (perhaps, for effect) to ignore them or do the opposite – to enhance your chances of getting good material from your interview: 1. Prepare.  You should have both a good grasp of what your subject…

Read more

Becoming an ACS Juvenile Counselor (Trailer)

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 whose lives are in turmoil the support and encouragement they need to get the chance to turn things around. We’re grateful to our production partners at City University of New York for the opportunity to tell these…

Read more

Busby Burlington!

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.

Read more

The Royal Treatment vs. Revolution

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, lightweight and energy-sipping LED panels often replace crates of bulky, hot and heavy filament units. Drones that cost less than a crew dinner now shoot spectacular aerial footage that couldn’t be matched by a helicopter-mounted camera even if you could afford it. Super! Awesome. (as King George snarks about American…

Read more

How To Make Your Videos Evergreen Or, How Did Neil Young Survive Punk Rock?

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 post) and I was struck, both by Shuffle’s genius juxtaposition with the Buzzcock’s “Boredom” and by the repetitive eloquence of Neil Young’s guitar solos. They’re epic and irreducible and, thus, kind…

Read more

Hello Officer, Is That A Warrant or An Appearance Release?

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 television studio-in-a-can that we invented - generates amazing content.  People do and say things in the anonymous, soundproofed, brightly-lit isolation of the StarBox that they simply would not otherwise.  And that’s…

Read more