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A Deep Dive into the Layers of Netflix’s New Promo Spot

Netflix's latest spot is more than just a promo, it's a layered masterpiece of coded storytelling.  From subtle (and not so subtle) use of film language to reference the style and themes of some of its shows to cameos (some quite obscure) by stars of Netflix Originals, the spot also rewards careful viewers with a clever sonic Easter egg only film nerds will catch. In this video, I go in deep (too deep?) to unpack the layers: https://vimeo.com/1036073686?share=copy

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Why Don’t More Companies Have Sonic Brand Identities?

We were recently producing content for a client in the midst of a rebranding and we were trying to figure out which version of their branding package to apply to the videos while at the same time thinking about music to underscore the narratives and wearily reaching for the same stock music libraries… It struck me that, for the same reasons that companies invest in distinct visual identities to distinguish their brand, including logo, typeface, palette, photographic style and specific guidelines for their use in every medium, they should also create a sonic identity with a recognizable musical theme translated into stings and beds for…

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Corporate Film School #13: Music

Music may be the Language of Love but it's also useful for propelling and punctuating your video narrative.  And because music has its own language, it can be intimidating to talk about.  In this episode of the hit series Corporate Film School, we strip down to the underscore and boogie, corporate-style. 

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zoom captures

BETTER Remote Video Captures (e.g. Zoom): Buyer’s Guide

As we discuss in the episode, a few key upgrades can make a huge difference in capture quality. 1. Platform Conducting your video capture on a platform other than Zoom offers a lot of advantages. While Zoom is ubiquitous, it was not designed for high quality video capture. Some of the podcasting platforms offer much more control over the process. We like Riverside FM. for its array of pro features including: High bandwidth recordings stored locally on the interviewer’s computer Lossless and separate high quality audio The ability to use your IOS or Android cell phone as a capture camera , greatly increasing your production quality. You may…

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Talking Heads: King Charles Edition

We were just working on a new episode of #corproate film school about Talking Head shots when this very momentous talking head shot was broadcast.  Some notes on the King’s inaugural address:  https://vimeo.com/749251403 Want more tips on making corporate videos? Sign up for the Corporate Film School newsletter!

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Get Back to Setting: The Beatles on Location

George Martin: “Location isn’t really a main problem at the moment” Paul McCartney: “Breathing is, actually.” Sure, Get Back is amazing on many levels but, setting-wise, you’re stuck in one big and then one small plain room for most of the 8 hours of the hit new doc series - (Peter Jackson’s [Lord of the Rings] re-cutting of the Beatles footage that was shot for Let It Be [1970, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg]. So, it’s ironic that discussion of setting turns out to be one of the major narrative threads (perhaps eclipsing even whether and how to keep George in the band) of the documentary. It’s a great opportunity for us, interested in…

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Corporate Film School: Managing Creatives

How do you find, hire and develop creative talent for an in-house corporate video department?  How do you appeal to really smart, creative people when the job is within a corporate environment (not typically assumed to be creatively stimulating)?  And how do you keep them motivated and sharp? As sophisticated and creative video production increasingly becomes a capability that more companies want to have in-house, the challenge of managing creative talent within a corporate environment is on the minds of many of our clients.    How do you appeal to really smart, creative people when the job is within a corporation (not typically assumed to…

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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…

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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.

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