Welcome back to our “Meet Motion Source” series, where we give you a “behind-the-scenes” look at our team. This article features our newest addition, Rachael Nielson, who joined the team earlier this year as our associate producer. While she’s only been around for about four months, she has jumped in head first on projects and not slowing down.
Happy 2021 everyone! It’s a new year; and with each new year comes new marketing trends. This year’s trends–and this won’t come as a surprise to anyone–have been heavily influenced by the toll that COVID-19 took on our economy, and our psyches, in 2020. For all of the anguish wrought, a sense of connectedness was highlighted like never before. Authenticity and intimacy became the name of the game–increasingly important aspects of marketing, these were supercharged by our sudden inability to simply be together. And what better way to honor these values than…you guessed it…video.
Television commercials. Radio ads. Internet promotions. So much of what we consume is driven by voice over. Yet, when planning out a project, voice over is often a second thought. Sure, you know that you need narration to drive across specific informational content in the video, but it isn’t as exciting as discussing the big drone shot that is going to open the piece.
We love movies. We love shows. We love strong stories told well. Therefore, we can’t help but get excited when someone asks us to recommend content. Yes, we’re aware that you haven’t specifically asked us for the following suggestions... not in so many words. But allow us the initiative to nudge you in the direction of some quality content that we deem suited to the season.
As most summers do, this year’s flew! We have been unusually quiet on social the past couple months, but we have been hard at work behind the scenes. July and August have been especially busy this year as some COVID restrictions were lifted, new safety protocols went into place, and we returned to sets, both in studio and on location. With fall approaching, we want to catch you up on what we have been up to!
While filming indoors may be necessary for certain projects, filming outdoors offers a change in scenery and some options that may not be possible within the confines of 4 walls. And in the age of COVID, the desire to keep distant while working makes outdoor shoots that much more attractive. If you are considering filming outdoors for your next project, here are a few items, technical and logistical, to keep in mind to set your shoot up for success.
Earlier this month, we announced our official “kinda sorta” move from La Grange to Brookfield to our network via a digital newsletter. It has always been the plan to have one central production hub, combining our office space with our production studio. The last few months made us realize now was the time to make that move!
Brands have needed to adapt to the changing times and create timely videos with timely messages. COVID-19 and quarantine certainly proved that. Repurposing footage with new messages has been a route many have taken.
Earlier this week on May 27th, the winners for the 41st Annual Telly Awards were announced, and Motion Source made the list for the third year in a row! We submitted three projects to the competition and received recognition for all three. Each project received a Silver Telly in their respective categories. These three Tellys join our growing collection, and bring our total Telly Award count to eight. We are excited to share with you our newly-awarded projects!
More than ever, user-generated video marketing content is stealing the spotlight. Why is this the case? I believe there are two primary reasons. The first, quite obviously, is that we are currently beset by a pandemic. The prospect of sending out production crews to interface with the wider world is not only officially restricted in most places, but is civically unethical. The second reason is something that you have most likely felt, but might not have consciously articulated: authenticity. There is no form of marketing that feels more authentic than that which has been generated by the users themselves; whether that be a company’s customer base, or their employee roster. This is great news for your business, as it means that engaging in effective video marketing at a juncture where marketing budgets have been slashed, if not buried, can be remarkably feasible and affordable.
Inspired by major brands releasing ads comprised of employee-captured and supplied footage, we decided to create our own team-generated brand video. While we are no strangers to creating our own video content--we are a video production company, after all--this was the first time we would be creating a video separated from one another.
I am a professional Director of Photography and drone pilot in the UK, and have been professionally flying drones for the past 6 years. During that time, I have filmed for some amazing projects with clients like the BBC, Channel 4, Mercedes and most recently I have been featured as a creative video supplier for Getty Images. I also co-run the production company SMN FILM with my wife, and we service clients all over the world.
A famous Fred Rogers quote goes, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” The Les Turner ALS Foundation, at its core and in all they do, are helpers. We have had the privilege of working with them for over 5 years, so we have seen that firsthand.
This latest project marked our fifth “Hope Through Caring” video, a video created for and premiered at their annual Hope Through Caring Gala fundraiser. This year’s project took a different path; one more focused on the Foundation as a whole, the brand, the values, and the people who make up this family.
Choosing to create a corporate video to help promote your business involves an investment of energy and time. A well-made corporate video that communicates the right message and connects with the correct audience can make a strong impact. So it’s important to ensure that you give yourself the best chance of success. By avoiding these errors, you’ll greatly enhance the prospects of your next corporate video production.
One of my primary goals for 2020 is to be more active on LinkedIn. In preparation for achievement of this goal, I recently overhauled my profile to provide connections--and potential connections--a better understanding of who I am, and what my professional mission is. I spent a great deal of time ruminating on what my profile’s headline should read, on how I could best summarize my purpose, and the purpose of Motion Source, in a single sentence.
At our video production business in Brisbane, Australia, I was talking with a customer the other day about creating some new video marketing content for their business, and it reminded me of a trap for companies to avoid. For many businesses looking to get started in marketing, they are eager to create video content to get their name out there as quickly as possible. I get it: raising brand awareness about what products you create and what services your offer is important. And it’s important to differentiate yourself from the competition.
But here’s where businesses fall into the trap: thinking that they are the hero of their brand story.
We are almost a month into a new year, and even more so, kicking off a new decade. Welcome 2020! Marketers are constantly on the look out for consumer trends to better communicate their brand messaging and initiate successful campaigns. Trends are ever-changing and ever-evolving. While at their core, trends stem from basic human needs, each year, they change based on the current consumer climate. I turned to some experts on the subject for this blog article.
Video has become one of the most popular forms of content on the web. We consume more videos per day on average than we ever have before. At our video production agency in Brighton, we’ve witnessed just how influential video can be on a marketing strategy. Here are the top reasons why video is so important for growing your business.
The last few months, we have been working on a very special project: our 2019 holiday gift! If you have been following along, then you will know that we announced in September that we would be, for the second year, gifting a video to a local nonprofit. Now, we are excited to share that final video!
Another Motion Source Movember in the books! For the month of November, our team participated in our third Movember; a time to grow mustaches in the name of the Movember Foundation. This year, we exceeded our team goal and raised $1,440, funds that will be used to tackle prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. As we reflect on the past month, each Movember team member shared their motivation for participating and thoughts on the experience.
Video Production