Tag Archives: video

Dear Rest of the World

If you live in the greater Seattle area, I hope you can appreciate how daunting it could be to launch a regional marketing video between the pandemic, civil unrest, wildfire smoke and the upcoming election. It felt like threading a very fine needle. I was worried the video would stagnate or suffer potential backlash on social media with comments raging on about homelessness, anarchy and dysfunctional government. Fortunately, it went well because there is truth in the message and delivery.

Leading up to the launch date, I conducted extensive outreach to engage the broader community to amplify the effort. I have been humbled and inspired by the outpouring of support and positive feedback on the effort. Everyone from the UK and Japanese Consulates to Alaska Airlines, Port of Seattle, cities of Everett and Tacoma, and the list goes on. I think we all needed some positivity.

Join by sharing the video across your organization’s channels. You can simply amplify our posts by liking and sharing and/or launch your own custom complementary posts.

I hope every person across the region can see themselves in this video and be proud to share our collective story.

Help tell the world what makes Greater Seattle unlike anywhere else on Earth.

Film Works

Update (May 21, 2019): I am pleased to learn this project has been awarded a Gold Telly Award.

At the end of the fiscal year I was approached by our deputy commissioner of film about producing a new film industry video – this was something I helped her produce a few years ago. The original piece was designed to illustrate the diversity of jobs and people the film industry employs, as well as the economic impact that radiates out, in some cases, from unexpected sources. Folks who are not deeply embedded in the industry do not always think about the carpenters, electricians, and people who supply contact lenses for zombies, so we wanted you to hear from them.

I thought about her request for a minute, but I ultimately suggested we do something different. The older video was still relevant and useful, so why not go an extra step and leverage the creative talent we have here in Georgia through a more thematic, possibly animated piece, that is whimsical and fun? And instead of locking up all our hard work in to one video file, let’s expand it out into a complementary web experience. She agreed!

You’ve probably seen the peach logo at the end of your favorite movies and T.V. shows, but another way film production companies can qualify for tax credits is by producing a film about filming in Georgia. Historically, we have not showcased these productions on Georgia.org, so I wanted to bring these in to the web experience to further leverage credible comments from famous producers and actors.

So here we began. We first looked around for some qualified animation companies in Georgia, of which there are many. But ultimately we landed on Floyd Country Productions who produces the popular hit show, Archer. There is always that bit about budget and deliverables that needs to get worked out, but suffice to say they were awesome to work with. The bonus came when Amber Nash agreed to do the voice of the character based on herself. We cranked on the script and got it to be about as non-governmenty as we could, while also delivering the salient stats and facts. Meanwhile, styling and character development were underway along with plans for the web experience.

I approached the web experience with the same outline of the script. The scrolling parallax design is divided in to sections that emphasize tax credits, jobs, workforce development, studio development and tourism with the final call-to-action sending the user to main film page with additional resources. The copy and associated video is designed to bolster that section with personality and proof of perspective from actual producers and actors.

We launched the whole thing on Film Day at the Georgia State Capitol. An audience of film industry people were gathered, and the Film Works video was warmly received. I even heard a “bravo!”

The same day we launched a digital marketing campaign on Facebook and LinkedIn, and the MPAA even picked it up and distributed it through their network.

It was great to finally see the end result grow wings and fly. You can check out the whole experience at Georgia.org/FilmWorks.

Now what to do when the deputy commissioner of film approaches me to do something new again?

Korean Investment Video

This is the 3rd in a series of foreign investment videos I have produced for the state of Georgia. I would have preferred to conduct actual interviews in Korean with the executives, but I was not able to get any of them to do so. Obviously a cultural nuance. They only want to be perceived as working, and speaking on behalf of the company is very uncomfortable. Therefore, I went the script route with a professional narrator.

As always, I thoroughly enjoy getting inside these companies and see how they function. My other favorites were shooting at a very popular Korean BBQ restaurant in Atlanta called, Breakers. In addition, we had a Saturday shoot at the Korean International School where over 400 students practice their Korean almost every week. The same day we visited the Korean Fest where we captured wrestling, dancing, drumming, and my favorite – I was able to get a calligrapher on camera drawing out, “Welcome to Georgia” in Korean.

International Trade Commercial

Generally, I am an advocate of letting clients speak on your behalf verses cutting a straight commercial with voice talent and nice music. I call it real marketing. But in listening to my client I heard that what they really needed was a video that would set an energetic tone – more of a wow piece – that could also be highly informative. In addition, it would work well as a 15 or 30 second promotional spot.

Since I had already produced this Telly award-winning video for Trade that did have good testimonials, it was decided to pursue something different. This piece uses heavier animation work and a fast-paced rhythm to hopefully incite the target audience to take action. I was keen on using a female narrator of which I auditioned several, and very particular about the script balancing practical information with some sales sizzle.

Check it out!

Advanced Manufacturing Video

This is my latest video creation.

The advanced manufacturing capabilities of this company, and the infrastructure and logistics they need to move their product, is incredible in size and scope. It was an ideal backdrop for producing a video like this.

Creative
I took more of a documentary approach with subdued music and narration to seem less like a marketing piece. The sponsoring brand only appears at the very end.

Lesson Learned
If you want to use a drone in a facility this size then make sure you test it beforehand or are clear as to whether it will function properly inside an area with a lot of electromagnetic disturbance.

Platinum Hermes Creative Award

I am pleased to say I have just won top honors in the annual Hermes Creative Awards for the Georgia is Built for Business video.

An international awards competition, the 2016 Hermes Awards recognize outstanding work of creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media. The competition has grown to one of the largest of its kind in the world. This year they received over 5,500 entries from the United States, Canada and several other countries.

Only 15 percent of entries received a Platinum Award, which is the highest honor offered in the competition.

This video represents a lot of behind-the-scenes work – 9 versions of the script, countless site visits to places like Lockheed Martin, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Global Center for Medical Innovation, and the list goes on.

What do leading brands like Home Depot, Delta, UPS, Gulfstream, Lockheed Martin, JCB, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems and The Coca-Cola Company all have in common? See for yourself…

Real Success Video Platform

Real Success is my latest web development project, and it represents a culmination of more than 3 years of producing videos for the state of Georgia.

Using html 5 and YouTube’s api, this video hub has unique features that deliver a visually stunning experience with a focus on lead generation. I’ve always been a proponent of “real marketing” which to me means delivering your message through the voices of your customers. In other words, don’t listen to me, listen to them.

If the user pauses the video they are presented with the option to learn more information or view another video that is tagged to the same industry. Alternatively, they can close the video player and explore other industries. Other features include a share feature for social and email and a scrubbing tool, timecode and volume control.

Of course I think it’s cool, but check it out for yourself – Real Success.

Manufacturing Video

This manufacturing video is my latest creation. It is hard to believe that I started on the script in March, but it required a lot of moving parts to make it what it is. One thing is for sure, it took me to some pretty amazing places.

Hope you enjoy!

Site Visits and Video Interviews

King's Hawaiian
Photo credit: Samantha Young

It has been quite a week with a tour of Lockheed Martin’s facility, an interview with the CEO of Mercedes, and a video shoot at King’s Hawaiian.

Above is a video interview with John Linehan, EVP of King’s Hawaiian – great guy and very knowledgable about food processing and business strategy. Note the two camera angles. Generally I like to have someone else ask my questions, so that I can listen carefully and correct or redo as needed. Should wrap up the finished product in a couple of weeks.

Georgia’s Film Industry

In the past 2 years I have produced dozens of videos dealing with aerospace, agribusiness, manufacturing, life sciences and international trade. Some have even won video awards. But it has been a real pleasure working on this one for Georgia’s film industry. Tax incentives can be a hot topic, but in my opinion this one so clearly demonstrates the positive impact they can provide.

Film Industry Video from Robert Payne on Vimeo.

A few takeaways:

The crew at Devious Maids were very accommodating and helped to capture much of the b-roll. The part with Brigid Capelletti was not planned, but while she was handling lighting we struck up a conversation. Beneath the Carhartts and big knife on her side she proved to be an articulate and intelligent woman. I asked her if she would mind speaking on camera. She agreed but needed to check with her boss. Her boss admitted her to the makeup truck and she came back looking like a completely different person.

The Lifecycle Center is an amazing example of recycling. Now I know where to go to get Italian slate, wooden blinds, door knobs, mantels and much more for cheap prices.

John Raulet probably knows the location of more abandoned warehouses in Southwest Atlanta than anyone else. What he has done with one is what entrepreneurship is all about.

I’ve always thought of Atlantic Station as a shopping center. Now I know there are dozens of talented illustrators and animators creating fictitious characters just above the street.

After the interview at Cofer Brothers I’ll never look at a small Georgia town in the same light again – there is always so much more than meets the eye.