Content Marketing & Film Resource (3)

How Practicing My Skills Have Allowed My Creative Work To Evolve

Nick Clarke May 25, 2016 Creativity, Animation, Video production, Creative Process Leave a Comment

"I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true--hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't do it."

–Ray Bradbury

The saying 'practice makes perfect’ can apply to many disciplines –sports; music; art.

But it also applies to your work. Whether you are a master at spreadsheets, a whiz at making calls, or a commander of the conference room, the more you practice your role in the workplace the better you become. No matter your title.

I view every project we take on as an opportunity to hone my craft and to practice at it.

I’m proud of every piece of creative work I’ve produced because every piece of work is my best to date.

A unique dynamic of my job the ability to go back and see my past work. A quick search on Youtube and I can find our client’s past videos. Or I can search backup drives to find graphics and animations I’ve created.

Here are a few examples of transparent improvement in the work that I have done here at MEDIABOSS.

These past projects range from graphic lower thirds to full character animations.

Character Design:

Learning to draw characters takes lots of practice. The more you draw, the better your characters will turn out.

The key to creating dynamic characters is to draw them in strong poses. But drawing strong poses is much more difficult and takes considerable practice.

As you can see, the character on the right has a much stronger pose than the character on the left.

Character Animation:

Animating characters takes time. Exactly how much time depends on the amount of detail you're able to put in - and the budget with which you have to work.

The clip from 2014 is a less detailed character animation. The budget was smaller and the client’s timeline meant that I needed to animate quickly and under a strict deadline.

The clip below from 2015 has much more going on. This character has complex facial animation, as well as body language and attitude. It took several hours to complete this shot.

Logo Animation:

Logo animations can come in all forms. Whether it's a flat 2D style, or a complex and dynamic 3D design, each has their place, depending on time and budget.

3D designs are exponentially more complex and time consuming, but give a feeling of reality. 2D designs are simpler than 3D and can be completed in a tighter time frame, tools and expertise considered.

Above, you’ll see several examples of the 2D and 3D animations I’ve built over the years.

Lower Thirds:

Title lower thirds are essential for letting your audience know who, in your video, is on screen. Many lower third designs are either boring, or bought from a graphics template package.

At MediaBoss, we like to go above an beyond with our lower third designs. We even go a step further and animate them, rather than just fading them up in Avid.

These two examples show my creative growth and skill level over the course of 3 years.

The improvement in the way they are designed and animated is very clear. In my opinion, the graphic elements in the first one look like they were made by a toddler (haha.)

The example from 2016 shows my ability to create frame by frame animation. It is also line with Jack's Abby's branding.

CONCLUSION:

It doesn't matter if you work in graphic design, animation or any other creative medium, the only way you will get better at your job is if you practice.

The most important piece of advice I can give to anyone looking to improve their skills is to love what you do. Because when you love what you do, practicing feels like play.

Creativity Animation Video production Creative Process

Video: What the Oxford Dictionary Doesn't Tell You

Erin Hayes May 19, 2016 Video Leave a Comment

According to the Oxford Dictionary the definition of Video is:

The recording, reproducing, or broadcasting of moving visual images.

While technically accurate, this definition is void of any nuance. Video is indeed the recording, reproducing or broadcasting of moving visual images. Yet, anyone familiar with video – from a creator to a viewer – knows there’s much more to it than that.

Video is the fastest growing content market. Video is the go-to marketing strategy. It’s the go-to advertising strategy. It’s the go-to communication strategy.

Don’t believe me? Just last month Mashable laid off 30 staff as part of a Strategic shift toward video.That’s a considerable number of writers to let go to focus on the shift to visual storytelling. And they aren't alone in making this strategic shift.

In short, video is a big deal. And I think the Oxford Dictionary definition could use some updating to reflect this change.

Here are three aspects of Video that I'd like to see included in the definition.

1. Creativity:

Today, anyone can take a smartphone and record moving visual images. My three-year-old is quite adept at touching the record button.

While the threshold to press record is low, the threshold to employ creativity is not. And in order to create compelling video content you've got to access creativity.

2. Sweat:

Hold any device stationary for a period of time and it becomes heavy. Even an iPhone becomes cumbersome after several hours. I’m being a smart-ass, but really, production equipment is heavy and being on set is a physical job.

If a video is good, you can guarantee that behind the lens was a sweaty camera operator, accompanied by a sweaty director, producers, gaffers, audio technicians, DPs, etc.

3. Investment:

Yes, professional production equipment is pricey so I am – in part – referring to the monetary investment of owning/renting and operating.

But I’m also talking about a personal investment. The investment of your most precious commodity – time.

Like any craft, producing/creating video is something at which one must work – really work – to become great.

Every great director, producer, DP, camera operator, etc., has given a tremendous investment of their time. There are years of 20+ hour work days. There are decades of missed dinners and sleepless nights.

And if they truly are great, there’s never a point at which they'll stop investing in their craft. There are equipment upgrades to pick up and software upgrades to learn.

But for most creatives the biggest motivator for continuing to invest in their craft is that nagging drive of never wanting their last piece of work to be their best.

Video

4 Tools My iPhone Will Never Replace

Ian Barrett May 17, 2016 Production Gear, Gear Blog, film Gear Leave a Comment

I write a lot about gear and production for a couple of reasons:

I love the topic
We travel quite a bit and we always have to be prepared no matter what, no matter how long the shoot runs, and I like sharing the gear decisions that have been galvanized during field production.

We are huge fans of technology and of course we all have smart phones. They are a godsend for production. Smartphones keep us connected and they provide amazing assistance with specialized apps. You can use your smart phone for almost anything.

But…that's not always a great idea.

Here are four tools my iPhone will never replace:

#1 A GPS:

We love Waze for navigation, but it has its limitations. For example, the longest trip you can take with Waze is 500 miles. And there limited points of interest available, too, which means when you are looking for a gas station or restaurant unless you google the address you are out of luck. Also, you'll need to be in an area will cell coverage as opposed to GPS which uses satellites, in most cases this isn't a problem, but some of our shoots take us well outside cell phone coverage.

But the biggest set back occurs when you get a phone call during your drive. Your navigation and your contact will talk to you at the same time. Worst case, you'll miss a turn or an important piece of information. Best case, you'll be annoyed.

I use a Tom Tom standalone GPS. I program my entire itinerary into the device before I start my trip. When I land and get my rental car, I already have the hotel destination and all my locations loaded and ready to go.

Best of all it's hands free. I'm not using valuable battery life on my phone on an extended or unexpected drive to a location.

#2 A Watch /Chronograph:

It's funny to me, but it seems that nobody wears watches anymore, especially college kids.

At MediaBoss we require our interns to wear a watch on set and that's because we don't allow talent or crew phones on set. They can cause interference with microphones and the inevitable "I swear I turned it to silent!" can ruin the best take of the day. Not to mention, "I was just checking my texts" and the middle of the scene phone-drop. The risks are just not necessary.

A simple, inexpensive watch with chronograph and lighted numbers is an amazing asset. It keeps everyone coordinated and also keeps crew from taking hands off gear or cameras for time checks.

Speaking of time checks, watches are also great when the pushy PR person tries to cut short your 5 minute celebrity interview by 2 minutes. By the time you get your phone out to argue, they are already walking off the set.

Having a watch has saved me from that situation more than once.

#3 A Flashlight

In a pinch the flashlight function of your phone is great, but it's not ideal for extended use.

It drains the battery and takes away the use of one of your hands, making you less useful especially during load out.

At night or in a club, you'll need both hands free and a powerful long-lasting light.

There are a million options, but I like a smaller flashlight with variable intensity and a clip that I can hold in my teeth (gaffers tape is helpful here.) Another option is a headstrap mounted light, which we also keep in our grip bag, it's a great tool in those situations.

#4 A Multi-Tool w/Knife

I know. Smartphones don't have knives. But that's the point. I can't tell you the number of times our crew has saved the day because we have a knife or multi-tool. I never go on set without one.

Whether a screw needs tightening or a thread needs to be cut off somebody's wardrobe, your phone is completely useless.

Sometimes we rely on our smart devices too much.

It's always the little things that hold up a shoot and by being prepared you can do a better job keeping the gremlins at bay.

As always, everything goes in a backpack which goes on every shoot, everytime.

Obviously, we bring more gear than that - a lot more - but these are a great start.

Production Gear Gear Blog film Gear

5 Surprising Takeaways from Interning For a Creative Company

Alex Pok May 13, 2016 creative workplace, Workflow Leave a Comment

My name is Alex Pok and I am a student studying Animation at Lesley University College of Art and Design.

This spring, I interned at MediaBoss.

When I started at MediaBoss, I knew I’d be working with a production team. But I had no actual idea what the environment of a creative company would be like.

As an animation major, I worked closely with MediaBoss’ Lead Animator/Graphic Designer, Nick Clarke.

I had the opportunity to work as his assistant in producing content for some of the team's clients. During this time I learned many things about animating with a professional workflow.

There are 5 essential points I learned about how to thrive in a production setting.

1. Always Brainstorm and Create Many Drafts

1._Rockin_Roastin_Sketches.jpg Don't try to come up with perfect ideas right away. You’ll get stuck.
Brainstorm. Get your thoughts down as they come to you and work out the kinks later.

Whether the product is a logo design or a storyboard for an animated intro, every piece needs to go through an extensive rundown. And this rundown will involve both good and bad ideas.

The right idea will show up naturally through the process. So trust the process.

This is just one page that shows some of my many sketches for the Kramedog intro. Nick worked with me to help me refine these ideas to execute the Creative Director's vision for the project.

2. Draw Clean, Consistent Lines

In the professional world, refined visuals separate the experts from the amateurs.

Clean lines are always satisfying and impressive to see. They help to maintain cohesion between frames. This, in turn, maintains cohesion between entire scenes.

A fast-paced explainer video will rapidly throw visuals at the audience. Keeping the style consistent will help provide clarity and improve the content's communication.

I created this dog from the Coffee with Kramedog intro with as clean and as consistent of a line as I could manage.

3. Choose the Right Platform for the Job

At MediaBoss we used many programs in tandem to make a finished product.

Without a doubt, this included the Adobe Creative Suite—Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Flash, etc.

Learning how to juggle all of them at once is key to making a successful product.

In a motion graphics video, for example, Adobe Illustrator would churn out the clean images, but they would be nothing to the client until Adobe After Effects animates them.

I drew these shaking hands in Adobe Illustrator, then Nick set them to move in Adobe After Effects.

4. Never Release Work Without Getting a Second Opinion

A finished piece of work isn't finished until a second set of eyes examines it. Creative work cannot be done in vacuum. You may think your final product is adequate after all the thought, care and revision you've put in to it. But chances are, there's room for improvement.

Having another person—or many people—give insight is crucial in eliminating flaws. Everything needs a second opinion.

A certain panel in a storyboard might seem like a great contribution, but if others find it weak then it isn't. It's best to make edits - or sometimes - omit it altogether.

For example, the process of this car warping into the shape of this pig was complex. This certainly was not my first draft. It went through many revisions. And ultimately - like all work at MediaBoss - did not go out until it was approved by the Creative Director.

5. Find the Fun & You'll Produce Content You're Proud Of

Sometimes assignments can seem straightforward, dry, and downright boring—at first.

In this field there’s always a way to make things interesting.

Creative work isn't easy just because it has the word 'creative' in it. It takes dedication. And it's always worth the effort.

If your personality shines through your work, the client will enjoy it more. Even a single frame in a 1-second clip could be the perfect chance to take liberties and have some creative fun.

Letting yourself play in your work can not only make you feel happier, but it will lead to a better product.

I let myself have fun with this character I animated for the Framingham State Food Studyand I couldn't be more pleased with the result!

creative workplace Workflow

5 Tips For Drawing Your Favorite Marvel Superheroes

Nick Clarke May 11, 2016 Animation, drawing tips, graphic design, animation tips, character design Leave a Comment

This is the second in a series of animation & graphic design blogs by Nick Clarke.

Superheroes and comic books have shaped the imaginations of generations.

And now, the characters on these pages have transformed to create the largest cinematic franchise in film history.

So, in celebration of Captain America: Civil War's release this past weekend, I wanted to show how the creators brought these iconic characters to life.

Here are 5 tips for drawing your favorite Marvel superheroes, by Stan Lee and John Buscema from their book, How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way.

1. Construction Lines

Construction lines give you the simple way to visualize what your hero will look like. You don't need to spend too much time on detail with construction lines.

This step also helps in staging the action for the character.

2. Proportions

Drawing proportion lines helps you avoid drawing the character's body parts in the wrong size.

A common mistake for young comic book artists is drawing the head too big, or drawing the legs too small.

3. Perspective

Perspective lines are similar to proportion lines. Add these to make sure your character maintains the same perspective in your drawing.

If the perspective of a character is off, their body will look warped or distorted.

And that's only okay if you're Mr. Fantastic.

4. Action

Strong action is critical in comics. This is because they are not moving images like in animation, but still images on paper.

To convey action, you should position your character in extreme poses. Take a look at the punching motion shown above for inspiration.

5. Inking

Inking is an important step - and not just in finalizing a drawing. Inking allows you to stage and highlight the important parts of the panel.

In the images above, the silhouette conveys the thought that goes into inking each panel.

There you have it! Tips from the masters, Stan Lee and John Buscema.

If you are interested in learning more about comic book art, check out their book here.

Enjoy this post? Then you'll like:

Animation drawing tips graphic design animation tips character design

5 Traditional Animation Principles That Are Still Important Today

Nick Clarke May 05, 2016 Animation Leave a Comment

Animation has evolved exponentially in the last century.

That doesn’t change the fact that every animation - from the very first cartoon ever made, to the cartoons and animated movies that we watch today - are all crafted by artists.

Technology is constantly advancing the way we animate. However, it doesn't matter if you are animating with a pencil and paper or by computer, the same fundamental animation principles apply.

There’s a great animation book called The Illusion of Life that I like to reference. It was written by two original Walt Disney animator masters, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. In the book, Thomas and Ollie - two of Walt’s "Nine Old Men" - break down the animation process into 12 fundamental steps.

Here, I’d like to list 5 fundamental principles of animation from the book.

1. Squash and Stretch

Squash and stretch is one of the earliest animation principles. This gives the object weight, and snap to the action.

2. Anticipation

Anticipation gives the audience cues as to what movement will be happening next. It can be as small as an expression or as big as a physical action. The image above of Donald Duck implies that he is about to start running.

3. Staging

This animation principle is similar to anticipation. The action is staged so that it is undeniably clear what is happening, for the character both physically and emotionally.

4. Arcs

Arcs are very important to how objects move. Characters with linear motion tend to look mechanical or robotic. In the natural world we move in slight circular motions. Using arcs in your animation will make the subject feel more real and believable.

5. Exaggeration

Exaggeration is very much a staple in Walt Disney Studios animations. Movements are taken to the extreme and pushed farther than they would in real life. This makes the cartoon more interesting and fun to watch.

To learn more on these animation principles and many other facets of animation, please check out this book.

I would recommend it to anyone interested in the history and practice of animation.

Additional Resources:

Animation

6 Mile Moment: Boston Marathon in Downtown Framingham

Erin Hayes April 27, 2016 Video production, live stream, boston marathon, 6 mile moment Leave a Comment

Downtown Framingham came alive with Boston Marathon spectators last Monday. Hundreds of fans, families and friends flocked to The 6 Mile Moment to cheer on the participants of the 120th Boston Marathon.

It was hard to imagine that just three years ago this event didn’t exist.

This year marked the third annual 6 Mile Moment - an event we created with our partners, Framingham Downtown Renaissance and the Town of Framingham, to encourage urban revitalization and community involvement in Downtown Framingham.

“The idea of the The 6 Mile Moment was born of inspiration,” said Erin Hayes, CEO of MediaBoss Television. “MediaBoss had hosted its own informal events with live music and live video along the Marathon route for years. One day, Holli, Director of FDR, swung by our studios and asked us what we could do to bring a sense of community and pride to Downtown Framingham in the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. And thus, The 6 Mile Moment was born.”

Holli made the magic happen. She coordinated with the Town of Framingham; she found sponsors (like Middlesex Savings Bank); she secured meetings for us with the Framingham Police Department for proper permitting and she coordinated with local vendors to provide family-friendly activities for spectators.

We got to work doing one of the things we do best: Producing a live show, complete with live entertainment for the spectators and the runners. We live stream the event with our Blackmagic Design ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K and send a signal to Access Framingham. Access Framingham broadcasts our stream over their channel.

That first year was a big win for us. And The 6 Mile Moment has evolved and will continue to evolve year after year.

“This year we had more people join us in Downtown Framingham than I've ever seen, and they went full throttle to support their heroes running through the 6 mile mark,” said Holli Andrews, Director of Framingham Downtown Renaissance. "Dancing and singing for the runners, making beautiful signs -- lots of energy and tons of goodwill. Made for a very special 6 Mile Moment! It was awesome and I think the runners loved it, too!"

The Deluxe Depot Diner donates their entire parking lot to the 6 Mile Moment every year.

This year the entertainment was spread across both sides of their lot. DJ Haze was spinning high energy music for the runners and spectators on one side while Marcus Santos & Anova Brazil Live gave a dramatic percussion performance on the other. There was also face painting, games, free ice cream, music demonstrations, graffiti lessons and sign making for families and fans to take part in.

We already have some fun ideas about how we can improve upon and evolve the event for next year. But while we wait for next year to come around, here are some of our highlights from the 2016 Boston Marathon:

120th Boston Marthon Runners 6 Mile Moment National Guard 6 Mile Moment Boston Marathon

Framingham Police Before the Boston Marathon

MediaBoss Team Middlesex Savings Bank Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon Sign

Spectators Boston Marathon

Rachel Seeker Holli Andrews Erin Hayes

Monica Duque Camera OP 6 Mile Moment

Fans holding signs Boston Marathon

MediaBoss Live Stream Production

This is our incredible @mediaboss team after a long day streaming the #bostonmarathon #6milemoment - I could not be more proud to come to work with these people everyday. They are talented, passionate, creative and dedicated and they are my family. The work isn't always easy (rarely easy) but our dynamic and our trust in one another always makes it rewarding. #gratitude #team #creativeteam #video #filmmaking

A photo posted by @erinehayes on Apr 18, 2016 at 1:31pm PDT

DJ Haze at the 6 Mile Moment Boston Marathon

Spectators 6 Mile Moment Boston Marathon

Families 6 Mile Moment Boston Marathon

Rachel Seeker Boston Marathon Spectators

Erica LeBlanc Rachel Seeker Erin Hayes MediaBoss

Monica Duque Camera Op Boston Marathon

DJ Haze 6 Mile Moment

Video production live stream boston marathon 6 mile moment

From Around the Web: 4 Fab 2016 Video Marketing Infographics

Erin Hayes April 22, 2016 Video Marketing, Video, Video production Leave a Comment

When we’re looking for inspiration, we do what everyone does: we turn to Google.

The other day I was looking for some new statistics about video marketing to use in a pitch. I had some great stats that I used in this Production Trends blog from January. But I wanted fresh information.

However, when I googled “Video Marketing Infographics” results from 2011 and 2012 showed first!

Now, this could be because 2011 and 2012 were the infographic's heyday.

But in Video terms, 4 or 5 years ago might as well be twenty years ago. The video production and video marketing landscape changes dramatically year to year. Thank new breakthroughs in technology and adoption rates for new technology for this trend.

Let's look at Mobile video plays as an example. Midway through 2015, mobile video viewing was 844% from 2012! Staggering, right? Statistics from 2012 just will not do.

So, I Googled again and added “2016” to my search. I found some pretty interesting stats from late last year and early this year.

The overwhelmingly popular statistics were that:

Facebook video - and social video in general - is not to be ignored.
If you’re not thinking about your mobile audience, you are missing an enormous opportunity
Traditional Television viewing is a thing of the past. Digital advertising is the place to put your money.

I'm going to circle back to what I was saying about the Infographic's heyday for a minute. A major reason for this visual content's fall was that its original purpose - to inform - was lost in its sudden rise in popularity.

I'm sure you can think of more than a few confusing infographics. Well, while new infographics may be a rarer find, the quality of what I found was great (and according to this paper, we'll see more great infographics in 2016).

Here are the four coolest 2016 Video Marketing Infographics I found:

1. ADvertising BUdgets 2016

Advertising Budgets 2016: 4 Trends You Need To Know [Infographic]
Infographic by MDG Advertising

2. 6 Game-Changing Video Marketing Trends in 2016

6 Game-Changing Video Marketing Trends in 2016 – an infographic by Wideo.co

3. Top 10 Digital Branding & Marketing Trends for 2016

By Business2Community.com:

4. The Top Video Marketing Trends for 2016

By Visualistan

In short, video is a must-have in today's marketing mix. We hope you found the stats in this post helpful. We'll leave you with more astounding statistic about video:

Syndacast predicts 74% of all internet traffic will be video by 2017!

Looking for a video production partner to produce video marketing content? We'd love to talk.

Not quite ready to talk? Check out our Downloadable guide to choosing the right video production partner here:

Video Marketing Video Video production

3 Common Video Marketing Pitfalls (And How To Avoid Them)

Erin Hayes April 14, 2016 Video Marketing, Video, Video production Leave a Comment

est. read time- 2:28

We’ve heard it before: “No one watches our videos. Videos just don’t work for our business. Our customers don’t watch video.”

But invariably - when we start asking questions to dive deeper into the issue - we find out that the prospect made one (or more) of the three most common video marketing pitfalls we see.

The good news is that these pitfalls, as common as they are, are completely avoidable with a little prep.

In this post we’ll outline these three trouble areas and explain simple methods to avoid them.

1. You’re not sure who you are trying to attract.

Do you and your team have documented Buyer Personas? Because maybe you think you know who are trying to attract, but the rest of your team thinks your ideal customer is someone else.

Make sure you're all on the same page before you begin pre-production. Sit down in a room with the core people of your team and discuss your ideal customer.

Do you have a happy customer who would agree to an interview? Take them up on it! Draft a list of questions. If you aren't sure where to start, check out this downloadable template.

2. The video length/content isn't relevant to your ideal customer

Now that you know who your ideal customer is, let’s talk about what type of content they prefer.

What do we mean? Well, we could mean any number of things, but let's start with video length.

Recently The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) partnered with Millward Brown Digital and Tremor Video and released a comprehensive PDF called “Multiscreen Video Best Practices.” This report holds some great pieces of data you and your team may find helpful.

For example, did you know Millenials prefer 10 second videos while Gen-Xers prefer the standard 30 second video?

So go back to your target audience. Cater to their preferences and you’ll have a much better chance at success.

You’ve only embedded it on your website (and shared it once)

You’ve done all hard pre-production work until this point.

Really tough, but satisfying work. Now it’s time to see how your content optimization plays out.

Please, don’t make all your good work obsolete and only share your video on one platform, once.

"We embedded on our website, but we didn't get many views." Is your website Facebook? Is it Instagram? How about Snapchat? No. Well...there's your answer to 'Why'.

Go back to your Buyer Persona and think about your ideal customer. Where do they hang out online?

Create a social campaign around your video. Share it multiple times across your target audience’s favorite watering holes. Play around with the title of your video; experiment with hashtags; share the video at different times of the day.

Now collect all that data over a period of time and put that new knowledge toward your next video!

(Looking for more Do's & Don'ts, check out this article.)

In short, the If You Produce It, They Will Come attitude just doesn’t work.

I’m not sure it ever really did, but I can tell you with certainty that it doesn’t work in 2016.

People are used to watching what they want to watch where they want to watch it. They’ll seek out your content if you prove to be a great content creator. But that takes time and does not happen over night.

So, take the time and do the work. Then measure and refine; measure and refine. You won’t be disappointed. And your audience won’t be either.

Looking for a starting place to brainstorm video ideas? Download our 7 Must Have Videos!

Additional Resources:

Video Marketing Video Video production

What to Take When You Can't Take Everything: Travel Production

Erin Hayes April 12, 2016 Video, Travel, Travel Production, Gear Blog Leave a Comment

When we go out on a shoot we always like to be prepared for anything. That means good pre-production and bringing a lot of gear to the location. So it's not unusual to see a cart loaded like this:

We brought the little rig for a little 12 hour shoot, no big deal. :)

A photo posted by Ian Barrett (@i.barrett) on Oct 3, 2015 at 8:50am PDT

At MediaBoss we also fly internationally to produce shoots for our clients. That presents a unique challenge. How do we keep production values high, but travel efficiently? So, the goal is to take THIS gear and...

MediaBoss Flyaway Gear

...and fit it into THIS bag:

MediaBoss Gear Backpack

The first question might be: Why not hire someone in the market to shoot the video? And the answer is simple. Consistency.

Subtle aspects like composition, lighting, mic placement vary greatly from crew to crew. Unless you have a working relationship with a company, you can't guarantee a consistent result. It's too big a risk us to take, especially when we know we are only going to get one chance to capture the footage.

So, when that 'one shot' opportunity for a testimonial with a CEO halfway around the world presents itself, we need to come prepared.

Inside this small camera bag is 22 pounds of video production gear that we use to provide the highest quality shoot that we can fly with in the overhead bin of a jet. In a lot of ways, it's a back to basics approach using the most reliable gear, with the most consistent results. We'll provide a gear list of about 50 items that we always bring when we can't bring everything.

MediaBoss_Travel_BackPack

First off, we pack our compact and reliable Canon 5D Mark IIs with matching Zeiss 50mm prime lenses. These give us beautiful images and excellent low-light performance. With two cameras, we can do a standard 2 person interview or a A/B camera set-up on the subject. This latitude gives us the most options in post, especially with long interviews. We also bring a Canon 24-70mm and a Canon 22mm lens for additional shooting options.

Next up are the tripods. On a shoot like this one person has to run the entire rig, camera operator/producer/audio/director, without tripods we'd be sunk. Also to save space - and weight - we need lightweight aluminum ones. These usually go in our checked luggage while flying. On the ground we attach them to the camera bag so everything we need is in one compact space, easily portable and available on the day of the shoot. Generally speaking, fly away gigs include a lot of quick set-ups and strikes over a short period of time. We don't get the opportunity to tweak too many things. On any other local gig, we'd have a camera operator and audio/PA at a minimum for even a small shoot.

Audio is critical. In a situation where we have to mic more than a single person we need a separate multi-track recorder. This allows us to monitor and control both sources at the same time. Running primary audio directly into the cameras is not an option for us. Enter the reliable Zoom H4n, a mainstay of our location production since it was first introduced. We also use Sennheiser 100 G3 wireless lavs for audio because we need to mic both host and talent. We also need to be prepared to move quickly from location to location, which makes hardwired mics a no-go. Finally, as a fail-safe backup, we bring a Rode VideoMic Pro shotgun mic. We place it on the camera closest to the talent and send that audio directly to that camera.

MediaBoss Audio Gear

For lighting, we need to rely on a good light source for quality and consistency. So on the way to a shoot we always keep an eye out for a quiet corner with a good base of lighting. We augment what we have with a simple LitePanel LED and a small collapsable bounce (which is also great for single person stand ups in daylight).

When it comes time to roll, we break out the iPad which has an excellent Production Slate with timecode and a TelePromter App for on camera reads. The Production Slate also allows us to take notes in the app and email them to the editor.

Those are the basic, must-haves. But most shoots require us to bring something else to the table. Because of this, we never leave without GoPros, time lapse gear, a mini-slider, Canon G-15 (for quick pick ups and production stills) and of course an iPhone. We also bring a host of clamps and a back-up lav and recorder. This saves us in the case of an emergency like the sudden addition of on-camera talent or the need to capture an additional audio source.

It's important to note that, everything we need to shoot is in the backpack on the plane as a carry-on. Even a lost luggage scenario would not stop a MediaBoss shoot. In that case we'd stop by any camera store and grab a pair of cheap tripods and we'd be good to go. This is critical and absolutely company policy on our very frequent, 'turn and burn' shoots. i.e. Boston to San Francisco and back in the same day or Boston to London and back in 30 hours. Yup, we do that. As our Creative Director, Ian Barrett, says, 'that's Rock and Roll'.

By the way, he's the guy we sent to India to do our latest shoot. Here he is directing somewhere a bit more local...

We shot a fun project with some extraordinarily talented people this week. Here's a shot of one of our final scenes. #setlife

A photo posted by MediaBoss Television (@mediaboss) on Nov 15, 2015 at 4:26am PST

Our abbreviated gear list is attached. Hope you enjoyed reading this, feel free to ask questions or share your comments.

Gear List

Click Elite Backpack (discontinued):
Manfrotto 60' compact tripod
Manfrotto 60' compact tripod
Lasolite 18" reflector
Canon battery charger
Canon battery charger
Canon 5D Mark II "A"
Canon 5D Mark II "B"
Lens cloth
Canon 24-70mm
Zeiss 50mm "A"
Zeiss 50mm "B"
Rode VideoMic Pro
Seiko Chronograph
Leatherman "Tread" Multi-Tool
Rode lavalier mic
Zoom H1 Recorder
Edelkrone Slider One
Edelkrone Flex Tilt Head
GoPro with mounts
20. Zoom H4n Recorder
Camera bracket
(6) Canon Batteries
Business Cards
Camalapse 4 panoramic head
LitePanel Micro Pro w gels
J-Lab J5 ear buds
Vello V-Rig bracket
Friction Arm with clamp mount
Manfrotto ball head mount
Mini tripod
Canon 22mm "pancake" lens
32. Sony NP 970 Battery
Sennheiser 100 G3 Wireless Lav "A"
Sennheiser 100 G3 Wireless Lav "B"
(8) AA Batteries
(8) AAA Batteries
(2) 9v Batteries
iPad Air w/Apps
Asus Notebook Computer
Moleskine w/ mechanical pencil
Seagate 500 GB backup drive "A"
Seagate 500 GB backup drive "B"
(4) 32 GB SanDisk SD cards w/ case
iPhone 5s
(Not Pictured) Bose QC15 Headphones

Checked bag/Carry On

1. Accessory case

2. Canon G15 and Charger

3. Multi-Card reader

4. Power cables (assorted)

5. Anker 1300mAh Battery

6. Anker 40w 5 port Charger

7. 6' AC stinger

8. Rigid 5 outlet extension

9. Sony NP charger

10. iPod mini

11. Bluetooth speaker/charger

12. Laptop power supply

13. Insignia power adapter/converter

Additional Resources:

Guide to Hiring the Right Production Company
- The Future of Episodic Television: A Working Producer's Perspective
5 Reasons Why I'm Not Rushing to 4K Resolution
5 Video Production Trends for 2016
5 Terrible Ways to Spend Your Video Marketing Budget

Video Travel Travel Production Gear Blog

1. Creativity:

2. Sweat:

3. Investment:

#1 A GPS:

#2 A Watch /Chronograph:

#3 A Flashlight

#4 A Multi-Tool w/Knife

Additional Resources:

1. ADvertising BUdgets 2016

2. 6 Game-Changing Video Marketing Trends in 2016

3. Top 10 Digital Branding & Marketing Trends for 2016

4. The Top Video Marketing Trends for 2016

1. You’re not sure who you are trying to attract.

2. The video length/content isn't relevant to your ideal customer

You’ve only embedded it on your website (and shared it once)

Additional Resources:

Gear List

Checked bag/Carry On

Additional Resources:

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