A common misunderstanding that can arise when we describe ourselves as a film or video production company is to assume that we are a camera for hire. In other words, that we turn up for conferences, bar mitzvah’s, or even funerals with a camera. This is not what we do!…
…We translate messages into film.
Most organizations or businesses have a strong message. In response to this, and in consultation with the organization at every stage, we design a film or video around the message.
How do we go about making the film?
There are 2 ways of constructing a film – One is based on the concept of Realism and the other on the concept of Expressionism.
The Realism way, which by the way accounts for most films on You Tube, is mostly dross.
Realism means going out with a camera and sound equipment, and with a little editing, putting a film together. Very little thought goes into the layers of communication required to create the story.
You see, every edit, every prop, every sound, counts in the telling of a story. And we all love a good story.
Expressionism is fundamental to the design that goes into a film to create a good story. To help you understand this, here’s a little bit of film history.
It was coined as a term during the 1930’s in Germany as a reaction by artists to the clash of political interests between the Weimar Republic and the rising popularity of the Socialist Party that eventually became the Nazi Party.
Expressionism was a method by which artists and filmmakers could express their feelings through subliminal portrayals of the political climate.
When artist intolerance in the political climate became too much for the expressionist filmmakers, most moved to Hollywood. Fritz Lang was one such filmmaker and so began the successful rise of the Hollywood film industry.
And that is the point. The commercial success of the Hollywood film is that they sell a dream or an aspiration. Hollywood has accurately been described by others as a huge advertising and marketing machine. And the core of its success is Expressionism. We have a vision. You have a story to tell. With the mass of mobile audio and video viewing platforms, faster broadband and wireless internet connections, a company can sell their message through a dream and an aspiration just like Hollywood. But, as with Hollywood, that message has to be refined through the medium of Expressionism. In other words through design, the scripting, storyboarding, sound design, screen content, and continually refining the message, we ensure each element has a part in telling its story.
