Video production for PARD programme at WMG
Pickle Jar Communications was contracted earlier this year by WMG at the University of Warwick to oversee the production of a video promoting the successes of the various projects within the Premium Automotive Research and Development (PARD) programme. We worked with @Warblefly Productions, Eight Eyed Sea Bass and Mustard Design to co-ordinate the final package – a 20 minute video and DVD packaging with 2000 copies supplied. Our colleagues at Eight Eyed Sea Bass have kindly popped the video online, and we are able to embed it here:
Pickle Jar Communications worked with the team at PARD to develop the video brief, then worked closely with the production team to develop the concept. We were responsible for organising all filming, scheduling a very tight 3-day shoot, then overseeing the edit process for delivery of the final DVDs in time for a conference that the PARD team had organised where the DVDs were to be distributed. The entire project was turned around in just 6 weeks from proposal to final delivery.
Where have all the ties gone?
I think my partner might be getting a little suspicious about where all of his ties keep disappearing to. You see, without him knowing, I have been secretly stealing them (not such a secret once he sees this) for a training session that I am delivering in a couple of weeks time. The session is entitled “Working with Broadcast Media” and is designed for a small group of academics not as media training, but to get them thinking about how they might work with various types of broadcast media to communicate (or dare I say it, publicise) their research. Whenever I deliver presentations or training on this particular subject I love doing a turn on what not to wear (or what to wear), but this time I’ve decided that it really needs props. As such I am currently hunting down the following items:
- a classic white lab coat (preferably one bearing a University logo): the staple attire of all scientists on TV (and they never bother to iron out the creases of that lab coat that the press officer has just handed them!)
- a bright bold jumper: I have just the one in mind but the academic that I saw wearing it on TV once probably wouldn’t lend it to me for this purpose. I don’t remember what his research was about but, boy, do I remember that jumper!
- ties with tiny detailed patterns (particularly where the weave of the fabric is made obvious to look nice): particularly hard on the eye on video watched online
- anything in tweed: looks great for an autumn-winter season ladies suit, but not friendly to the camera
- small pin-stripes: again, not so good for online video
- a big pair of earrings: hmmm, might have some of these in my own jewellery box!
Online on TV, and TV Online …
I read somewhere (wish I could remember where so I could be an efficient blogger and provide the link!) that someone predicts that 2008 will be the year for online video to stop being overrun by naff home-movies and kids doing starwars impressions in their bedrooms or falling off their skateboards, and move towards the more polished production standards that we expect of TV. How funny, then, that one of the first programmes I watch on television in 2008 is Lenny Henry.tv – the BBC show that basically shows back to back online video clips – mostly shot on somone’s home camera and edited (if edited at all!) in a bedroom somewhere. I wonder what way it will really go. I’m an advocate for good quality online video productions (but then I’m biased!). Maybe instead of online video standards aligning themselves more with television production standards, it just might (just!) go the other way if this programme is anything to go by.
Dealing with the Media Session for PhD Students
Here are the slides used at our recent session for University of Warwick students on “Dealing with the Media”. There isn’t a great deal of detail in here as I’m not a great believer of putting everything you say in a presentation onto the slides itself, but I thought it worth publishing them anyway. There is a click through link on the Warwick iCast story slide too so you can see the example.
Kent TV
Congratulations to Kent County Council who have become the first county council in the UK to fund the creation of their own internet TV channel for the local community – Kent TV. The quality of production is excellent and the concept is a great example of how internet TV can be used as a catalyst for effective 2-way communications between a public sector body and the community it serves. Let’s keep our finger’s crossed that it really works and the public do submit their own video comments and text comments as the site encourages them to. Such sites need not be unachieveably expensive to create, as Ten Alps Digital, the company behind Kent TV knows very well. Having worked with them in a previous role on the launch of their Public TV site, I know their committment, vision and ability to draw content in from other sources is a good recipe for success.
