Posts Tagged ‘Video Production’

Happy Holidays

/ December 20th, 2009

We’re in full throttle during this holiday season at Total Media Group, working with our clients to produce their video’s and events to launch the new year.

We’ve been fortunate to be part of some fantastic and interesting projects over the last year, from producing awesome Live Events, compelling Video for internal communications, marketing and SEO, developing new iPhone Applications and custom Video Games for trade shows.

We couldn’t do it without your continued friendship and support.

Have a wonderful and safe Holiday Season!

The Total Media Group Team

Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing 2009

Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology / October 26th, 2009

- Megan McKenna

The Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing is by far the most jaw dropping experience I get to have at work, and this year was no exception. With record breaking attendance levels of 1600 women – and a few men – from all over the world, we could feel the excitement just by walking through the halls (which was slow going with that many people!).

The GHC is a conference for women in computing of all stages in their career and education, to meet and network, learn, revitalize, and share stories. I went out to interview as many women as possible throughout the event on a variety of topics for the folks at the Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology to use in their video marketing efforts. I was honored to interview college students about why they came to the event, tenured teachers on the importance of retaining and attracting women in technical fields, CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies that support women in technology, and the research director from ABI on what their research means in working towards change.

I attended last year and in addition to asking questions of the attendees, Jerri Barret, VP of Marketing at ABI asked me to help get every person we speak to say the phrase “I am a Technical Woman!”. The goal was to create a video that would help the stereotype of women in technical fields.

We put the video together, and it was unveiled before the keynote on the 2^nd day of the GHC 2009. I was floored at the response. There were cheers in the audience, and my crew and I were approached by many people wanting to be part of the video in the future. Moreover, the video quickly went viral, thanks to Jerri’s introduction of the video. She asked the attendees to “link to the video, Twitter it, post it on Facebook, and help it go viral”. They complied. Every hour more and more views were logged on YouTube. The excitement and enthusiasm surrounding this two-and-a-half minute video was amazing.

You can view the video, linked to the ABI YouTube site here, or go to the Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology website at www.anitaborg.org.

Total Media Group creates Marketing Video for TIS & Stryker Endoscopy

Stryker Endoscopy / September 29th, 2009

- Chris Carleson

Things really are bigger in Texas. Lot’s of land, large portions to eat, and big-hearted people.

Our production crew invaded the Texas Institute for Surgery for a HD cross-promotional video for three days this June. And, let me tell you, the legendary Texas hospitality was on full show.

You know it’s true when are able to use the Critical Care room to stage and store the gear, and everyone keeps checking on you to see if everything is OK, and if you need anything else.

We were literally given all-access key cards to the facility and free run of the building, which included the operating rooms, and full cooperation to interview the leading surgeons and staff, even the President of the hospital.

The result was a strong piece, which I understand is yielding great results for the surgery center and the production partner, Stryker Endoscopy.

Thank you Texas!

Biocodex employees’ “spirit” makes job a lot more fun

Biocodex / July 29th, 2009

- Chris Carleson

We were a little nervous when we arrived at the Paris Resort and Hotel in Las Vegas this July to produce the Biocodex Mid-Year National Sales Meeting.

Everything was buttoned down with the package and the union…it wasn’t that.

It was because our client really wanted to have fun and push it with the Candids Video. It was the first time they were going to produce a Candids Video with all of Total Media Group’s signature sketches and fun, and I wasn’t sure how far we could push it with the hotel, considering everything we planned to do.

Sure enough, shooting is under way in my guest room with the Director of Sales performing a great bit, and I get called away to check the set in the ballroom. As I’m in the ballroom talking with my group I start getting texts and voicemails from the video team upstairs.

I run up there to see the head of security, several guards, and the assistant hotel manager all in my room. Apparently, the shooting got so “spirited” that guests complained about a domestic disturbance…

Well, after we calmed all the hotel folks down, they were really quite friendly, particularly Officer Bob. They let us off with a warning and politely let us know if they received any other calls anywhere in the hotel, we would be asked to relocate…

Luckily everything went smooth from there.

The show went on to be a big hit, the videos all the better with such enthusiasm and “spirit.”

I’ll tell you, having a client so passionate about what they are doing makes the results so much better and the job so much fun.



        Tags: Biocodex, Biocodex Las Vegas, Biocodex Mid-Year National Sales Meeting, Biocodex Mid-Year National Sales Meeting 2009, Biocodex NSM, Biocodex NSM 2009, Chris Farley, Chris Farley impressions, Corporate Meetings San Francisco Blu-ray, Corporate Video Production, Creative Video Production, Event Production, Las Vegas Events, Neil Young Design, Paris Resort and Hotel, Paris Resort and Hotel Las Vegas, San Francisco Creative Design, San Francisco Creative Video Production, San Francisco Editorial, San Francisco Media Design, San Francisco Media Production, San Francisco Post Production, San Francisco Video Production, Tommy Boy, Tommy Boy skit, Total Media Group, Video Production, Video Production Rental
 Posted in Production & Events



		
    
        Total Media Group partners with Actuate to host live Talk Show Event
        Actuate Corporation / July 9th, 2009

        
            
                    - Chris Carleson
We really felt like we were producing live television when Total Media Group was asked to create a Talk Show themed kick-off meeting in July for Actuate Corporation. Actuate is a leader in open source rich information enterprise applications, and we were excited to take on this new project!
With only 5 business days to finalize the content and production schedule before we went live, our paper walk-through and rehearsal was just 1 day before load-in. We also produced 4 videos for them 2-3 weeks before the show, and all the live elements came together in the final dash for the finish line.
Sometimes less preparation is better. It gives you less time to tinker and less time for the client-talent to think about what they are really taking on. Of course, a big help was that the CEO-host of the event turned out to be a natural raconteur, quick on his feet, and genuinely funny.
Did I mention that the house band was led by one of Actuate’s Senior Directors? He was the real deal and came prepared. The band on stage put the show over the top and it was great.
And just like T.V., everybody rolled with the punches, and when the doors opened, we just plain rolled. We have to hand it to the client for coming up with the idea and for listening to what we advised.  Reports from the audience were that it was the most memorable and entertaining event they’ve had in their 12-year history, which makes us proud that we could be a part of such a wonderful evening.
It’s fun to make business stars into stage stars!
            
            
                                
                    
                
                            
            
        


        Tags: Actuate, Actuate Corporation, Actuate Kickoff, Actuate Kickoff 2009, Actuate Live Event, Actuate Talk Show, Corporate Meetings San Francisco Blu-ray, Corporate Video Production, Creative Video Production, Event Production, Marketing Video, Neil Young Design, San Francisco Creative Design, San Francisco Creative Video Production, San Francisco Editorial, San Francisco Media Design, San Francisco Media Production, San Francisco Post Production, San Francisco Video Production, Total Media Group, Video Production, Video Production Rental
 Posted in Production & Events
    

		
    
        REVEAL Registry Meeting acknowledges Study Coordinators
        REVEAL Registry/Actelion Pharmaceuticals / June 29th, 2009

        
            
                    - Chris Carleson
The REVEAL Registry is a great thing. Underwritten by Actelion Pharmaceuticals, it is made up of physicians all over the country who enroll patients suffering from Pulmonary Hypertension, a little known but devastating medical condition. The patients’ care is tracked and the data consolidated and monitored via the registry in an effort to better understand the condition and the best treatment options. The study is completely objective.
A few times a year, we have the pleasure of producing the REVEAL registry meetings for Actelion Pharmaceuticals in the best venues and the coolest cities around the country.
This June in Seattle, we had a great meeting with the unsung heroes of the registry, the Study Coordinators. These are the nurses and assistants who do all the heavy lifting for the physicians in entering and tracking the patient data.
It was at this meeting that I ran into something I have never had happen in event production…. the hotel would not approve our outside security vendor without prior clearance to work in the hotel. Apparently, this compromised the hotels stringent security standards for their guests. This is something I’ve never encountered.
Needless to say, it indicated that we were working at a great property. The hotel was stellar throughout and the Study Coordinators had a first class event and some well-deserved recognition!
            
            
                                
                    
                
                            
            
        


        Tags: Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Corporate Meetings San Francisco Blu-ray, Corporate Video Production, Creative Video Production, Event Production, Neil Young Design, REVEAL 2009, REVEAL Registry, REVEAL Registry Meeting, REVEAL Seattle, San Francisco Creative Design, San Francisco Creative Video Production, San Francisco Editorial, San Francisco Media Design, San Francisco Media Production, San Francisco Post Production, San Francisco Video Production, Study Coordinators, Total Media Group, Video Production, Video Production Rental
 Posted in Production & Events
    

		
    
        Making Data Engaging
        Genentech, Inc / June 6th, 2009

        
            
                    -Patrick Roche
How do you make forty-plus minutes of educational video content engaging?  That was the challenge we were faced with recently while planning a project for Genentech.
The training video is designed to educate Genentech’s field representatives on the company’s reimbursement program, which assists patients in gaining access to medications.
While designing the piece, we needed to find creative ways to get a lot of text information across to the audience, while keeping the piece visually interesting.
We decided to design a graphics template that we could easily modify for the required text.  This would give the piece a unified look throughout the piece, while allowing us to streamline our post-production workflow to meet the tight deadline.
Since the majority of the piece was shot documentary style using a hand held camera, we also decided to shoot our host segments against pure white.  This gave us flexibility in post to add additional graphics over the host’s shoulder.
After 9 days of post with both an editor and graphic designer, we finally had a piece that accomplished our goals and worked really well.  More importantly, we had a very happy client!



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Sdan Francisco Video Production
            
            
                                
                    
                
                            
            
        


        Tags: Camera Rental, Corporate Event Production, Corporate Video Production, DVD Authoring, Event Production, Genentech Video Production, Marketing Video, Neil Young Archives, Neil Young Blu-ray, Neil Young Design, San Francisco Creative Design, San Francisco Creative Video Production, San Francisco Editorial, San Francisco Graphic Design, San Francisco Media Design, San Francisco Media Production, San Francisco Post Production, San Francisco Video Equipment Rental, San Francisco Video Production, Total Media Group, Total Media Group Media Design, Video for SEO, Video Marketing, Video Production
 Posted in Media Design
    

		
    
        Shooting Around the World
        Stryker Corporation / May 1st, 2009

        
            
                    
-Atticus Culver-Rease
About a month ago I was approached to shoot and edit a new branding video for Stryker, Corp.  Director Jonathan Gruber and I started close to home in San Jose, then headed off to Atlanta, New Jersey and most recently Hong Kong to capture the stories of Stryker employees, customers, patients and partners.  So in the past two weeks of shooting I’ve spent about 40 hours on airplanes, and I still have one more continent to hit.  Right now I’m on a plane en route to Kalamazoo, Michigan, and next week we head to London, England.
Jonathan and I were excited about the idea of giving this project an engaging visual style that would feel more like a documentary than a typical corporate piece.  We decided to shoot in HD with a 35mm depth of field adapter and prime cine lenses, which has let me get nice shallow focus for a more dramatic look.  If it were up to me, I’d love to shoot every interview this way from now on.  It just gives your shots so much more visual impact than you can get with regular lenses.
Hong Kong has definitely been the highlight of the trip so far, both because it’s a great city that I’d never been to before, and because it’s such a great place to shoot.  The buildings, the markets, the insanely busy streets, and the people all make for some fantastic shots.  I could have shot there for days and days, but I tried to restrain myself since I knew I was the one who would have to cut down the footage later.
Which reminds me, I was going to do a bit more editing on my laptop before the plane lands, so I should get back to it.

            
            
                                
                    
                
                            
            
        


        Tags: Atticus Culver-Reese, Bay Area Video Production, Blu-ray, Branding Video, Neil Young Archives, San Francisco Video Production, Total Media Group, Video Production, Worldwide
 Posted in Production & Events
    

		
    
        “Life is a Banquet”
         The Story of Academy Award Winning Hollywood Legend, Rosalind Russell. / April 2nd, 2009

        
            
                    Total Media Group recently unveiled its originally produced 60-minute documentary, “Life is a Banquet” , the story of Academy Award winning Hollywood legend, Rosalind Russell.
Sassy, classy and brassy, the raven-haired Russell entranced audiences as a no-nonsense newspaper reporter in 1940’s “His Girl Friday” (with leading man Cary Grant), and in the Broadway production and the film of “Auntie Mame”, making the title character her signature role.
“Life is a Banquet” uses rare home movie footage, clips from her 30 year career and interviews with various colleagues friends and luminaries to tell the story of this gifted star and generous philanthropist.  The film is narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Kathleen Turner, and features interviews with Tom Brokaw, Tina Sinatra, Haley Mills, famed designer James Galanos and a host of others.
The film’s world premiere will be at the Stony Brook Film Festival (New York) in July, 2009, followed by the Rhode Island International Film Festival in August, 2009. The national broadcast premier will be on PBS in the fall of 2009.
On October 8, a gala screening benefiting the Rosalind Russell Center for Arthritis Research will be held in San Francisco.  Kathleen Turner will be on hand to speak at the benefit. The center was founded by Ms. Russell in the 1970s.
The film was produced entirely by Total Media Group. Jonathon Gruber produced and directed for TMG.   Executive Producer was Aldo Panattoni.  Offline Editor, Atticus-Culver Reese.  Online Smoke Editor, Toshi Onuki.
Funding for the project was provided by the Bob and Connie Lurie Foundation.
            
            
                                
                    
                
                            
            
        


        Tags: Bay Area Video Production, Blu-ray, Editorial, Live Events, Neil Young Archives, San Francisco Video Production, Total Media Group, Video Production
 Posted in What's New
    

		
    
        Special Presentation at the Blu-ray Disc Association Meeting
        Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 / March 1st, 2009

        
            
                    
Total Media Group Creative Director Toshi Onuki and Neil Young’s Shakey Pictures were invited to introduce the highlights of Neil Young’s “Archives Vol. 1 1963-1972” at the Blu-ray Disc Association annual meeting in Los Angeles in March. 
Creative Director for the project, Toshi Onuki, and Ole Lütjens engineer for MX Entertainment presented on behalf of Shakey Pictures at the general assembly. Onuki shared why he and Mr. Young determined that Blu-ray is the perfect format for showcasing Neil’s archives. The 10-disc set spotlights such technology as 24bit/192kHz stereo PCM audio and the ability to browse photos and documents while listening to the music—arguably the most coveted feature. “We wanted to preserve the ambience of the analog era and designed visual imagery to compliment it. The music comes first and visuals should not distract listeners,” Onuki said. Lütjens explained the technical side of production, demonstrating BD-Live™, which enables users to download additional content to their players or to external drives. Lütjens shared how hundreds of encoding tests were performed in order to accommodate the super high quality audio along with 1920 x 1080 HD resolution videos.
Shakey Pictures and Total Media Group worked over three years sorting through the massive amount of archive material used to create the menu design and page structure under the guidance of Neil Young and his executive producer, L.A. Johnson. The team first revealed a preview of the project at the Sun Microsystems JavaOne Conference in May 2008. Sun Microsystems develops Java, Blu-ray’s programming language.
The 10-Blu-ray disc set includes 128 tracks, 43 unreleased recordings, three live concerts, the feature film Journey Through the Past, and a 236-page full-color hardcover book. The set is also available in DVD (24-bit/96kHz stereo PCM audio, 720×480 SD video) and in CD (16bit/44kHz stereo PCM audio). The album is scheduled to hit stores on June 2 nd, 2009. Pre-order price of Blu-ray is $299.99, standard DVD set is $199.99 and the CD set is $99.
BDA is the industry consortium that develops and licenses Blu-ray disc technology. The organization is responsible for establishing format standards and promoting business opportunities for Blu-ray development. Member companies include Apple, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Sun Microsystems, Walt Disney and Warner Brothers.
More information about the Neil Young Archives is here.
Chicago Sun Times: SXSW 2009: Neil Young’s archives, finally here and absolutely amazing!
Rolling Stone: Neil Young’s “Archives Vol. 1″ Set for Release June 2nd 2009.

            
            
                                
                    
                
                            
            
        


        Tags: Bay Area Video Production, Blu-ray, Editorial, Neil Young Archives, Producing, San Francisco Video Production, Total Media Group, Video Production
 Posted in What's New
    

		
		
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Posts Tagged ‘Video Production’

Happy Holidays

Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing 2009

Total Media Group creates Marketing Video for TIS & Stryker Endoscopy

Biocodex employees’ “spirit” makes job a lot more fun

Total Media Group partners with Actuate to host live Talk Show Event

REVEAL Registry Meeting acknowledges Study Coordinators

Making Data Engaging

Shooting Around the World

“Life is a Banquet”

Special Presentation at the Blu-ray Disc Association Meeting

What's New

Project Spotlight

Archives

Related Links