Video, film, and back to my creative roots…
So in year three of our marketing company in Lansing, after the transition from the TIC in East Lansing to the NEO Center in Lansing, we have grown significantly and we are producing great content, website, and brand identities for our clients. However, at times, I feel like I have lost some of my creative…juice. Can I call it that?
I suppose I shouldn’t be saying this, the name of my company includes the word ‘creative’. I do believe that our brainstorming sessions are creative, and the work of my staff is extremely creative and unique, but as the head person around here it is hard to take time to do creative work. I need to. I believe we all should.
When I was teaching film and television, I was able to take pieces of films and show them to the students as inspiration and great pieces of art. It was fun to teach film theory, and to watch students fall in love with the shot, the sound, the light and then incorporate that into their films and videos.
We don’t get to do that a lot here. We are so busy producing business videos, videos about a process, a building, a service, that sometimes, it feels less creative.
Why should it be that way? It shouldn’t! Our branding process has creativity, art, story, feeling; our most boring video subject should too. Every shot should be a work of art. The story should be written out much like that of a film. Even with our low cost videos…story, shots, and all that should be thought out each and every time. I think we do this, and that Alli does an amazing job with all of our videos. Its just hard when say you are creating videos about banking products, janitorial supply’s, and concrete, it may be hard to think in film….but really, it should be easy.
So…back to my lack of creative time. I am going to take more photos for fun like I used to, share good film with my staff, have our “Whiskey and a Flick” night that Ian and I keep talking about. I am going to finally get that welder and torch and make some metal art…even if the first ones look like a third grader did it (no offense son). I am going to finish my fiction book I have been working on for 15 years, even if it is awful. When I am going to do all this? Now….or after I meet with a client…
For my film sharing here are two, both relativity new that I really enjoyed. More classics to come.
“Joe” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2382396/
Nick Cage! Ok, I love Nick Cage, if you don’t watch this and “Leaving Las Vegas”, and “Wild At Heart”. The kid from “Mud” is great in it and his father plays a perfect lunatic.
“Fruitvale Station” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334649/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Wow. Student filmmaker writes a script, Forest Whitaker reads it, wins awards all over, end of story. The story is tragic, and wonderful, and the filmmaking is real and open, and the acting an characters are what make this a great film.
Now, go watch, bring a notepad and get back to me.
Bri