There are 256 articles today

5/22/2010

Flood Control

The Insurance Bureau of Canada has joined with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to sponsor the Watershed Awards, a new annual awards program to recognize Canadian municipalities that have taken proactive measures to reduce their vulnerability to storm and wastewater damage.

This year, there are seven winning municipalities, and I created video modules for three of them: Toronto, Ontario, and Richmond Hill, Ontario, and Saint-Jerome, Quebec.  I spent a couple of days in each community, and interviewed the Mayor and key city staff as part of each story.

All three stories were shot in full HD, switching between P2 and XDCAM EX, depending on the location. All stories were edited natively in HD, using AVID's Media Composer software.

See them here, here and here . 

4/23/2010

RFID

Just returned from a hectic few days in Orlando, where I covered this year's RFID Journal LIVE trade show. This is where all the leading players in the RFID industry meet, and where potential end users can learn everything imaginable about the technology. This was my fifth annual conference. See the promotional video here.

More and more, I've been encouraging my event producing clients to offer my services to their own vendors and sponsors. I figure I'm already on-location, and I can shoot quite a bit of material in an extra hour here, and/or an extra half-hour there -- spread over the three or four days I am working at the event. It's an economical way of getting a great video.

This year, while already in Orlando, I created a documentary style promotional video for Lygase RFID Solutions who are based in the Chicago area. Lygase set up and tested their real-time lead tracking and retrieval system for the first time in a trade show environment, requiring the team to wire the entire hall in advance. During the show, valuable data could be obtained by following the actions of willing conference goers, who had RFID tags inserted in their name tags. I showed up early to shoot some of the set-up, and dropped by on occasion throughout the event for updates.

See it in action on the RFID Journal site, here.

Kind words followed: "...You did a great job with the video. This will definitely serve as a great marketing agent for us. It was great working with you on this project and thanks for all your help putting it together!"

For sponsor GE Heathcare, based in Milwaukee, I created two short videos detailing recent successes using RFID technology in asset and bed management within a hospital setting. I conducted an in-depth interview with a former R.N., who now works in administration for Trident Health System in South Carolina, who made the trip to Orlando to make a presentation on the subject. I simply intercut between the interview and relevant soundbites from her presentation.

See one of the videos on the RFID Journal site, here.

The quality of the end product seemed to surprise my client: "Hey... These aren't bad."

4/21/2010

Teranet

One of my favourite clients from years ago came calling this week. They needed a punchy, sixty second spot for a conference. It promoted a new web-based service to an audience of real estate professionals.

3/27/2019

Jack of all Trades. Master of None?

* Read my personal blurb, over at LinkedIn.

* Read about the origins of all this Jimboco stuff, in a four page comic, here.

* See my crazy, fast supercut demo reel here. (Revised slightly in October, 2020)  Slower version here. 

* The elevator pitch for my exposition and trade show services is now a beautiful pdf.

* The fastest way to connect with me is via email: ja@jimboco.ca. You can also connect via Twitter or my general YouTube page.

* The home page of my website is www.jimboco.ca.

* Or, to simplify things, go to my Linktree page.

3/12/2010

Trucks

For the second year in a row, I created a promotional video for The Work Truck Show, one of the top 200 trade shows in the U.S. This year the show was in St. Louis.

 See it in HD on YouTube.

The kindest words followed from my client: "See you next year in Indianapolis!"

In case you missed it above, the elevator pitch for my exposition and trade show services is now a beautiful pdf.

3/1/2010

Bahamas

Spent a few days last week at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau, shooting a celebratory video for some TD Canada Trust folks who were convening there for some Reward & Recognition (and Relaxation). The revelry will be edited into a fast-paced, five minute video back home, and distributed as a lovely DVD keep-sake, a week after the event.

"It's fantastic! How the heck did you cut three days of footage so fast? You're amazing."

2/5/2010

TD Canada Trust

Two frantic productions in the same month. First, I wrote, directed and edited a customer service primer/reminder for front line employees at TDCT... 

(Pictured here: recording a voice-over segment "on-set" with our on-camera host)

And...

2/3/2010

Canada Bread

I whipped together a six minute video that opened an annual conference for the national sales and marketing folks at Canada Bread. It was the perfect time to celebrate a great year, despite a tough economic climate. The video included much discussion of the future, and featured aggressively intercut interviews with six members of senior management.

After screening the final edit, a member of the team wrote: "This is outstanding. Let's rock and roll!"

12/24/2009

John Hancock

John Hancock is developing an enhanced on-line enrollment experience for their pension customers. Part of the experience involves an on-line host, which was supplied as a video element to the web guys. I supplied some scriptwriting services, and I directed the video shoot of the host. I picked up my camera between takes and shot a fun behind-the-scenes video (which I edited together later) which will be used to promote the endeavour at Hancock's upcoming annual sales conference in Boston, as the new "on-line experience" won't be rolled out until the summer.

 See a sample of the finished product here.

12/13/2009

Too Busy To Talk

Last week, I shot and edited a fun romp for a BMO exec.

12/11/2009

Green Screen

Using a green screen is a great way to add some visual interest to a project. You can replace the green with any graphic treatment you can dream up... which is executed later, during the post production process.  More often than not, we can bring a small, portable green screen to an office, or boardroom - and get great results. Several examples can be found elsewhere on this site.

I'm often asked if we can have the option of seeing the entire length of the actor's entire body on-screen - which is a great look for a website. It seems like a simple request, but it does cost more, because the shoot has to take place in a studio, where we can paint the floor chroma-key green. The lighting can be very tricky, as well.

Here's a behind the scenes look at what a green screen shoot in a studio looks like - for a web based project I am working on for pension giant John Hancock.