Quarterly Newsletter - Fall 2022
News From The Road
A quarterly newsletter from Junction Road about the stuff we're doing, the stuff we love and the people who make it all happen!
We love working with our friends at Lowe’s, and this was another exciting and collaborative project that we were thrilled to see come together.
One of the things that the Lowe’s YouTube channel does really well is to provide project inspiration to homeowners. This video focused on turning a blank, dull patio space into a cozy fall gathering spot, using simple tips and tricks.
The big challenge for us was creating the right fall mood despite the hot summer weather, but luckily we have some fantastic folks on our team. Our art department, led by the super-talented Mollie Earls, was able to bring in fall items like leaves, the right plants and flowers, and autumn décor. And we had a nice cool room for the talent to relax in between takes, to keep the sweat away!
One of the most enjoyable parts of filming is seeing the abstract ideas come to life. Here you can see a comparison of the original storyboard art with the final video frames.
The storyboard helps the whole team visualize the edited piece from the beginning, and provides guidance on shot selection and what to focus on in each segment.
The right talent is also key. We loved working with our video host Kamla Kay, she was a true professional with the right background in design and décor, and a natural on camera.
Overall, we were very happy with how this video turned out, and as always we are very thankful to Lowe’s for entrusting us with the opportunity to create this piece!
We are very proud of our video for A Place At The Table, which we featured in the last newsletter. To learn more, read the blog post HERE.
But we are also excited to see this video winning awards! The Table video received a Gold Award from the 2022 Muse Creative Awards:
And a Silver Award from the 2022 W3 Awards!
I think these awards say a lot about the power of A Place At The Table and their mission, and we are so grateful to be working with that team and telling their story.
We don’t make videos for the awards, but it is always a wonderful bonus. Congrats to everyone who worked on this project with us, and here’s to even more recognition for good work in the future!
We had a great time working with Digital P Media on their Town of Cary commercials for the Golf Network. We got to see the town in a whole new way, and enjoyed creating some beautiful vignettes to show off the different parts of Cary.
But from a technical perspective, it really drove home the versatility and production value added by a drone.
Digital P’s Jerry Oliver was our drone pilot, and he captured some fantastic images as we went. The drone has become so ubiquitous that we tend to take it for granted, but seeing it in action was a great reminder of the power of a great aerial shot.
Take this shot of a runner jogging around Bond Park:
A static shot of the runner with the lake behind would have been nice, but that dynamic reveal really adds a huge amount of drama to the shot.
Or this great use of an office space:
The conference room had a glass ceiling, and Jerry was able to take advantage of that and use the space in a really interesting and unique way for a memorable shot.
Because drones require a licensed pilot, they can add complexity to your shoot. But in the right circumstances they will definitely be worth the extra work, and can take your production to the next level.
A piece of equipment that we have used a LOT over the past 2+ years is the Remote Filming Kit. When the pandemic started, we all assumed that it would pass quickly. But as it went on and on, we began to realize that we had to find a way to keep filming interviews despite the restrictions on travel and face-to-face meetings.
Interviews are a big part of our business, and they are a part that I personally enjoy a lot. Getting to know the people we interview, finding ways to get them comfortable on camera, getting to the heart of the information they want to share – I love it all. So I was dismayed to think of abandoning that for a remote solution. But it was, and continues to be, necessary.
The big challenge of remote interviews is that the interviewees have to set up all the equipment and film themselves. This means that the remote filming kit has to be intuitive and simple, yet be able to capture good quality audio and decent video.
With the help of the folks at Padcaster, we were able to create a user-friendly solution for remote filming. The kit we send contains a tripod, light, microphone, and custom iPad stand, along with an iPad. By following the simple directions, interviewees can set up and film themselves while we direct them remotely. Then, using basic iMessage functionality, they can send the videos directly to our editing computer wherever they are in the country.
We have recorded many successful interviews with our fleet of remote kits, and while I hope to get back to in-person interviews soon, this has been an amazing tool to help us continue to film during a difficult time.