Greedy Media has been working with Mr & Mrs Smith TV – an animation and design motion studio – to produce two animated promos for John Lewis insurance. The process of creating the two promos – one for Pet Insurance and the other for Wedding Insurance – involved working with one of the UK’s biggest retailers to reach out to their traditional market base, and beyond, to provide an effective platform. Here’s how we went about working together to produce the final two animations…

At first, the collaboration worked on the basis of very stylised and slightly ‘retro’ character illustrations to encourage consumers to think about why they might need wedding insurance and/or pet insurance. However, as with all creative processes, some revision was required when all those on the project realised this wasn’t quite the right approach to take. From this beginning, we moved on to a more fluid and minimal type of illustration, rather than something very well defined, using a Japanese script pen to give the animations an elegance and flow that made them both easy to watch and created attractive, soft characters.

Colours were also kept muted, so as not to detract from the animation itself, with a one wash of colour in the background to represent the John Lewis Insurance style guide. At the end of the animations, colour is brought into play again, when the unfortunate situations are salvaged thanks to the insurance: both the dog’s medicine and the wedding dress hanger is depicted in the John Lewis green to make a continuity link with the brand and provide a clear visual mechanism, so even if the animations are watched without sound they still make sense.

Watch the animations now on our Vimeo Channel and feel free to contact us for more information on our professional video production services.

John Lewis Insurance – Pets from Greedy Media on Vimeo.

www.greedymedia.com

Here’s an example of how colour grading can dramatically change the viewers outlook of the piece.

Colour grading is used in virtually every professional video or movie – it can be anything from correcting the balance of colour in the image, altering brightness and contrast, applying filters, removing colours and adjusting the white point.

The greatest advantage of the process is that it saves time. For example when something has been rendered from 3D and a colour change needs to be made, rather than going back into the 3D package to carry out the change and waiting for the programme to render again, the alteration can be carried out using colour grading, making it a quicker and simple way to make essential changes.

It may appear to be an innocuous process, but the difference that colour grading can make to the final result can be quite spectacular. Average video footage that has been subjected to colour grading can be made to ‘pop,’ conveying a sense of atmosphere and to making the viewing experience a more exciting and compelling watch.

Colour grading can take an amateur looking and poorly shot project and make the colours vividly stand out. It is the kind of process that virtually every quality video production will have gone through in order to make it viewer ready and when done properly it can make good video, great.

Greedy Media produce creative video content specialising in commercial production, TV commercials, brand promos, idents and motion graphics – take a look at our showreel for more insight into what we do.

Image credit: Le Spry

CGI Graphics is a term that is used to describe images that have been created by, or enhanced by, computer graphics. This could be anything from a piece of art, to special effects in a film or scenes in a video game and could be static (i.e. still) or dynamic (moving). The most common use of CGI graphics is to create 3D special effects and scenes for films, TV and computer games – and this is the context in which most of us will have experienced 3D CGI graphics, whether we were aware of it or not.

Motion graphics are graphics that use either animation or video footage to create an illusion of movement, for example moving cars or a walking box. The term originated with video editing in computing but the process was expensive and painstaking before computers were widely available. Whilst motion graphics are essentially a 2 dimensional digital montage of information in the form of text, illustrations and images, 3D CGI allows objects to be viewed in 3G, using light and texture for visually stunning results.

Using 3D CGI graphics in video production provides great flexibility in terms of where the ‘camera’ is placed, as it can roam around to view whatever is the focus of the viewer’s vision from any angle. It also allows for the design of any character from the creator’s imagination and can add surreal and otherworldly elements to video production that would be difficult to create in ‘real life.’ 3D CGI also removes the constraints of a physical camera, allowing instead for an almost endless range of movement, and 3D stunts make action video footage much safer and cheaper. It’s far less costly and better for the environment to blow up a building in 3D than to do this in real life!

3D CGI makes production much easier as there is plenty of scope for reproduction – once a specific object or character has been modelled and textured that original element can be reproduced, or tweaked by modifying parameters such as scale or colour, so that a huge amount of time can be saved when there is a need to recreate numerous similar elements.

Greedy Media produce creative video content specialising in commercial production, TV commercials, brand promos, idents and motion graphics – take a look at our showreel for more insight into what we do.

Here’s some of our motion graphic work…

MTV – The Green Hornet Motion Graphics

E4 – Uderbelly Motion Graphics

MTV – Captain America Motion Graphics

There are three main techniques that are used in order to the get slow motion effect. One of the more typical practices involves capturing each film frame at a much faster rate than it will be played back. Another way to achieve similar results is to play normally recorded film at a much slower speed however this tends to be used more for action replays than anything else. With technology becoming so advanced a third technique has become available which involves using specialised software to gain the slow motion effect in post-production.

In the past, slow motion was mainly used during sports broadcasts to replay a specific event but in recent times this technique has become commonplace in theatrical films and wildlife documentaries. When used in film, slowing down the action on screen can be perfect for building suspense or for facilitating special effects. This technology has also revolutionised documentaries as it allows viewers the ability to see the world around them in a whole new way.

The technology behind slowing down a piece of film is all based around the frame rate of the camera that is used. Most everyday cameras use a frame rate of between 30 and 60 frames per second but slow motion cameras can have a rate of 1000 and above. One of the fastest high speed cameras has the unbelievable frame rate of 200,000,000 but unfortunately at such high speeds the quality is greatly reduced.

In the past, slow motion cameras tended to be far too expensive for amateur use but many new cameras on the market are more affordable. One such device is the Phantom Camera which can record in 1080p HD using an impressive 2800 frame rate. At half the frame rate and half the price, the newer Phantom Micro is even more affordable and will mean a whole new technique is available for independent filmmakers.

For more information about Greedy Media and what we do, visit our website.

In recent years DSLR’s have gained the ability to record video in HD, this upgrade has meant these cameras have now become a viable option over using the standard camcorder. They also have many benefits over video cameras which may make them a much more attractive choice for those wishing to record high quality video. One such upside to DSLR’s is that they offer many more features to users such as settings to adjust frame rate, depth of field and lighting, these options are also available on digital cameras but only on very expensive, high end models. Interchangeable lenses are also a massive selling point as they allow a customisability to the field of view which is notably lacking in camcorders. The size of the camera sensor is also a factor as video cameras usually have smaller sensors resulting in a much lower quality of image.

The camcorder may not be on its way out yet, it still has some advantages over its modern counterparts. One of the major downsides to using DSLR’s is that the quality of sound recorded is weaker than that of the image, this is usually rectified by recording the sound separately and syncing with the video which can be arduous. As well as sound quality there are many other benefits to using video cameras which include them being cheaper and more resistant to damage, having a greater zoom function and a longer battery life.

It is clear to see that DSLR cameras offer a much more professional usability for customers at a reasonable price and with technology advancing every day this will only get better. This being said it will likely be a while before major television and film companies make any permanent changes to the equipment they use. Technology aside, with video cameras being cheaper and sturdier, they will most likely remain the favourite for shooting basic home videos.

For more information about Greedy Media and what we do, visit our website.

Constructing a video advertisement can involve many different components, it is only when all of these elements are working in unison that the advert becomes effective. The main aim should always be kept in mind; everything in the video should reflect the product or service intended as well as the overall brand. There are numerous other factors to take into consideration including actors, special effects, editing, music and voiceovers.

The voiceovers used in advertisements can completely set the tone for the piece; friendly and regional tones can portray a trustworthy company, whereas deeper more masculine voices can be perfect for more dramatic pieces like film trailers. There has also been a change in recent times for a more gentle welcoming narration in videos rather than the loud and excitable type that was popular in the past. Choosing the right voiceover for the project is key as it creates a first impression for the consumer.

Some companies try to cut costs by not hiring a professional voice actor in their advertisement, the problem is a commercial is usually the first way in which a customer interacts with a brand, those first few seconds are vital in deciding whether a person will do business with a company or not. It is clear that the voiceover and the general advert for a corporation is not something to be downsized, it can be the face of a business and should be treated as such.

Greedy Media have worked with many high profile clients including John Lewis, Channel 4 and Max Factor, each campaign is tailor made to promote the service or product as much as possible. The company places a high value on quality and this is reflected in the calibre of media that is produced.

For more information about Greedy Media and what we can do for you, visit our website.

To tie in with the launch of Skyfall, 007 Legends has been unveiled, combining the classic with the current to tie together six Bond films in one game.

Available on all video-game consoles (PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Wii U), 007 Legends brings five classic bond films into 2012, with missions featuring scenes from Goldfinger, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Licence to Kill, Moonraker and Die Another Day, as well as Bond’s latest incarnation: Skyfall.

To celebrate the release of Skyfall and 007 Legends, Activision and BAFTA paired up to hold a pre-launch party. Greedy Media went along and filmed the event on behalf of Red PR, speaking to the developers of the game to give the viewer an idea of the thought process and reasoning behind 007 Legends.

Celebrities such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor and George Lamb were also featured, where we got their thoughts on 007′s latest outing.

See our video on the Greedy Media website.

007 Legends is in-stores now and Skyfall was released nationwide on 26 October.

For more information about Greedy Media and what we can do for your launch event, visit our website.

Earlier this year, the furniture buying team from John Lewis launched the Central St Martin’s Design Competition, where design students had to submit their best dining furniture ideas.

John Lewis then selected six of the best designs and have been working with the chosen graduates to develop the designs to potentially sell them in John Lewis stores across the UK.

The six top designs were showcased at the John Lewis store in Stratford City in September.

Greedy Media’s role was to produce a video showcasing the six designs, speaking to the six graduates, members of the John Lewis team and lecturers to give the viewer the full picture of what the competition involves and its purpose.

To find out more about Greedy Media and what we do, visit our website at www.greedymedia.com

We filmed with the upmarket designer furnishing company to show you some simple steps that will transform your sitting room into an inviting haven that will sustain you all the way through to spring.

Using just accessories, we show how you can completely transform your living room.

An additional video showing the viewer how to set a smart dining table was also produced, which is a useful guide if you are hosting dinner parties and want to display the right table etiquette.

Greedy Media’s Justin-Lennox Bradley of the OKA videos: “These videos are a fantastic way to show someone how to stylishly transform a room as opposed to a photograph which can’t show the whole process from beginning to end.”

Established in 1999, OKA offer an entire range of products for the home, including sofas, upholstered furniture, dining tables, and chairs, curtains, storage and beds, using cutting-edge design and style to create an inspirational effect in your home.

An Autumn Makeover for your Living Room using Accessories:

How to Set a Smart Dining Table:

How to Create 3 Looks from 1 Room using Home Accessories:

To find out more about our project with OKA and see all of our latest videos, visit the Greedy Media website.

For the likes of McDonalds, Coca-Cola, British Airways and Visa, the Olympics was a welcome event, as they and the official Olympic partners were given an exclusive monopoly over the Games with their advertising campaigns.

As their competitors and rival stayed quiet and out of the limelight, many have waited until after the close of the Paralympic Games to launch their new campaigns.

Anthony Cooper, Managing Director of Pearlfinders, a business intelligence company, told the Guardian last month that a spike in marketing campaigns is expected to occur after the Games.

Mr Cooper says: “Companies that did not secure sponsorship opportunities have been reluctant to launch major campaigns in a period where there is so much noise created by the sponsors that their messages to consumers are in danger of being drowned out.

Many have decided to wait and see which messages and campaigns work throughout the Games so that they will be able to adjust their strategies accordingly.”

That’s why those brands who were not Olympic sponsors have decided to wait until after the Games to unveil their new campaigns. Below are Greedy Media’s pick of the latest campaigns from the world of video over the last week.

Sky Broadband:

Carlton:

Guiness:

Acer:

To see our picks of all the latest viral videos, make sure you Like Greedy Media on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.