Playhead | Fresh Creative Media

2013 Chevy Malibu Global Teaser (2011)

Jonathon Robinson — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:52:30 +0000

An advance teaser to promote the global reveal of the all-new 2013 Malibu. We designed, directed, performed the 3D camera tracking, animated and composited this video produced by Aquila Productions for Chevrolet. We’re using and extending the creative developed here for video content to be played at Chevrolet’s 2011 New York Auto Show press conference.

It is one of our favorite videos.

We also created this looping rotation to be used as b-roll for broadcast reports. Chevrolet’s YouTube page calls it “stunning.”

Subaru Running Footage Shoot

Jonathon Robinson — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:30:07 +0000

In March 2011 Playhead’s Jonathon Robinson directed a running footage shoot produced by Aquila Productions for the 2012 model year Subaru lineup. It started with a night-to-day shoot in downtown Los Angeles, moved to the Paramount Backlot Streets of New York for a private shoot of embargoed vehicles and ended on day three outside LA at Tejon Ranch.

Some mobile photos and video are available on Jonathon’s TwitPic account of the first two locations. The photos here were all taken at Tejon Ranch.

The ARRI Alexa is a direct competitor to Red. It shoots 2K digital raw video. Here it is mounted on a stablized head at the end of a boom on a Camera Car Industries vehicle.

A break in shooting.

The view from the director’s seat in the back of the camera car.

These thumb-operated servos control the camera head.

Jonathon directing from his station on board the camera car.

DP Mark Raker in a pastoral setting.

Only pavement and power lines interrupt the natural beauty of Tejon Ranch.

Subaru Outback kitted up with kayaks.

The ranch is covered by old growth, gnarly oaks.

Another kitted up Outback shot. Where’s the whitewater?

Lakeside

Subaru WRX in blue and STI in silver.

COW FIGHT! There were cows. They fought.

Subaru Forester in repose.

Preparing for a trek up a rutted s-curve.

The STI showing you its grill.

Thanks to all the great folks at Aquila and Subaru of America for letting us be a part of such an incredible project!

Dept. 180 | CZ10C | Sturdy Finish (2010)

Jonathon Robinson — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:46:47 +0000

In this episode:

Development engineers demonstrate what robots, flying rocks and Florida have to do with the all-new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze’s durable and beautiful finish.

Dept. 180 is an Internet video series we created exclusively for General Motors to provide a glimpse into some of the extreme measures Chevrolet engineers and technicians take to verify vehicle quality. The entire series play list can be viewed on YouTube here or you can see them all under the Playhead category Dept. 180.

Credits:
Jonathon Robinson
Mark Raker
Mark Flesher
Michael McCurry
Bill Dwyer
Noah Rubin
Sascha Peterfreund
and an AWESOME Detroit crew!

Created for Aquila Productions

More Positive Reaction to Dept. 180

Jonathon Robinson — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:35:12 +0000

We’re thrilled to share two recent and positive articles about Dept. 180, the series we create with Aquila Productions highlighting how engineers verify the quality of Chevrolet vehicles through extreme measures.

First up, Dept. 180 is called “fun and entertaining” in this Mashable infographic that highlights automotive social media.

“Department 180 is a series of videos created by GM that are fun and entertaining. Most of GM’s videos get 1,500 views over several months, but Dept. 180′s debut video got more than 11,000 views in its first week.”

Next up is an article at automotive advice site for women AskPatty.com that calls our latest episode “crazy cool.” Patty names being a Dept. 180 engineer “the coolest job at Chevrolet.”

We’re gearing up for a new “season” right now and have retooled the format to be more immediate and responsive like a podcast. It will allow us to produce with a greater frequency as well as make production more nimble to coincide with related news releases. Keep an eye out for new episodes coming soon!

Camaro ZL1 Behind-the-Scenes Photos

Jonathon Robinson — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:15:10 +0000

Here are a few behind the scenes photos from our shoot of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 engineering mule in January 2011 at the GM Desert Proving Grounds in Yuma, AZ. You can view the reveal video created from footage acquired at the shoot here.

While the GM Desert Proving Grounds are beautiful, we were warned to stay on the roads and out of the brush as much as possible to avoid rattlesnakes and black widow spiders.

While the testing mule was built on a stock platform it was completely re-built inside and out and is truly a monster.

Look how close DP Mark Raker was to the passing Camaro ZL1. While there’s little motion blur in the photo, the Camaro was roaring by at a very high speed. So much so we were pelted by a rain of gravel and road grit with each pass. The ladder is a platform for an amazing dolly called the CamTram. Fastest. Dolly setup. Ever.

Our LA-based crew.

DP Mark Raker used a cordless drill to shoot footage w/ a kinetic jiggle. The plywood panel was mounted off-center.

Here we are atop a hill for a long shot.

And here’s one of those long shots of the Camaro ZL1.

Here’s the entrance to a three-mile, banked track on the proving grounds.

Here we are mounting a Panasonic HPX-170 to the rear driver’s flank of the vehicle. We also used two GoPro HD Hero cams and a Panasonic HPX-3700, although we didn’t car-mount that big beast.

We always try to keep things in the family. And since our budget didn’t include money for a genuine camera car, this Buick Enclave stood in quite nicely.

More proving grounds S-curves.

Maybe its just me but this stubby stop sign cracks me up.

DP Extraordinaire Mark Raker in a candid moment.

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Reveal (2011)

Jonathon Robinson — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:05:30 +0000

Chevy wanted a kick-ass driving video to accompany the reveal of it’s all-new muscle missile Camaro ZL1 but they didn’t want us damaging the only pre-production show car they had. So we traveled to their Yuma, AZ Desert Proving Grounds to shoot an engineering mule seen here still clad in partial camouflage.

Press conference attendees were expecting a Z/28. Look for the cruel tease about a minute in where we bring in a lone Z for an extended period before completing the badge graphic.

Chevy ad agency George P. Johnson San Francisco also used our footage to create a teaser video of their own… which is cool because it’s usually us making videos out of agency footage.

The dark studio footage at the end was shot by GM Design.

This video played at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show in a three-source HD sync roll on a hundred-foot-wide LED array. Here we present a 16:9 reformat for the web.

It is one of our favorite videos.

Credits:
Jonathon Robinson
Mark Raker
Michael McCurry
Sascha Peterfreund
Hal Long
GM Design

Created for Aquila Productions

Buick Detroit Auto Show Brand Anthem (2011)

Jonathon Robinson — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:04:57 +0000

Where the 2010 Buick Anthem sought to help press conference attendees see the brand in a new light, the intervening year brought stellar sales growth and recognition of Buick’s increasing quality & relevance. This video shifts the focus to the recognition press gives the Buick resurgence.

This video is a great example of how, even when using stills and footage provided by the client, we at Playhead offer editorial, design, point of view and crisp execution to create a video with a fresh & clever edge.

Credits:
Jonathon Robinson
Michael McCurry
Bill Dwyer
Chris Zitelli
Sascha Peterfreund
Rick Buzinski

Created for Aquila Productions

Chevrolet Centennial Anthem (2011)

Jonathon Robinson — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:03:40 +0000

This video played on a hundred-foot-wide, three screen array at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit’s Cobo Hall to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Chevrolet. Here the three sources are reformatted for 16:9 presentation.

Voice over by Chevy spokesperson Tim Allen.

Credits:
Jonathon Robinson
Mark Flesher
Sikay Tang
Michael McCurry
Sascha Peterfreund
Rick Buzinski

Created for Aquila Productions

Dept. 180 | CZ10B | Quiet Science (2010)

Jonathon Robinson — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:21:24 +0000

In this episode:

Detroit hard rockers Fifth Way join development engineers to demonstrate how they make the all-new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze a comfortable, quiet ride. Turn it up to eleven and rock on!

Credits:
Jonathon Robinson
Mark Raker
Mark Flesher
Michael McCurry
Bill Dwyer
Noah Rubin
Sascha Peterfreund

“Rock n Roll” by Fifth Way

Created for Aquila Productions

Simple Strategies for Successful Internet Video

Jonathon Robinson — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:45:34 +0000

Contrary to what many might say, you can’t set out to make a viral video. But you can produce and distribute videos following a few simple strategies to help get your work shared by viewers. Here are the guidelines we use to create our Internet videos.

We started thinking about how to quantify methods for viral success way back in the year 2000 when our first Internet video (a scrappy flash animation called The Terrible Secret of Space) racked up over two million views in its first year of release. But it wasn’t until the fall of 2009 as we were just beginning to develop what would become the Chevrolet Internet video series Dept. 180 that our ideas fully coalesced. We assembled this brief to help guide discussions both with our clients and internally.

KEEP VIDEOS SHORT AND SIMPLE

While the general belief is that the shorter a video the more likely a greater number of people will click the play button, 88% of the top 50 viral videos of 2008 were over sixty seconds in length and the average length of all YouTube videos is 1:30. Short is good… but not too short.

The concept behind a viral video should be as simple as possible. The idea should be easily understood in about the time it takes for an average elevator ride or less. The more viral content is entertaining and attractive, however, the length and/or complexity of a video can scale accordingly and still be effective.

HOW TO APPROACH CONTENT

Content doesn’t have to be flashy or expensive. But it should be interesting, relevant both to viewers & your brand and the entertainment factor should take precedent over commercialism.

INTERESTING

If it doesn’t “wow” people, they will have little incentive to share it with other people they know, or across their social networks. There’s no point being a little funny, a little illuminating or a little spectacular. And the content must be fun and engaging to the general public, not just your company insiders.

RELEVANT

Making content relevant to your company doesn’t mean always making the product the star. Include product, definitely. But also include human beings, their relationships with and reactions to the product and how their emotions, sense of self, status and priorities are expressed through their choice of product or service. The thumbnails of the most viral videos nearly always depict humans (particularly faces), not objects.

Also seek to increase viewers’ awareness and motivation to participate in the conversation. Your reputation and relationship with the public should shape your strategy. Viral efforts should reflect your current level of social capital and seek to build it over the long term. If your strategy isn’t working to your expectations don’t make the rash decision to cut and run. Experiment, tweak and keep at it!

ENTERTAINING

The most powerful short videos are those that are purely entertaining. Funny, Sexy, Random and Surprising are some of the well-established reasons that people pass on videos, though Illuminating, Shocking, Spectacular and Hyper-relevant have the power to activate equally high levels of viral sharing.

COMMERCIAL

The “wow” factor should develop despite the corporate origination. 80% of the top 50 viral videos in 2008 were corporate but few successful viral videos hide their affiliations. Your videos should clearly originate from your company.

EXPERIMENTATION

Creating an atmosphere of experimentation is key. It is hard, if not impossible, to accurately predict which videos will enjoy wide, viral distribution. For each intended topic, generate a number of varying approaches from the source material and see what hits, then nurture the winners along. In the meantime, by frequently feeding channels in the space you create a reputation for original production and further build social capital.

Director Jonathon Robinson and DP Mark Raker shoot the PUMA, an experimental prototype made jointly by GM and Segway.

Sources:

“Emerging Trends in Viral Video and the Implications for Advertising (2008)” January 2009 by Genius Rocket; “The Secret Strategy Behind Many ‘Viral’ Videos” November 2007 by Dan Ackerman Greenberg, The Comotion Group; “10 Secrets for Creating Viral Content” February 2009 by Adam Singer, TheFutureBuzz.com; “What the F**k is Social Media (One Year Later) August 2009 by Martha Kagan, BrandInfiltration.com