CASE STUDY #1: IT’S NOT THE CAMERA…IT’S THE CREW.
The SDPA (Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants) had a problem: they hired a small, budget-friendly video crew to shoot their DermcastTV series. This educational set of 12-16 videos hosted some of the top dermatologists in the world and needed to attract a younger set of professionals to the conference.
Unfortunately, the small, cheaper video crew didn’t do a great job of capturing that sense of elite professionalism in their video shoot.
SDPA came to me in hopes of fixing the problem, and I made sure to blow them out of the water with my best work. Here you can see the before and after of what the interviews looked like. We used the same cameras, lights, microphones, and studio space to create the video series. It was a perfect example of how you can’t put a price on experience. Even the most expensive camera in the world can’t replace solid lighting and camera techniques.
BEFORE: Messy lighting, muted colors, and high shine on the speaker’s face. The incorrect use of a long lens was unflattering on Amber’s facial structure, and added unwanted “weight” to her final appearance. Poor color balance meant her hair looked like a wig while her skin took on a ruddy appearance, undermining her authority as a renown dermatologist.
AFTER: Using the same equipment, I reshot everything with the correct lighting, camera settings, and lens length to give Amber the professional and clean look and feel she deserved as a leading dermatologist. A slightly closer shot meant more intimacy and trust between viewer and tv host, while appropriate color balance gave her a warm and inviting glow. I removed the feathering from the lower thirds and made the text charcoal grey to give it that subtle sharp, modern, crisp feeling.
CASE STUDY #2: SAVED BY THE EDIT (SOMETIMES WE CAN FIX IT IN POST!)
Matrix Events was hired by PureStorage to film and release a series of educational wine/whiskey tasting videos for live zoom hangouts. It was a fantastic way to stay in touch with loyal clients while attracting new ones in a fun but marketing-conscious way. There would be a total of 25 “hangouts” over the course of 3 months, and each needed an exciting and high-energy 90 second advertisements to garner attention, capture participant sign-ups, and act as a lead-generation magnet for future sales.
The footage was successfully captured in studio and handed off to an editor, who was not able to deliver the quality of product they had envisioned. The current version lacked the modern, impactful, colorful style that would fit the Instagram and Facebook platforms that PureStorage selected as their key advertising space.
I received an emergency call on Sunday morning, and by Sunday night was able to deliver the next 90 second video to them (since the previous editor had been released from his duties), and to complete it with branding colors, punchy music, and appropriate copy. The client was blown away by the night and day difference that I could achieve in just a few hours, as seen below. Same footage, similar (but improved and corrected) verbiage, but saved with a few editing tricks I had up my sleeve. Not bad for a few hours worth of work!
BEFORE: The editor used generic fonts that did not meet the client’s branding guidelines. The slow pace of cutting, poor animations, and free-to-download music all contributed to the overall lack of energy and excitement. There are grammatical/spelling errors throughout. The first 15 seconds do not grab the attention of viewers.
AFTER: I incorporated the Matrix + PureStorage branding colors and fonts to accurately represent their image on social media. Punchier music, faster editing, and quick animations would capture the attention of those scrolling quickly through Instagram. The first 15 seconds were absolutely essential to the client’s success.
CASE STUDY #3: FROM SCRAPPY STARTUP TO MODERN PROS
Vita Inclinata had some incredible aerospace technology that saved lives by making helicopter rescue missions faster and safer. Unfortunately, nobody who visited their website knew that. The company had outgrown their previous creative directors and were looking to hire someone experienced in the military, aerospace, and technology industries. That’s where I stepped in.
It took 4 months to completely rebrand their company. The outdated “retro car show” style was replaced with sleek, serious, and modern design that made Vita look like a million dollar aerospace tech company. Another big issue was the company logo and name design, which customers read as “NITN” instead of “VITA.” A few subtle changes, along with modern font and color choices, made the company name easier to read.
BEFORE: The design is cluttered and uses highly pixelated clip art as the background. The logo is difficult to read, and the mission statement is too ambiguous to describe a brand new technology that never existed before. The call to action is not in line with what the company actually does - selling orders of systems. The video does not autoplay is takes up the entire home screen via a Youtube link.
AFTER: Modern font, a clear company mission statement, and a subdued color palette made the website much easier to read while still paying homage to a traditional aerospace-style design. The top menu was simplified for easier navigation, and there were clear call-to-actions right there on the home page to help Vita get more sales leads.