365 DAYS OF ‘BRAZEN LIVE’ – A YEAR IN REVIEW
It barely feels like a few months have passed since I joined Brazen as their first in-house creative producer. That’s the whirlwind of agency life for you. But 500 films, cinemagraphs, designs, and animations later, and I’m not the newbie any more.
As I find myself sitting by the fire, staring into the flames, reflecting on what has been an extremely productive and creative year, I’m so full of pride that I’ve decided to create my own awards.
MOST USED PROP – Chocolate
So it turns out that chocolate is actually life. This versatile prop/snacking item first appeared during Dr Beckmann’s poo stain video as – oh, you guessed it – poo! Then later reappeared as muddy footprints for Magnet’s ad teaser stop motions. It is well documented that this kind of prop on a location film set increases crew productivity, and video views and profitability while you’re at it, so it’s a good idea to always put some budget aside for this.
BEST ACTOR – Pekman
If you haven’t seen Pekman, you’re missing a treat. He’s a giant tin with arms and legs and he is constantly providing us with Oscar-worthy performances. He made us Scotch eggs and a quiche (inspiring the lovely food economist Kate Bottomley to coin the pun ‘pek-quiche?’ on set – a moment of pure genius) and he even completed the Great North Run for charity for the 3rd year in a row. He’s a trooper, a talent, and a great pleasure to work with.
BEST APPRENTICE – Niall Stott
Ok, he’s the only apprentice in Brazen Live, but ‘our kid’ Niall has pulled a blinder, frankly. He turned up on work experience, showed a quiet and honest determination and enthusiasm for his craft, and his ability has gone from strength to strength. He’s carving out a name for himself here.
BEST NEW FORMAT – Influencers
It’s always nice to have people and faces in a video, as well as product and props. It adds warmth and helps create a human connection. And with the rise of the mighty influencer so we have been able to include more faces and personalities in the mix recently. Working with influencers is always an interesting and exciting prospect. Where fully trained and experienced celebrity TV presenters will know the ropes and deliver first time, with influencers you never know what you’re going to get! And that frankly is the joy of it. Some need a lot of direction, some are more comfortable directing you, but whoever we work with it’s exciting to see what they can bring to a brand! You can read more about our influencer services here
BEST STUNT – The most remote delivery in the UK
It’s hard to choose this one. We’ve sent stuff to space, we saw Harry and Meghan in wilko, we surprised an entire train carriage with pizza. But number one for me last year was the Chicago Town stunt – delivering pizza to the most remote town in the UK. Stick me outside, in the pouring rain, with a camera, and you will have a happy little CP- an award-winning production, literally.
It’s a great pleasure to be making video right now. It’s been a lot of fun. And 2018 promises to be much more.
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