The gritty, frenetic :45 ultimately offers a breathtaking view from the ‘greenroom’
With his inventive, satirical new spot – a :45 featuring the …Lost surfboard brand – multimedia director, writer, and editor Win Brooks lays out the many reasons why kooks (aka rookies) should absolutely NOT learn to surf. It’s a bold bit of reverse psychology employing a number of filmmaking techniques. Roughly :25 of mixed media adeptly conveys the notion that popularity has killed the sport; the spot then shifts gears and gets us amped up (excited), transitioning to the greenroom (inside the barrel, the tube, the curl of the wave – c’mon, do we have to explain everything??), capturing the majestic joy of surfing.
"I enjoy analog editing techniques, especially those with a gritty character. The animated elements (such as the plane) began as Hi 8 camcorder footage,” Brooks explains. “I then printed individual frames on a Xerox LaserJet, cut them out, photographed and chroma-keyed them, and then assembled the animation on Premiere. I fed the resulting footage through a CRT television and filmed the screen at 4K. I also used a sheet magnifier over video playback for some transitions, text and logos. The waving banner began as a paper drawing taped to a fan. The receipt printer was animated in real-time using MS Word and a LONG roll of thermal paper. Screen recordings, surf reports and old movies also make appearances."
Brooks produced “Surfing Sucks” on spec through his recently-formed production and post company, The Crack of Noon. He served as director, editor, and sound designer, with original music by Eddie Brooks and Sir Richard Bishop.
The filmmaker sees parallels between the sport and his chosen profession. “Surfing is unpredictable; analog methods are as well,” he observes. “Limitations push toward creative solutions. I want my work to stand out like an empty, well-formed barrel.”
Brooks is currently working on his feature directorial debut – “RAAM” – which will incorporate some of the techniques used in “Surfing Sucks.” “Continual experimentation in filmmaking is where my interest lies,” he says.
Raised in Maryland, Brooks holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Media Studies from American University, Washington, DC. He has had additional instruction at UCLA via their professional screenwriting program. His narrative work has garnered acclaim at film festivals, and in addition to crafting commercials through The Crack of Noon, Brooks manages a separate company that produces commercial content for Snapchat. and runs a menswear brand, Fear The Cowboy. He is based in Los Angeles.
For more, visit: https://winbrooks.com/
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Sonic Branding For Social Media: Engage, Align, Connect
By Chad Cook -- With more than five billion people accessing social media daily, savvy brands understand the importance of cultivating a strong social identity. They devote massive resources toward brand awareness, audience targeting, content strategy and community engagement. Yet, while they know that social platforms are critical to boosting sales and attracting new customers, many neglect one of the most effective tools for connecting with consumers: sonic branding. Marketers often associate sonic branding with catchy mnemonics used by big brands like McDonald’s, Netflix and Intel in their advertising. But that is a very limited view of what sonic branding is and what it can do. Sonic branding is a way to build awareness and stimulate engagement across all touch points, from advertising to broadcast digital, in-person and social. And it’s not limited to members of the Fortune 500. Brands at all levels can benefit from a sonic identity that is memorable, engaging and reflective of its core values. Sound has been scientifically proven to be deeply tied to memory and emotion. There’s a reason that certain songs stick in your head and bring back memories formed years or even decades earlier. So, it’s surprising that sonic branding is often an afterthought in marketing plans. That is especially true in social media marketing. Faced with tight deadlines and strained budgets, creative teams are often tempted to select music for their content simply because it “fits.” Unfortunately, that may result in content that is in tune with what’s trending but is out of tune with brand identity. Effective sonic branding, by contrast, requires thoughtful strategic planning,... Read More