Fossum Creative Blog

Where Do You Find Inspiration?

The inspiration for creativity comes in different forms for different people. For me, it comes in the form of music and movies. For years, I tried to figure out why this was the case. It was a giant revelation when I realized that it was the way music and movies made me feel. One song could change my entire mood for the better. Or if I desired, for the worse. (Sometimes you just need to go there.) Movies have the same power. And while I watch fewer than I used to and most of them aren't that good, the ones that hit me stay with me forever. 

One of my favorite songwriters is a gentleman by the name of Brian Fallon. He is the frontman of The Gaslight Anthem, as well as his side-project The Horrible Crowes. His music and lyrics moves me in ways I can't explain and inspires me to become a better writer myself.

The Horrible Crowes' album 'Elsie' was my soundtrack for the second half of 2011 and contains more soul-shattering lyrics than I know what to do with. If you get a chance, you need to check it out. 

To get to my point though, it's always interesting to see who inspires the people who inspire you. And it's even more interesting to hear why this is the case. Often times, they say it better than you ever could. Which is why I so thoroughly enjoyed this article about Brian's influences - not just for who those influences are, but for the way he describes them.

A few of the highlights really speak to the creative process:

"I love songs or movies or books that, if somebody asked you what the movie was about, you’d be like, 'I don’t know man, but it feels like this…' That’s what I care about – the emotion coming through and that kind of sentiment." 

"When you listen to a song and you’re influenced by it, what that really means is you’re trying to steal the essence, or at least, that’s how it is for me and some of my friends. You try and take what you can and make it your own. When it’s movies, there isn’t something specific that you can steal. It’s a feeling you have to re-create in a different way that relates to your life."

You can read the entire article here and when you're done, do yourself a favor and go listen to "Elsie" by the Horrible Crowes, just about anything by Gaslight Anthem, or whatever it is that inspires you to do your best creative work.

Then see what happens.

What is your Emotional Takeaway?

  

As marketers, we often spend a lot of time focused on the end game of our advertisements. What is the call to action? What do you want people to do? What is the big takeaway? But in the process, we tend to overlook a critical element: how do we want people to feel?

Feelings. Emotions. A lot of people don't like to discuss them. And that's fine in your personal life, if that's how you roll. But this is a critical component in marketing—especially marketing with video. People react largely based on feelings. When you put them head to head, emotional reactions will trump logic and reasoning every time.

Which is why it's just as important to determine from the outset what the emotional takeaway of your video will be. How do you want people to feel when your video is over? Should they be hopeful and inspired? Are you trying to make them laugh? Do you want them to feel nostalgic and introspective? Or are you trying to startle them into facing a harsh reality?

The visceral experience of video is what makes the medium so powerful. In just a few short moments, a video can literally change a person's mood and leave a significant impression on them. However, you want to make sure that the mood they leave with is the one you want them to leave with. 

Establishing the desired emotional takeaway up front will help you determine the style of shooting, graphics, editing, and audio you end up using throughout the project. Once you know the direction these elements are taking, writing the script and creating your video will be a much more efficient—and effective—process.

Have you met Beth?

Fossum Creative recently completed a business documentary for Beth Schneider of Process Prodigy (www.processprodigy.com). Behind the scenes trivia: if the background looks similar to the one in the Kelly O'Neal video, that's because they were both filmed in the same location—Kelly's backyard. Beth was so excited for us to create this video that she flew up to Los Gatos from Orange County for the night just to make it happen.

Hope you'll take a minute to enjoy the video and learn more about why systems rock and why every business, big or small, needs to have them in place. And if you'd like a business documentary for your own business (big or small) please contact us at 408.354.9977 and we'll make it happen for you.

 

 

 

A Little Backstory

Back in 2003, I got the bug to start a new business. The idea was to create personal documentaries for families with the end result being a video portrait on a DVD that could be passed down from generation to generation.

I produced a few videos and loved every moment of it. The thrill of shooting and interviewing. The zen of editing it all together. And the unforgettable experiences of watching my clients see the final product for the first time. I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life.

Of course, two other things were also happening in my life at this time. I was starting a career as a freelance copywriter and picking up jobs as best I could. And my then-wife was expecting our first baby. She was also expecting me to get income coming in fast on account of said baby. Fair enough.

In time, the copywriting projects starting coming in very regularly. And soon, they were my mainstay. My career as a freelance copywriter took off and I decided to apply all my energy towards going down that path.

I sold my expensive video camera in exchange for a smaller one and a nice DSLR camera so I could conveniently capture all of my son’s moments. I reluctantly took down the website for Biographique Films, as my video venture had been dubbed, and moved forward with Fossum Creative with great success.  

As much as I love writing copy and love the business I have created, every few months I would still get that urge to revive the video business. Then I would get wrapped up again in projects and fatherhood and never get around to it. Soon my focus would be back on Fossum Creative and the business of writing great copy.

However, last December the bug bit again. Strong. But this time, the timing seemed right. Fossum Creative is established and growing and ready for some expansion and new services.

At its core, this business is about communicating with people. Telling a story. Getting them to feel something good. Compelling them to take action. We do it with words. In small paragraphs. Step by step until the entire story is told.

It got me to thinking about the other way we tell stories. Through pictures both still and moving. Through the careful combination of these images with the right soundtrack. In just a few moments, a video can tell a story, convey a message, and create a response that could take pages to achieve with words. If it was possible at all.

Then something else happened. I saw the Google Super Bowl ad. And something inside me just clicked. It was not about huge production value. It was not about over-the-top visuals and expensive sets and giant budgets.

It was about connecting with an audience through the power of visual storytelling. Creating a visceral response in a very short time and making it last. And if we can do this with words, what’s to stop us from also doing it with video? Nothing. In fact, I think we’ll be able to do it even better.

Video marketing. Coming soon to Fossum Creative.