We accept that most of the photographs we see, whether on Instagram or the glossy pages of a magazine, have been altered in some way. Even the humble smartphone selfie is rarely shared without a filter these days. Whether running it through a simple editing app, or applying some professional Paintshop skills, there are a huge number of techniques now that can be applied to visual media.

The popularity of online video, and video apps such as TikTok, have forced the model to evolve; and it is now bringing the home shopping experience to a new generation of consumers.

I remember the first business I ever had. It was the early nineties, and I was probably six or seven years old. My siblings and I started our own version of Blockbuster Video, loaning our VHS tapes out to cousins and friends.

Of course, there was a logo, made proudly in Microsoft Paint. The image of a television set, pasted from ClipArt, and a “quirky” font ( jokerman or similar). And that would become our go to process for all future endeavours that required a logo. Whether we were writing a school magazine, or creating posters for our band, the winning combination of Microsoft Paint and Clipart never let us down.

There is a really important statistic to consider when creating video content : that, actually, 70% of video is audio.

The quality of audio is often overlooked as self tapers especially seek to prioritise finding the perfect camera angle or create flattering lighting. Whilst it is undeniable that those things are important too, the fact is, the viewer is more likely to be forgiving if picture quality isn’t as professional as you’d ideally like it to be. However, if the audio is poor and they can’t follow clearly what is being said, you risk losing your audience.

Space Hippie is an exploratory footwear collection inspired by life on Mars —where materials are scarce and there is no resupply mission. Created from scraps, or “space junk,” Space Hippie is the result of sustainable practices meeting radical design.

You will see a lot more video content in your newsfeeds now than ever before. That’s because social media algorithms are starting to see the impact a short video can have on your audience. They are reacting to the popularity ( a video typically gets ten times more engagement than a text-only post), and so are pushing them further up your newsfeed, making them even more visible. The unprecedented popularity of TikTok, and the short, snappy clips that the platform churns out, has led to the evolution of algorithms across every other platform to look for and celebrate similar content.

So you’re taking time out of your day to read this blogpost but the truth is, had we chosen to create a video log (vlog) instead, then statistically there would be a much greater chance of you sticking around at the end of it. Studies prove that you’d be more likely to stay browsing our website for a minimum of two minutes longer after engaging with video content, rather than reading a blog.

WeTransfer has worked with Swedish illustrator Alva Skog to visualise all the micro-interactions its millions of users encounter on a daily basis. Skog has created a set of characters and scenarios, bearing the illustrator’s distinctive cartoonish style with inflated proportions and vibrant block colours, to enliven each stage of the interface, from uploading or downloading a file to being asked for a password, or discovering a broken link. These are envisioned in micro-narratives that see success conveyed as crossing the finishing line of a race or dropping a mic; discovering an unexpected problem as drinking gone-off milk, and a Gandalf-like wizard standing for password protection.

Aimed at emerging creatives without a university-level degree, the free course will expand to three more cities and go digital, with the ultimate goal to diversify the industry’s talent pipeline.

The music video was directed by Lydia Garnett, and features the band she plays bass in, Trouble Wanted. It's such a smart piece of video in its marriage of ludicrous high-camp and poignant gestures: the short really feels like a fully formed piece of cinema, despite its claustrophobic setting within the four walls of a saloon, and the fact that not a huge amount really happens narrative-wise. By the time the five minutes were over, I was almost definitely struck with the same affliction as our titular lonely Cowgirl – madly in love with this swaggering dyke trucker.

Giving up drinking booze for Dry January is tough. Quitting smoking? Quite another, as made evident by three visceral and figurative films portraying the imperfect path towards stubbing out for good.

Directed by Robertino Zambrano, the series of animated films is based on authentic, first-hand accounts of quitting smoking, artfully capturing each individual's emotional journey through three distinct design languages.

We’ve all been there... you swore the base plate for your tripod was attached; or that you put the memory card pouch in a safe place so as not to lose it; or that your T Bar is readily packed from the last shoot you worked on.

Turns out, you’ve got no base plates, those memory cards are somewhere so safe that no one, not even you, can find them or that you had to pack down so fast at your last gig that your T Bar (as well as 2 lens caps and your elusive base plate) are still there.

The best way to deal with issues like this on film sets is simple: don’t let them happen!

Welcome to the third part of our series on “Why Video.” In part 1, we helped you understand why you need video, in part 2 we explained what you need to make, and in part 3 we’ll be looking at how you make it work once you’ve finalised that 17th “Final” export...

When it comes to the importance of having a video to represent your brand, we established “THE WHY” in last weeks blog; now it’s time to talk about “THE WHAT.” What does your video need to make it stand out versus the rest?

Well, here are 3 short tips to help ensure your video content is more engaging than your competitors whilst allowing your audience to see the real you.

Before we begin allow me to make one thing clear. We make videos. It’s what we do as a passion, it’s what we do as a business and it’s what we do to put food on our tables. So of course we’re going to sit here and champion the reasons for you to make a video (hopefully with us), that goes without saying.

We’ve all seen them, those super high budget, super emotional TV commercials that get mass press coverage, and in some cases, even have teasers to the ad itself. From John Lewis to Lidl, everyone is getting in on the act these days, which goes a long way to explaining why there is an estimated £6.8 billion spent on festival advertising every year.

Starting Out & Moving Up In Film, TV and Digital Production. Whether you make content for the big screen, the small screen or the now super-small screen, if you’ve chosen a career in film, TV or digital production the likelihood is you don’t want to spend your entire career on the bottom rung. Whether that be as a runner or entry-level researcher, the fact is, anyone who’s worked in this industry long enough will be able to tell you that these are often the most under-appreciated roles (yet given their importance it often begs the question, why?) and are therefore positions you will want to move up from at the earliest opportunity.

How lack of creative brief or client input shouldn’t mean a bad end product.

Clients want to be involved in the creative process. Most of the time.

But sometimes they give you a budget and say get on with it. This is both the best news and the worst news. Because you have free reign to do what you want but there are no guidelines and it might bite you in the arse.

Sometimes you’ll get a brief that is so broad and has no real direction, like ‘We want a video that shows how dynamic we are as a company.’

What the hell does that even mean?

You see, unless you only exclusively shoot landscapes, food or the dead, you will be tasked with working with all manner of on-screen talent regularly. And as either the director, producer or even as a DOP, you are tasked with making the most out of that talent to bring your piece to life.

We make films. You could say we’re filmmakers; but what does that mean? It means we produce, we direct, we edit, we shoot, we organise catering, we do castings… and a lot of the time we do it on a low budget, and that’s not out of choice.

So we thought we’d give back to the filmmaking community, by offering up some tips on how to work with a low budget, and how to manage the client’s expectations.