Creo Productions Blog

New Website. New Reel. New Blog.

2010-10-19T13:57:00.001-05:00

We've officially launched our new website, demo reel (watch below) and blog at www.creoproductions.com.

UICA Digital Collection: Beili Liu

2010-10-02T10:06:00.004-05:00

We've had the privilege to continue producing videos for the UICA Digital Collection during ArtPrize. Below is an interview with "Lure/Wave" artist Beili Liu.

Job Posting: Production Expert

2010-08-02T15:12:00.003-05:00

Creo Productions is looking for a highly creative, self-motivated, multi-faceted video production expert to contribute to our growing production company.

Skill Set: Editor/Videographer/Animator

Must be an intuitive storyteller with advanced skills in Final Cut Pro, AfterEffects, Photoshop, Videography with 35mm film lens adapters and/or DSLRs.

Experience Level: 3-10 years

Compensation: Full-time position with salary and benefits (TBD)

About Creo:

Creo Productions is a full-service video production company located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. Visit www.creoproductions.com or www.vimeo.com/creoproductions to view our work.

How to Apply:

1. Email your resume and links to your online portfolio to contact [at] creoproductions.com. Please include your name in the subject.

2. Include a brief statement about your passions, dream job, ambitions, and why you may be a good fit for our team.

UICA Digital Collection: ArtPrize '09

2010-07-16T13:42:00.003-05:00

ArtPrize was an amazing experience last fall, and momentum is building for '10. Creo had the opportunity to shoot and edit a series of five videos for the UICA during ArtPrize, profiling unique artists for the gallery's Digital Collection. Watch Kurt Perschke and RedBall below.

Video: Accenture Case Study

2010-06-15T14:19:00.003-05:00

We produced a video case study for Steelcase at Accenture's Houston office, centered on the issue of real estate working harder.

Steelcase: Node

2010-06-14T09:01:00.004-05:00

We collaborated with Steelcase Education Solutions and Wonderkind Studios to create this video for the launch of Node, an innovative chair for the educational market. The video was shot on a Canon 5D and Canon 7D at Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy in downtown Chicago, and made its debut at the Node media event at NeoCon.

GRid70: Grand Rapids Innovation & Design

2010-05-04T07:42:00.005-05:00

Watch the launch video of GRid70, a creative working collaboration between Amway, Meijer, Steelcase and Wolverine Worldwide. The video team included the companies, Go Rocketscience and Stegeman Creative, illustrations by Tim Pospisil, and AfterEffects production and post work by Creo Productions.

Solar Power: Timelapse Video

2010-03-11T09:19:00.008-05:00

We started working with Cascade Renewable Energy, a division of Cascade Engineering, over the fall and winter to capture a large solar panel installation at Louis Padnos Iron & Metal Co.

We installed a 20-foot scaffolding rig on the rooftop and mounted a timelapse DSLR photography system to capture the process, as well as b-roll on our JVC HM 700.

Rapid Growth covered the solar story here.

You can watch the video below:

Steelcase: Surface Materials Videos

2010-03-04T11:03:00.007-05:00

A series of four videos we shot and edited for Steelcase on Surface Materials. We shot in New York City on-location at Designtex, Pollack and The Alpha Workshops, as well as at Steelcase headquarters in Grand Rapids. Visit steelcase.com or follow them on Twitter.

It's a Gold ADDY

2010-03-02T15:04:00.004-05:00

Congrats to Gravity Six Alliance for the Gold ADDY award for the Chemical Bank web video campaign Creo shot and edited. Watch the videos below:

The Story of Joe

2010-01-20T14:21:00.001-05:00

GR Homelessness: Dégagé Video

2009-12-10T11:36:00.004-05:00

We've created a series of videos for Heartside non-profit Dégagé, which provides help and hope to many of our homeless people downtown. To find out more about Dégagé, you can visit them online at www.degageministries.org. Here's the "About Dégagé" video.

Social Media Story

2009-11-09T08:25:00.003-05:00

In the dust of ArtPrize, Twitter (www.twitter.com/aaron_creo) notified us that our Vimeo video of Rob Bliss' Airplane event made it onto the French site Fubiz, which serves up "a daily dose of inspiration."

Within hours, the video had 2,000 views.

The next day it had 5,000.

Within three days it had 16,000.

Now, these aren't the type of numbers that'll turn heads around the globe, but it's an example of how quickly videos get passed on today, how far video can travel, and who it may inspire.

*An interesting side note. Our Vimeo site is more of a digital portfolio for our work. Rob's video had already made it's rounds on YouTube (and now has around 45,000 views).

ArtPrize Video: Sigur Rós Site, Freep.com

2009-09-30T10:06:00.003-05:00

Sigur Rós Website

Detroit Free Press

MLive.com

Official Video: Rob Bliss ArtPrize

2009-09-28T21:57:00.003-05:00

Our official Rob Bliss ArtPrize video is live on YouTube:

Thanks to our crew (13 cameras) for a great shoot. Enjoy ArtPrize.

Visit ArtPrize Haiku*

2009-09-23T18:58:00.008-05:00

breathtaking ArtPrize
buzzing, vibrant city streets
our village alive

*Visit ArtPrize. You can follow our journey on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/aaron_creo
www.twitter.com/andrew_creo

Breathtaking Video: Planet Earth

2009-09-21T10:33:00.005-05:00

This video floored me at a retreat this weekend. It's video clips from the BBC's Planet Earth series, set to the sounds of Sigur Ros's "Hoppipolla." Wow. If you haven't seen it, please watch.

Money. Made in Michigan.

2009-09-17T08:09:00.003-05:00

Here's our second video edit for Chemical Bank and Gravity Six Alliance...enjoy!

DWM Whirlpool Video

2009-09-16T07:48:00.004-05:00

Last night, Design West Michigan and AIGA featured "a Dialogue About National Design Policy Initiatives." For designers, these excellent organizations are helping further your cause.

We've also produced "A Case for Good Design" for DWM, a video case study examining the creation of Whirlpool's Duet washer/dryer system, and how design impacts its business.

ActiveSite, ArtPrize, GR

2009-09-14T18:06:00.004-05:00

Grand Rapids is buzzing with ArtPrize.

Click to read a profile on ActiveSite and the relationship between architecture and art. They also give a quick mention of the 38 short film we created alongside Brian Kelly.

Our ArtPrize is two-fold. We're hosting artist Kelsey Carriere in our space with "A minor fantasy." We'll also be producing the video documentary for Rob Bliss' event with 100,000 paper airplanes and Sigur Ros.

New Video: Have You Seen the Billboard...?

2009-09-02T09:14:00.003-05:00

Check out the new video for Chemical Bank and the billboard installation. The creative was done by Gravity Six, and we shot and edited the video. Kudos to Chemical Bank for supporting Michigan...

New Video: The Inklings of Oxford

2009-08-26T14:27:00.006-05:00

Check out the animated video we created for Zondervan for The Inklings of Oxford. Intrigued by reading the book and creating the video, I read Tolkien's The Hobbit on the honeymoon in Mexico. Enjoy...

Thank You: Two Cents on Three Years

2009-08-21T14:23:00.004-05:00

Today is our third anniversary at Creo Productions.

We started as two young entrepreneurs working out of a room inside a rented house, touting around two portfolio pieces, video gear, an Internet connection, a few computers and phones.

In the beginning, each project saved the company.

They always seemed to arrive just in time.

Three years later, we find ourselves working in an up-and-coming neighborhood we love in downtown Grand Rapids, with a growing portfolio of clients and projects and relationships we’re proud to call our own.

It’s been a wild journey, one that has brought with it great highs and lows, joys and sorrows, laughter and tears, accomplishments and failures, new lessons and affirmation of age-old truths.

And we recognize that Creo is not an island.

We’re part of many communities, made up of specific groups of people—companies, non-profits, creatives, artists, organizations—who have partnered with us in the common vision of storytelling and communication.

We’re fortunate to be alive and growing, and know we don’t take that for granted.

Thank you, to our wives, family, friends and supporters, for exactly that: your support, affirmation and encouragement along the way.

Thank you, to our clients, who believe in the work they do, and entrust us to show the world.

Thank you, Grand Rapids and West Michigan, for embracing us.

Thank you, to everyone who has made the beginning stages of this journey possible, who have helped us catch the vision for what’s next. The list of the people who have been good to us is too long to list, and has come in many ways and forms, often when we need it most.

We hope to pay-it-all-forward in the future.

ArtPrize Entry

2009-08-20T11:06:00.002-05:00

Interesting development this morning for Grand Rapids and Artprize.

We'll be shooting and coordinating a team of documentary videographers to shoot Rob Bliss' Artprize entry, titled, "The 100,000 Paper Planes and Melodies Over Monroe Project."

Click to read the story and the growing comments...

Or follow us on Twitter.

Non-Profits in Today's Economy

2009-07-22T10:16:00.002-05:00

We must continue to support non-profits in difficult economic times. We've been talking with the people at Aqua Clara in Holland, a group that's doing innovative work for clean water around the globe.

"Aqua Clara International exists to aid in the establishment of sustainable locally owned businesses that provide cheap, clean water for children and families worldwide."

You can check them out at AquaClara.org to get involved.

GRBJ Story on Creo/1041

2009-07-21T15:49:00.003-05:00

Jake Himmelspach (http://twitter.com/jhimmelspach) from The Grand Rapids Business Journal wrote a story on two GR video production companies, 1041 and Creo.

Click to subscribe to GRBJ for the whole story. Here's a couple clips:

Across town at 40 S. Division Ave., Creo Productions is a full-service media company specializing in writing and video production. Creo, led by Aaron Carriere, creative director, and Andrew Tingley, chief cinematographer, editor and animator, will celebrate its third anniversary in August.

In that time span, Carriere has seen a rise in the amount of videos that businesses are using, especially for their Web sites.

"It gives voice to small and medium-sized businesses that couldn't afford to do advertising before. It allows those types of business to engage with their customers," said Carriere.

"So much commerce is done on the Web now. I think it's an added tool."
The advancement of 2-D and 3-D animation along with using cinematic techniques has been part of Creo's success. The company uses storytelling to bring a company to life and pass on its message.

"People remember stories. People have communicated through stories for a long time. If you can draw a narrative out of a business, it helps define who they are, and it also engages the viewer to say, 'I'm going to remember something about what I just saw,'" said Carriere.

"I've always said when people watch something we've created, let's give them something — not just try to sell them something. Let's give them a story or some kind of information. Then, if they want more, they can make their purchase."

Aaron on the Radio

2009-07-17T08:17:00.006-05:00

Aaron was interviewed on WGVU by Shelley Irwin and Spearia's Danny Becket on entrepreneurship yesterday morning.

You can listen to the interview online on WGVU's website.

You can also follow us on Twitter:

Aaron

Andrew

Matthew

An Award to Remember

2009-07-16T07:54:00.003-05:00

Baudville's employees were ecstatic about helping out on the shoot, and worked for pizza as extras. The crowd is all Baudville. "Todd" and the unnamed manager are both actors.

Baudville #3: Motivational Manager

2009-07-15T19:49:00.003-05:00

A last second gasp for this manager. We used a 10-foot jib to capture the fluid shot.

Priceless Presentation

2009-07-14T07:21:00.004-05:00

This is a risk worth taking. Here's Baudville's second short film, "A Priceless Presentation." On the technical side, notice the whole spot was done in one fluid shot using a track and dolly.

Video Series: Baudville #1

2009-07-13T15:47:00.006-05:00

Grand Rapids recognition gifts and custom awards company Baudville approached us about doing a series of creative commercials for its new website and trade shows.

It's been a great experience working with their creative team, bouncing ideas back and forth. I'm impressed with Baudville's willingness to innovate, stand out and take chances. Over the next few days, I'll be embedding the four videos. We shot "Sincere Service" last month.

Motocross Video: Watch Andrew's Bailout!

2009-07-10T12:59:00.002-05:00

Counting Crows + Creo?

2009-07-02T08:49:00.008-05:00

Last night, I (Aaron) saw the Counting Crows perform in Muskegon.

The music was amazing, but Adam Duritz said something that really stood out when we reflect about the purpose behind our recent expansion. It sounded something like this:

"There's so many great songs out there that come and go," Adam said, musing on unknown musicians and the multiple bands the Crows were in before August and Everything After. "Thousands of songs. Some don't even get recorded. It's a shame."

Well put, Adam. I've often wrestled with similar thoughts. So many songs are written, sitting dormant on computers or in the bottom of guitar cases, trapped in the fingers and throats of musicians, yet few will ever hear their art, and if no record is made, they'll disappear.

One of our goals with the audio studio is to help musicians make high quality, affordable records, so everyone with a voice has the opportunity to be heard. We're running a summer studio special to do exactly that.

We're living in a digital age where we can literally record one minute, and send the art around the world the next. What a weighty honor. What potential. How exciting.

summer studio special (!)

2009-06-30T08:10:00.005-05:00

Great Story on Spearia

2009-06-25T10:17:00.005-05:00

Check out the Rapid Growth story of Spearia and founder Danny Beckett. Spearia's designing our new website, and we're doing some video/audio work for them. Andrew and Matt were shooting video of Danny on the motocross track...then Andrew decided to try.

He failed.

He flipped over the handlebars into the dirt.

Thankfully, Andrew's fine, and Brian Kelly captured video for future laughs.

Video: The Chaos Scenario

2009-06-23T13:40:00.007-05:00

Watch the video we created for the launch of Bob Garfield's new book (and movement) called The Chaos Scenario.

Among other pursuits, Bob's a columnist for Advertising Age magazine and co-host of NPR's On the Radio. The Chaos Scenario talks about the collapse of mass media and marketing, and more importantly, what's next. Much more to come on this project later...

Click to join the "Chaotics" online and pre-order the book.

Avian + NeoCon

2009-06-19T14:05:00.003-05:00

We recently created two videos for Avian Board, the first lightweight frameless board to be available to U.S. manufacturers. The GR Press ran a story on it this week.

You can view the videos, which debuted at NeoCon, at www.vimeo.com/avianboard.

For more, visit Avian at www.avianboard.com.

Listen: New Music

2009-06-16T12:21:00.013-05:00

Below is our updated audio player, including new music recorded in our studio by The Fainting Generals and The Candles.

Immersive Labs Video: Future of Advertising

2009-06-15T07:21:00.005-05:00

Check out the video we shot with Jason Sosa of Immersive Labs in our space. We did the lighting, camera work ; Jason completed the editing and post-production.

The Yesterdog Documentary

2009-06-02T23:18:00.003-05:00

The Yesterdog Documentary will be shown at the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) as part of the FILM competition for the GR Festival of the Arts.

It will be showing at the GRAM auditorium on Sunday, June 7 at 1 p.m. If you don't have a chance to check out our documentary, make sure to support the Festival!

Our New Facebook

2009-05-21T11:34:00.001-05:00

We just launched a new Facebook page! Connect below:

Creo Productions's Facebook Page | Promote Your Page Too

Creative Living

2009-05-21T08:08:00.004-05:00

Click to read a cool story on the "social experiment" of the live/work spaces we live in on Division Ave. downtown, including some excellent photography of Verne Berry Place and our new neighbors.

The story is also a profile of our great landlord, Dwelling Place.

Interact: What's Your Story?

2009-05-14T09:17:00.002-05:00

It's that simple: you have a story to tell. It may be about commerce or innovation or perseverance. It may be personal, historical, musical or emotional. But it's unique to you.

Simply put, that's our question to you in these times. We're advocates for storytelling, and believe there's more out there than nightly newscasts on recessions and job cuts and pending doom.

I've heard over-and-over from people I trust that the resilient will make it, that hard times bring forth the greatest innovations. This is not time to sit back, it's time to act.

To go against the grain of the nightly news, I'm making myself available free-of-charge to listen to your story, to talk about ways our media (video/audio/creative) can help bring your story to life.

This blog is our story. Contact Aaron at aaron at creoproductions.com or 616.233.9539 to set up a time to talk about your story.

Feature Story: Creo, Courier and GR Studios

2009-05-14T08:11:00.005-05:00

Kelly Quintanillia from Rapid Growth wrote a nice feature story about local audio studios, including our studio at Creo Productions and our band Courier. Make sure to click here for the story, featuring photos of our studio and session with Brian Vander Ark.

Making Waves in Sound

By: Kelly Quintanilla

When the local band Courier decided it was time to record an album of its original music, band members lugged recording equipment and instruments to the far reaches of metro Grand Rapids: to the home of guitarist Aaron Carriere, the band room of lead singer Dan Kilpala's high school, even the foyer of Kentwood Community Church.   

But now when Courier records music, it does so in the confines of the cozy recording studio owned by Carriere and business partner Andrew Tingley along the Avenue for the Arts, part of a small but increasingly important local recording industry made possible by the plummeting cost of electronics and software and entrepreneurs with dreams.  

Better places, better spaces

Solo musicians and area bands are now emerging from gasoline-laced garages and dank basements to record their artistry at studios because the cost of that work has dropped from tens of thousands of dollars to produce an album to hourly rates of $50 to $200 an hour. The cost to use a recording studio has reached the point where a struggling band can risk recouping its investment through sales of compact discs and extended play songs sold online. 

And the beauty of local recording services is the most important quality of all: sound.   Just ask musician David John, who released his second album “Looking For Opal” in April that he recorded at Sound Post studio with the help of owner Stuart Poltrock.   “Stuart and I wanted the record to sound like it could have come from anywhere,” John says. “We wanted it to have really solid production values.”  

After four years of fine-tuning in the studio, John says of his album: “Whether you like the music or not, you’d have to agree that it has world-class production values.”   

Wonders of digital recording

Time was when only well established bands bankrolled by the major record labels could afford to record albums that were pressed into vinyl or later burned on CDs. The recording process was tedious and expensive: endless hours spent by audio engineers literally cutting magnetic tape with razors and splicing it back together.  But now that sound can be isolated, edited and mixed digitally for a fraction of the cost and time by anyone willing to invest in electronics and master the use of software programs.  

“You can go to Guitar Center and buy Pro Tools and invest in microphones, maybe spend $10,000 and really do something amazing,” John says. “There’s been a dramatic shift in the ability to get recorded and do it in a professional way.”   

Poltrock says that the widespread use of digital recording combined with the rock-bottom price point to enter the business has led to more local audio studios cropping up to help musicians and companies record professional audio. “There are many, many more small business and home recording setups, now more than ever,” he says. “They are capable of doing what only a large commercial studio could do a few years ago.”

 Another local studio, Acoustic Arts Custom Music Production, was started a decade ago when Roger and Megan MacNaughton decided to turn their expertise and passion for music and recording into a business of their own. 

Acoustic Arts carved its niche as a music project recording studio, instead of also delving into corporate voiceover work. When working with companies or nonprofit organizations, Acoustic Arts focuses solely on the music, whether it's underscoring a documentary or writing a children’s rap song, as they were recently tapped to do for Kids Food Basket.

With more than 25 years of experience as a recording studio creative director, Roger grew up working with analog recordings. “When everything was done in analog, only studios with large budgets could afford to record,” says Megan. “Now that everything is digital, the costs have come down incredibly.”   

Create music or recordings? 

But Poltrock cautions that while it may be financially feasible for musicians to record themselves, that doesn’t necessarily translate to the most efficient process.

“Some bands and musicians can pull off a great project and recording by doing it all themselves, but most get stuck somewhere in the process,” he says. “Having a producer to envision the project, design the way to completion and see that it gets done makes a lot of sense. This lets everyone focus their time and talents.”

While the cost to record in a professional studio might serve as a barrier for musicians operating on a shoestring budget, it can actually save money and frustration in the long run, as trained professionals are able to make edits more quickly. Studios typically charge either by the project or at an hourly rate. This can be a more viable option for musicians and businesses that don’t have the funds, expertise or desire to purchase their own recording equipment.

“Technology has helped a lot of people enter the field and has made it more accessible, but it’s still an investment,” says Carriere of Creo Productions, the three-man studio located at S. Division and Weston.

“We invested in the room and the equipment and put in a lot of sweat equity to get where we are now and to set us apart from the basement studios.” Creo Productions began as a video production company in 2006, before adding an audio studio in December and then bringing Korn onboard full-time as an audio engineer.

For their first major audio project, they recorded musician Brian Vander Ark to provide the audio for the Celebrate Heartside video.   

“There’s a lot of crossover between audio and video,” says Carriere. “We can offer our clients a better product, and there’s more consistency because it’s all done in one place rather than as a collaboration between a few different studios.”  

Carriere and Korn now use Courier as the studio’s in-house band, providing original music for their corporate clients. They’ve found that their experience as a performer can provide an advantage when recording other musicians.   

“We have a soundproof studio and great sound equipment, but Matt has the ear for adding effects and other things that most people wouldn’t pick up on,” Carriere says.   

Megan of Acoustic Arts agrees that having help from someone with a background as a performing musician can lead to a better finished product than a musician might get if recording on his own. “It’s nerve-wracking to perform, and Roger knows how it feels,” she says. “Because he has been on both sides of the microphone, he can get better results because he gets the best out of people.”

And with the quality of work being produced by an increasing number of local studios, there’s no need to travel to a larger city to produce a professional recording. “Musicians can stay local and get an excellent product,” says Megan. “There are a number of good studios around here, you just have to interview the studios and listen to samples to find your fit.”

That’s a welcome development for musicians who want to get their music heard, but don’t want to uproot their lives to move to a larger city. “Twenty-five years ago when everything was run by the big record companies, musicians had to go to Los Angeles, Chicago or New York City to get attention,” says John. “Due to the success of independents, now you can release a record from anywhere, whether it’s Lowell or Chicago.”  

Kelly Quintanilla is a freelance writer born, raised and living in West Michigan. She is also the marketing director at Ada-based CUSO Development Company.

New Gear, People, Opportunities

2009-05-05T15:11:00.006-05:00

Two new arrivals in the last two days (and one in the last month).

Yesterday, we welcomed an upright baby grand Grinnell Bros. piano, manufactured in Detroit. It's going to take some skills to get it downstairs to the studio, but it'll be well worth the effort.

And today, our Letus Elite film lens adapter arrived in the mail.

The Letus allows us to shoot with interchangeable prime lenses on our HDV camera, capturing a more cinematic look and numerous depth of field options to our videos. It's really an amazing piece of equipment. We're ready to start using it and showing our clients.

(Seated is Matthew Korn, our audio engineer, who started full-time last month. He's the guy who can capture that vintage piano sound).

Creo Lands WMFVA Web Video Endorsement

2009-05-04T11:23:00.005-05:00

The West Michigan Film and Video Alliance (WMFVA) has awarded Creo Productions the highest level 4 STARMAP rating in the "Video for Web" category.

The rating is on a four-point scale, with a category 4 recognized as an “Established top service provider in the region,” based on a committee of industry peers. STARMAP is a searchable database for assembling production teams.

We’re thrilled WMFVA recognized our work.

Watch and Listen: Short Film

2009-04-28T09:35:00.017-05:00

Here's the soundtrack for our short film, as well as the launch of the website for The King of SPAM. All the music was written, composed, performed and mixed within 24 hours in our audio studio. A special thanks to Courier for helping out.

ArtPrize

2009-04-23T09:14:00.002-05:00

The world's largest art prize in coming to Grand Rapids. The Creo team went down to see the unveiling this morning. Here's the idea:

Artists will display work all over downtown Grand Rapids from September 23-October 10.

The public votes on the best artwork. First place is $250k, second is $100k, third is $50k, and fourth through tenth are $7k each.

ArtPrize is the brainchild of Rick DeVos. Here's a couple quotes from the press release:

“It’s time to reboot the conversation between artists and the public. ArtPrize will be a celebration of art, design, and innovation that will bring artists and the public together like never before,” said ArtPrize creator Rick DeVos.

“I’m astounded by the potential for social networking, community involvement, and the expanded view of the role of art,” said Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell. “ArtPrize will excite the world, and the world will look at our city differently because of it.”

It's a great idea to bring people together. As the presenters said this morning, the brilliance lies in the conversations bound to happen, the stage it's happening on (our city), the quality expectations increasing, as well as the openness of the competition to multiple art forms.

We're looking forward to it!

Here's a Rapid Growth interview with Rick DeVos:

Premier: 24 Film Festival Tonight

2009-04-23T07:02:00.003-05:00

Join us tonight at 8 p.m. for the Compass Academy 24 Hour Film Festival Screening.

Tickets are $8 at the door, and they suggest coming early to get tickets.

Celebration! North

2121 Celebration Dr. NE

Grand Rapids, MI 49525

P.S. Our film is titled, "The King of SPAM."

The 24 Hour Blog: Recap

2009-04-20T16:12:00.004-05:00

Note: I’ve collected all the posts from the 24 Hour Film Festival and condensed them into the following timeline. Here’s our posts, from beginning to end.

The Assignment

Here's the specs for the film:

Theme: Two Can Play This Game

Prop: Thermos

Line: "We're paying you to sing, not share your thoughts on life."

Location: Under a Table

We've got 10 people around the table thinking of ideas.

Will keep you posted, literally.

The Plot Thickens

It's 2:13 a.m. on Saturday morning.

After 5 hours and 13 minutes of debate, we're on the same page.

It's a bit wild. It's time to take the ideas and make a script.

The crew is setting up gear, nobody's asleep.

Tears of Laughter

Welcome to 3:39 a.m.

Derek just had us in tears with his voiceover on the line.

Tears of laughter.

Hopefully it's still funny (later today).

5:43 a.m.

The script is finished. The story is put together. We've spent over a third of our time developing the idea behind the piece. We feel peace. We're loopy. Actors will arrive at 7 a.m. for an 8 a.m. shoot.

The Morning Sun

Both our main actor and actress arrived at 7 a.m. Dax came in from Lansing, and Jill is with us from GVSU.

It's a quarter after nine, everyone is wide-eyed and ready for the day.

We're into shooting the second scene, a voiceover was completed in the studio, and I'm working with the musicians downstairs. Graphic designers are plugging away. Photos have been taken.

It's a beautiful day.

Sound and San Chez

The shoot is going well. The video team is headed around the corner to San Chez for a new scene. The band and I've been busy in the studio writing a couple new tracks for the film, including the jazz-influenced, "My Inbox is Full."

Our lead female Jill says, "Estoy muy bien."

Si.

Chaos

It's been awhile since the last post. It's 5:33 p.m.

Three and a half more hours.

Controlled chaos. All around.

But it's the best. We love it.

Now, all we have to do is shoot the final scenes and edit...and deliver...

Miracle on Division St.

It’s 11 p.m. At 8:20 p.m., we were starting to get a bit nervous.

We'd captured the majority of our ambitious story plan, developed two fantastic characters and scored four all-original songs in the audio studio. Two on the crew chose to remain sleepless, while the rest of us took an hour or two here and there.

And we pressed the buttons to compress the video for the proper format.

The clock begins ticking. And the file is taking forever.

Thoughts start entering your our minds about the last twenty-four hours, and how difficult it would be to put this much work in and fall one second short. After abandoning any hope of an in-person delivery, by some sort of miracle, we delivered "The King of SPAM" via an FTP site at 8:57 p.m.

We're in.

As soon as it went through (it looked to be two-thirds completed before it finished decoding at 8:57), we cheered, and I quickly ordered video and still cameras to take a snapshot of the feat, yelling, "Where's time.gov?"

Needless to say, it was intense. On the quiet drive over to Compass, I reflected on what our team had accomplished, and I'm proud of our work, whether we'd been able to have the judges gauge or work or not.

It's been an interesting and amazing 24 hours, thanks for following along.

A big thanks to our excellent actors and crew, who worked tirelessly for some pizza: Dex, Jill, Andrew, Matthew, Dustin, Dominic, Ella, Anna and Robert. A huge thanks to Matthew for composing and running the audio studio for hours on end, and Courier members Matthew, Dan, Andrew and Katie for developing an really impressive score, and San Chez for allowing us to film on location.

Can't wait for you to see it...

Follow Us for 24 Hours

2009-04-17T10:22:00.007-05:00

At 9 p.m. tonight, The Compass Academy 24 Hour Film Festival begins.

We'll have 24 hours to write, shoot, edit and score a 5-minute film, using four elements drawn from a hat: prop, line, location and theme. Everything's original, turned in by Saturday at 9 p.m.

I'm blogging the process throughout the weekend, not only for my own sleep-deprived sanity, but also for the enjoyment of others. We've got great people lined up, including a talented crew, a full band, fresh actors (and a lot of coffee).

If you can't follow along live, check the blog next week to see how it went, or attend the top ten showing next Thursday, April 23rd at 8 p.m. at Celebration North.

It's going to be fun.

P.S. Watch Spish, our top ten entry from 2008.

Spish from Creo Productions on Vimeo.

Media: Our Video Case Study of Whirlpool

2009-04-09T15:30:00.004-05:00

We're proud to announce that we're working with Design West Michigan to develop a video case study of Whirlpool's Duet Series. Read the Rapid Growth story below or click here:

April 9, 2009

Video case study to demonstrate economic benefit of design

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Design West Michigan and Creo Productions have teamed up to create what they believe is the first-ever video case study highlighting the economic value of design. The study will follow the design and development of Whirlpool’s innovative Duet Series washers and dryers.

“Good design, classic design and economically valuable design starts with design at the beginning of the process,” says John Berry, Design West Michigan director. “Part of the issue of understanding design is the difficulty in defining design, and the all too often assumption that design is styling done at the end of some process.”

Berry says design is actually problem solving. Everything gets designed, and constraints like time, money and production capability are problems to be solved. Good design considers all the factors up front to help manufacturers determine how and where to cut costs.

Creo Productions will produce a 10-minute video that highlights the ethnographic research that identified the need for modern efficiencies in laundry appliances. That research resulted in the Whirlpool Duet series, which revolutionized the industry, Berry says. Some of the conveniences consumers wanted include faster drying time, side-by-side appliances, water conservation, wrinkle prevention, variable heights to reduce bending and stooping, and reduced noise.

The video will highlight interviews with Whirlpool researchers and designers, the ethnographic research, the incorporation of drawings and prototype concepts, and a visual timeline.

Berry will make the video available to individual businesses and online.

“The goal of Design West Michigan is to use design to help grow the economy of the region,” Berry says. “The case study will educate non-designers on the value of design where design has the ability to enhance their profits and markets. We hope to produce several case studies representing different design disciplines, such as graphic design, architectural design, digital interactive media design, et cetera."

Media Story: Creo's Audio Growth

2009-04-02T09:40:00.003-05:00

Rapid Growth ran a story today about the expansion of the audio studio and hiring Matthew as our full-time audio engineer. Read it below or click for the link:

April 2, 2009

Young Grand Rapids A/V studio adds audio engineer, recording capabilities

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Creo Productions has taken a big step in its plans to offer sophisticated audio recording services with the hire of its first full-time position, an audio engineer to run the firm's new recording studio.

Last year, the company moved from 200 square feet in owner Aaron Carriere’s Eastown home to 1,425 square feet at 40 S. Division, Grand Rapids. Some 475 square feet of the lower level is dedicated to the audio studio completed in December, dubbed 40 South.

Carriere, 26, and business partner Andrew Tingley, 27, moved downtown with the intention of eventually adding the audio studio for recording musicians.

“With the growth of the video business we decided to make the jump to add a full-time audio engineer,” says Carriere. “We’re primed to grow very quickly with this move.”

The audio studio consists of a soundproof recording room, mixing room and post-production area. Musicians, voice overs, sound effects and more are recorded directly into the mixing room computer system where the audio engineer controls the sound quality, special effects and track layering.

Carriere says there is “tons of collaboration” between the video studio upstairs and the audio studio downstairs. One advantage is that Creo draws upon a network of local musicians, including Carriere and Matthew Korn, to write custom music for any video the company produces. Korn is the new audio engineer.

“Original music increases the value of your video production,” Carriere says, “and you can fit the music to the video.”

Creo Productions’ produced the audio and video for a new short film, Celebrate Heartside, which debuted last month as part of an initiative to bring projected art to downtown Grand Rapids.

Photo Essay: Creo Productions

2009-03-23T16:15:00.003-05:00

38 in the News

2009-03-19T12:08:00.004-05:00

Locus Development and Thirty-Eight is in MBiz talking about the revitalization of Heartside, centered on the construction of Van Andel Arena. Read it here.

Watch the full Celebrate Heartside film on our new Vimeo.

3rd Rock for Zimbabwe

2009-03-09T16:09:00.003-05:00

New Neighbors: Just Lucky

2009-03-09T09:20:00.003-05:00

Thanks to our new Avenue of the Arts neighbors Just Lucky for designing and coding our new MySpace header. Check out their work at http://yourjustlucky.com.

New Vid, Studio, MySpace

2009-03-04T11:51:00.003-05:00

www.myspace.com/creoproductions

Two Cents: '09 Addy's

2009-02-27T08:34:00.003-05:00

Last night, West Michigan celebrated the Addy's.

There's great work emerging from West Michigan. It's inspiring.*

Congrats, winners. The student Addy's we're equally impressive.

(*A special shout out to our friends at People Design. They won a Gold Addy for their "izzy is" video for Izzy Design. We helped in the process with recording + editing Chuck's voiceover. Watch People Design's magic below).

Our entry was Creo Boggle. No ice was won, but we're still proud of the idea.

Thanks for Crawling

2009-02-25T12:01:00.003-05:00

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Ad Club's Creative Crawl. We had a great time talking with new and old friends. Let us know what you think about the space (and the sound of Finnish-American piano rock echoing from the audio studio). See you at the Addy's tomorrow night.

-Aaron, Andrew, Matthew and Derek

Message from the Ad Club

2009-02-19T15:39:00.002-05:00

Creo note: We'll have our doors open on Tuesday from 4:30 to late. Visit us at 40 S. Division in Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

AD Fair 09': The Mardi Gras Creative Crawl: Tuesday, February 24

Area ad agencies, design firms, photo and video production studios and other ACWM members meet, greet and treat area business and community leaders, students, clients and other interested publics to a taste of West Michigan's creative side. With it being Fat Tuesday, hosts will bring a little taste of Mardi Gras to the event.

Can't make it to the Monday night presentation of the West Michigan Advertising and Design Hall of Fame but want to see the work?

Visit our Creative Crawl sponsor River House the evening of the Creative Crawl. All of the Hall of Fame inductees work will be on display.

Check out the list of Creative Crawl Participants.

This event is FREE and open to the public.

To see a list of other AD Fair '09 Events visit www.theadfair.com.

The Projection Initiative

2009-02-16T10:23:00.003-05:00

In case you missed the short-film premier, here's Rapid Growth's story on Brian Kelly's Projection Initiative. Celebrate Heartside was the first piece projected on the side of a parking ramp in downtown GR. It was a great project to be involved in...

More information is available on mlive here.

Much Love for Heartside

2009-02-12T08:52:00.005-05:00

There's another very interesting Rapid Growth article on the developments happening in Heartside.

(If you scroll down far enough, you can see a production photo of Andrew and I shooting on the set of Celebrate Heartside).

Brian Kelly's Projection Initiative

2009-02-12T08:43:00.003-05:00

Rapid Growth and the GR Press ran stories about Brian Kelly's projection initiative downtown, which would have digital media (art, short films, etc.) projected onto buildings. We've had the privilege to co-produce the first short film Celebrate Heartside. We'll watch it unfold tonight at the Pre-Glow party.

February 12, 2009

Projection initiative could spotlight art onto downtown buildings

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

An art initiative spearheaded by Grand Rapids photographer Brian Kelly could light up the city nights, literally. The Projection Initiative, an idea to project the work of local and regional artists on the sides of select downtown buildings after dark, began with an idea from Grand Rapids artist Reb Roberts.

Roberts, founder of Sanctuary Folk Art, received city approval months ago to display a painted mural of his work on the multi-story west wall of the parking ramp at Cherry and Commerce. But the logistics created too many obstacles.

“Brian was in here talking about doing a promotion video for Heartside and wanting to project the film on the parking ramp,” Roberts says. “We said wouldn’t it be great to combine our ideas and to project art in the city?”

The proposed initiative would fund the installation of projection systems at some 10 locations to help boost downtown’s vibrancy.

Artists would submit their work—photography, short films, animation, paintings—any artistic media that can be digitized for projection. A proposed computer server system could store the digitized art and control each projection remotely. And none of it would cost the artist a dime.

“If you spend any time walking around downtown at night, it’s already a great experience, and with projected art it could be off-the-charts great,” Kelly says.

He envisions people walking from restaurants to pubs and museums or strolling across the river just to see the projections along the way. He has had encouraging initial discussions with potential funders and will soon have cost estimates for the project.

Locus Development commissioned the first projection art: Celebrate Heartside, a four-minute film Kelly created in partnership with Creo Productions. The projection will take place at 6 p.m. tonight on the west wall of the Cherry/Commerce parking ramp as part of Heartside Pre-Glow, a public celebration of the Heartside neighborhood.

“This initiative could create another type of energy in this community,” says Reb Roberts. “Grand Rapids could become a destination for art buyers and dealers; we just need more public exposure.”

GR Press: Honey, Don't Cough

2009-02-09T18:01:00.004-05:00

The Grand Rapids Press wrote an article about Honey Don't Cough, 100 percent buckwheat honey that's used to help soothe children's cough. It's a new company founded in Grand Rapids by a family doctor and elementary school teacher with two young kids of their own.

The article mentions that we've been hired by the company to create an educational video on the dangers of over-the-counter children's cough medicines, and the benefits of using Honey Don't Cough.

We started shooting today and plan to release the videos in late February.

BONUS: Click for the WZZM 13 story on Honey Don't Cough.

Rapid Growth Article: Celebrate Heartside

2009-02-05T09:24:00.003-05:00

Rapid Growth wrote an article about "Celebrate Heartside," the short film we produced with photographer Brian Kelly. It also talks about the premier party next weekend, and the great work Locus Development is doing downtown.

Read it here or below.

February 5, 2009

Creative groundbreaking for “38” to debut locally-produced short film celebrating Heartside

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

On February 12, Locus Development will host the public at a creative “Heartside Pre-Glow” party that serves as the groundbreaking for Thirty-Eight (38 Commerce), a fundraiser for the Heartside Business Association, and the debut of Celebrate Heartside, a four-minute film written, directed and produced by Creo Productions and Brian Kelly, owner of Brian Kelly Photography and managing photographer of Rapid Growth.

The event venue, the former EQ3 building at 130 Ionia SW, provides the perfect space to debut the film: above the building on the outer west wall of the Cherry/Commerce parking ramp.

The film, shot entirely in Heartside, celebrates the revitalization of the area as a one-of-a-kind entertainment and entrepreneurial community. Brian Vander Ark, of The Verve Pipe, wrote and performed the film’s score.

“Locus Development commissioned the film to show the vitality and uniqueness of Heartside in a fresh way,” says Kelly. “Heartside is becoming the place to be if you want to live downtown in proximity to hip artist lofts and galleries, innovative entrepreneurs, some of the most unique retail anywhere and fantastic nightlife.”

Click here to view a sneak preview of the film.

As to why Locus Development’s John Green and Andy Winkel chose such an unusual groundbreaking event, they wanted to do something that benefits Heartside as a whole.

“We’d much rather allocate the money typically spent on a groundbreaking event and apply that to a worthy cause like the Heartside Business Association,” Winkel says.

Before forming Locus Development early last year, Green and Winkel worked together on two Heartside developments: Hopson Flats and Founders’ Brewing. Green also worked with CWD Real Estate Investment’s Sam Cummings on The Fitzgerald.

Winkel and Green’s newest Heartside endeavor, the $26 million Thirty-Eight, is a creative interweaving of public and private properties into a city parking ramp camouflaged by privately owned “liner buildings.”

The February 12 event kicks off at 5 p.m.; Celebrate Heartside shows at 6 p.m. Brian Kelly and Mayor George Heartwell will be on hand for a few remarks, DJ Shannon Williams will provide music, and guests can sample Founders’ beer and Republic’s menu specialties.

Please RSVP to Jessica Geerling at jessical@locusdevelopment.com. The party is free; however donations to the Heartside Business Association are welcomed.

Small Firms, Big Creative

2009-02-03T16:18:00.004-05:00

USA Today reported on the guys* who made the Doritos Super Bowl ad for under $2,000. It's a perfect example of the power of small firms (in this case, two friends) leveraging great creative.

*The "guys" are not us. But...it could be...

Celebrate Heartside

2009-01-30T15:17:00.005-05:00

Here's the trailer to the short-film project we've been working on with photographer Brian Kelly and Locus Development. Chris Knape of the Grand Rapids Press wrote a blog post about the short film today and the launch party on February 12.

Here's the details for Locus Development's Heartside Pre-Glow, where the full film will debut:

Thursday, February 12 at 5 p.m.
130 Ionia, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503 (Old EQ3 Building)

Visit Creo: Creative Crawl on February 24

2009-01-30T13:26:00.002-05:00

In case you missed our open house, we're opening up Creo for the Ad Club's Creative Crawl:

Tuesday, February 24 from 4:30 to 9 p.m.

40 S. Division Ave, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

For more information about Ad Fair '09, visit www.adclubwmi.org.

The Audio Address

2009-01-30T13:19:00.003-05:00

We've officially launched our audio studio.

Click to listen to our audio portfolio.

We recently recorded Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket fame) and Jonathan Kingham at The Photography Room's final concert, as well as a special song by Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe. (More on that later).

There's also a track from the Zim Worship Project, where 100 percent of proceeds go toward humanitarian aid in Zimbabwe.

If you're a musician, or hang with friends/relatives/others who are, could you let them know about us? Our vision is to combine our audio and video skills to help musicians thrive.

In business?

Our audio studio's fully equipped for voiceovers and podcasts.

Creo's LifeStraw Video on Vimeo

2009-01-29T11:25:00.001-05:00

Thanks for Touring Creo

2008-12-15T10:47:00.003-05:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to Tour//Creo on Friday night.

We had a great turnout and a lot of fun celebrating the new space.

If you missed it, contact us to set up a time for your own tour.

Film, Music and Brian Kelly Photography

2008-12-15T10:40:00.004-05:00

We've been collaborating with photographer Brian Kelly on a couple of very cool projects lately.

Visit Brian's blog to see photos from yesterday's short film shoot, then scroll down to see his shots from the Glen Phillips and Jonathan Kingham show at The Photography Room on December 4. We recorded audio for Glen and Jonathan--they are both amazing artists.

Media: Business Review on Creo Studio Launch

2008-12-03T19:39:00.003-05:00

The Business Review wrote this story (also below) on our studio launch. Remember to check out our launch party on Friday, December 12 from 6-10 p.m. at 40 S. Division.

Creo Productions expands studio

by Sarah Navis | Business Review Western Michigan
Tuesday December 02, 2008, 11:39 AM

Creo Productions in Grand Rapids may be small in size, but the three-man film studio has big visions.

And it's growing, despite Michigan's economy.

Aaron Carriere and Andrew Tingley, both Ferris State University graduates, founded Creo in August 2006. Carriere said they wanted to start the company because they have an "entrepreneurial spirit" and both enjoy video production. He also stressed that there is "a lot of power in storytelling."

Creo launched at the infancy of a new news media, Carriere said -- and there is a lot of potential in new media. With video, social networking and mobile communication a growing part of American culture, Creo Production believes it is ahead of the curve in the role of video and new media.

Creo uses its talents to provide clients with strong video footage and projects that tell people what is going on worldwide and in Grand Rapids.

"I really love telling stories through moving cameras, beautiful cinematography and translating what I see in my mind to the screen," Tingley said.

The Grand Rapids location has helped Creo's growth and success.

"The people here are great," Carriere said. "People are willing to connect and meet with you, and we're collaborating with others who have similar visions. There's also great energy having a studio downtown in Heartside, and we're excited to see downtown continue to grow and evolve and be a part of that."

When considering a starting location, Carriere said, "We wrestled between Grand Rapids and Nashville. We decided to stay in Grand Rapids, because we had existing connections and a base to build our business."

With Michigan's film incentives creating buzz across the state, Tingley said it doesn't have a direct impact on Creo Productions, because it doesn't include commercial work, but they love the publicity for Michigan and possible independent opportunities for their company down the road.

"While economic times are difficult, we're in an industry that's growing and evolving," Carriere said, crediting much of Creo's growth to the convictions of its founders. "Without passion, it would be hard to make it."

In 2008, Creo's sales "are well over double what they were in 2007," and projections are positive for 2009 and beyond, Carriere said. That growth has allowed expansion options. Creo is opening an audio division, Carriere said, and its space is perfect for additional growth.

"We're still determining our ideal size, but we like being lean and flexible to adapt to change, and there's a lot of opportunity for collaboration with skilled people we're connecting with," Tingley said.

Being a small business allows Creo to invest in its clients and offer a high level of service. At larger companies, a client may never meet the group working on their project.

"With our company, you'll know everyone involved, and that's a big advantage and makes it more fun to work with us," Tingley said.

Being a small company gives Creo "the ability to adapt quickly to change," Carriere said.

In the next five years, "we'd like to have a balance of creative, cutting-edge projects in the business world, as well as the ability to explore our own independent ideas, whether that's film or documentaries or a combination of both. There's a lot of potential in new media in the coming years, and everything is changing so quickly," Carriere said.

Local First Coupon Book

2008-12-02T15:41:00.003-05:00

You're Invited: Tour Creo

2008-11-14T10:03:00.005-05:00

Everyone's invited to tour//creo on Friday, December 12 from 6-10 p.m. at our studio in downtown Grand Rapids.

It's our official launch party for our newly renovated audio studio and video digs.

It's also in conjunction with the "Urban Lights" tour of other spaces on the Avenue of the Arts, so there's a lot to see that night.

We'd love to see you. Bring friends.

Urban Lights: Avenue of the Arts

2008-11-11T09:36:00.001-05:00

New Video: Farm to Plate

2008-10-10T14:35:00.003-05:00

We shot and edited this video for The Bistro Bella Vita and The Green Well, alongside The Image Shoppe, telling the story of the "Food to Plate" relationship between Ingraberg Farms and these Grand Rapids establishments.

Media: Feature Story on Creo Productions

2008-07-17T09:01:00.002-05:00

Rapid Growth wrote an in-depth feature, "The Multimedia Men," covering our downtown expansion, the project in Zimbabwe, and our hopes for the future.

GR's own talented Brian Kelly took the photos. Below are only selected excerpts; make sure to check out the full story.

"Creo Productions was born during a six-week backpacking trip through Europe, as co-founder Aaron Carriere traveled while taking a break between jobs."

"Today, the full-service video, audio and creative production company takes clients' projects from start to finish, including concepts, animation and graphics."

"Behind the company name and logo that adorns the large storefront windows, Carriere and Tingley sit at two desks facing the front door. Tall ceilings give way to bright white walls and wood floors. Just through the kitchen papered with Ansel Adams photographs is a set of steep stairs leading down to what will become the audio production studio."

"But, after viewing a sample of the company's produced work, it's hard to believe the material was created by such a small team, and not a big-budget studio."

New Video: LifeStraw and the Global Water Crisis

2008-07-17T09:00:00.002-05:00

LifeStraw is an innovative, life-saving water purification tool, noted as one of the century's most important inventions by CNN, TIME, Forbes, and a host of other media outlets.

We've partnered with international company Vestergaard Frandsen, the creators of LifeStraw, to produce a video about the global water situation and how LifeStraw is saving lives.

We're also honored by Peter's comments about working with us:

"I have worked with many large advertising and production agencies over the years, but none were as easy to work with or as competent as Aaron Carriere and his colleagues at Creo Productions. They quickly developed an appreciation for our technical products, and grew that concept into a smart and beautifully shot promotional video that we can use in countless ways."

-Peter Cleary, Vestergaard Frandsen New York

1. Please watch the video on our portfolio.

2. Please spread the word about LifeStraw.

New Video: Zondervan Launches Symtio

2008-07-17T08:59:00.002-05:00

We're helping publisher Zondervan launch Symtio, a technology independent program that allows retailers to sell downloadable digital products in their store. Zondervan CEO Moe Girkins called Symtio an "industry movement."

We shot and edited the video that was shown at Symtio's national launch on July 14 at ICRS in Orlando. Watch the video below:

Techy Blog: Behind Creo Boggle

2008-07-15T12:11:00.003-05:00

Many have commented on our Boggle video (see above), which tells the developing story of Creo Productions. First, we had to locate the elusive Boggle Deluxe edition, which has five columns and rows of letters instead of four. (Props to eBay for making it happen).

The music in the piece is an all original track, “Back Home,” written and played by Aaron, and recorded by our audio engineer Matthew using our ProTools system.

After scripting, production involved securing the camera directly overhead on an animation camera-stand. After numerous tests, discussions about logistics and lighting, we began shooting. In order to get the effect, we had to place the letters in their final resting position first.

Everything had to be done in reverse.

We developed a rhythmic counting system with a metronome to keep proper pacing. When Andrew set the Boggle game down on the table, we would count beats, then Aaron would hit the table underneath the set with a rubber mallet, shaking the Boggle pieces. At that exact moment, Andrew would pull the Boggle set up, shake it, and pull it out of screen.

After posting the video to our website with the original blue boggle and flesh colored hand, we decided it had to match our color scheme.

Andrew took the completed video in Final Cut Pro, and desaturated all the colors except green. He then tweaked the brightness and color to mimic our Creo Productions green color (Hex 339933). Running the video through After Effects with an HLS (Hue, Lightness, Saturation) filter made this process easy.

Finally, it was compressed with flash and added to CreoProductions.com.

On Sale: Yester-DVD's for $10

2008-07-09T08:11:00.003-05:00

The Yesterdog Documentary is on sale for $10. Visit Yesterdog or www.YesterdogDocumentary.com to pick up your copy.

In the meantime...

GR Press: South Division Stirs With New Investment, Sense of Community...

2008-07-07T12:13:00.006-05:00

The Grand Rapids Press wrote about the revitalization of South Division and the Avenue of the Arts in downtown Grand Rapids. They also talked to Andrew about Creo Productions and our thoughts on the space.

Click to read the story.

Local First: Grand Rapids Street Party

2008-06-20T14:22:00.003-05:00

On Saturday we shot and edited a video about a street party in downtown Grand Rapids for Local First, an organization that connects local businesses and supports sustainability, collaboration and education. View the party highlights below:

Business Review Story Features Creo: Small Businesses, Big Screens

2008-06-19T07:56:00.002-05:00

Lynn Stevens of Business Review wrote a story on how the film and video industry is impacting West Michigan, including those taking advantage of the new film incentives. She also talked about Creo Productions, and how we're approaching the industry differently.

The section about Creo Productions is below; the full story is available here:

Creo Productions in Grand Rapids is at another point on the spectrum. The company's founders, Aaron Carriere and Andrew Tingley, aren't interested in making movies for theaters. The two-year-old company is a member of the alliance, but its distribution plans involve other formats. They make documentaries, podcasts, online videos and related Web materials.

"What we sense is that the whole communications model is changing, how people are getting information is changing, how people are telling stories is changing," co-founder Carriere said. "People are starting to do a lot of experimentation with video -- I think that's going to continue. Stories have a place to be heard now online."

Creo is finalizing a contract with Lifestraw, a microbiological water purification system made by Danish company Vestergaard Frandsen, headquartered in Switzerland.

"What is the global water situation? We're going to make a video about that," Carriere said. "A lot of people know, but a lot of people don't know. Here these inventors in Europe are working with a small company in Grand Rapids because we can tell stories. The way communications is, there's no limit to the size of stories you can get a hold of or the impact you can make. You don't have to be an enormous company to make a big impact."

Rapid Growth Story: LifeStraw and Creo Productions

2008-06-19T07:55:00.002-05:00

Rapid Growth did a short story on our upcoming project with LifeStraw, a personal water purification tool. You can click to read the story below or click here:

June 19, 2008

Swiss inventor taps Grand Rapids filmmaker to market innovative water purifier

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Forbes Magazine calls LifeStraw one of the 10 Things That Will Change The Way We Live and Grand Rapids-based Creo Productions has partnered with its Swiss manufacturer, Vestergaard Frandsen, to create a video that markets the product globally.

LifeStraw is a drinking straw with an instant microbiological filter that removes disease-causing waterborne bacteria. It fits in a pocket or satchel and costs just $4. Users, many of whom live where there is no clean water supply, use the straw to drink directly from rivers, streams or pots of well water.

The 2008 UNICEF Handbook On Water Quality reports that some 1.1 billion people lack access to improved water, and over three million, mostly children, die from water-borne diseases annually.

Last January, Creo co-founder Aaron Carriere, 26, was in Ecuador and ate fish he and friends had speared in a contaminated stream. They all got sick and suffered severe dehydration in the jungle.

“I’ve never had to deal with being so sick because of the water,” Carriere says. “I came back and said what can I do about this, there’s people that live like this daily.”

Carriere contacted Vestergaard Frandsen and about a month later came up with the idea to create a video the company can offer on sermonspice.com, where members buy videos to play for their organizations and churches. The video is currently in production.

“We’re going to reach an audience for LifeStraw that they haven’t reached,” says Carriers. “Sermonspice.com has 90,000 members. You take a local video, load it to the web site and immediately it goes international.

“We’re a two-man company,” Carriere adds, “and for us to have an impact on the world is great.”

Source: Aaron Carriere, Creo Productions

Rapid Growth Article

2008-06-12T08:43:00.003-05:00

There's a story about Creo Productions and our move to our downtown studio in today's Rapid Growth newsletter. Here's an excerpt:

New video/audio studio houses "21st century storytellers" on Avenue for the Arts

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Based on the philosophy that the Internet is changing everything—communication, shopping, advertising, and entire industries—one Grand Rapids video studio has relocated to 40 S. Division and set a course for leveraging the Digital Age.

Read the full story online here.

New Studio in Downtown GR

2008-05-22T16:18:00.002-05:00

We've moved into a 1,800 sq. ft. space in the Avenue of the Arts, located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. The main level houses our business office and a video studio, while the lower level will be developed into an audio studio and video editing suites. If you're in GR, feel free to stop in for coffee to check out the new pad.

Creo Productions
40 S. Division Ave. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

New Audio Division

2008-05-22T16:18:00.001-05:00

We've also launched a new audio division, working with our audio engineer Matthew Korn. Now we're fully equipped for professional audio recording of musicians, bands, podcasts, voiceovers and commercials.

Our first major audio gig took place in Zimbabwe, Africa in April, with Aaron alongside capturing video footage. Look for the Zim project to debut in August 2008.

New Website, Video and Audio

2008-05-22T16:17:00.001-05:00

To commemorate (and explain) the new studio and audio expansion, we launched a new website at CreoProductions.com.

The site features fresh video and audio portfolios of our latest projects, including Chicago rocker-chick Brooke Barrettsmith, a mysteriously-composed Boggle video, and Spish, an all-original short film we wrote, shot and edited in 24 hours for a recent film festival.

Coming Soon: LifeStraw Video

2008-05-22T16:16:00.001-05:00

We're working on a video about the global water situation for European company Vestergaard Frandsen. They are the creators of LifeStraw®, two amazing water purification products that will help alleviate the water crisis around the world.

Forbes magazine called LifeStraw® Personal "One of the Ten Things that will Change the Way We Live," while also nabbing the 2008 Saatchi & Saatchi Award for World Changing Ideas in New York.

Cheers to changing the world with the triple bottom line.

WOM: Word-of-Mouth

2008-05-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

We're a relationally-driven company in a people-driven industry. Want to help?

The best way is spreading the word about Creo to your colleagues, friends and family. You don't have to staple green play symbols on kiosks or launch an urban graffiti campaign, but passing along our URL would be a big help.

Brooke Barrettsmith EPK

2008-05-20T09:36:00.004-05:00

In March, we traveled to suburban Chicago to shoot an EPK for musician Brooke Barrettsmith. We shot Brooke's interview and did all the post-production work. Here's the final video.

Spish (Creo Productions' Short Film)

2008-04-28T07:15:00.007-05:00

Below is Spish, Creo Productions' entry for Compass Academy's 24 Hour Film Festival. We had 24 hours to write, shoot, edit and produce the short film, using the following common elements:

Theme: Passing on the tradition
Prop: Remote control
Line: "We all go a little mad sometimes."
Location: Baseball diamond

We placed in the top 10, and Spish was shown on at Studio 28 in Grand Rapids. Enjoy!

The 24 Hour Film Festival

2008-04-25T10:18:00.003-05:00

We entered the Compass Academy 24 Hour Film Festival last weekend in Grand Rapids, where filmmakers have 24 hours to write, shoot, edit and produce an all-original five minute (or less) short film, all using the same theme, prop, line and location.

Tonight, the top 10 entries will be played on the big screen at Studio 28, with awards going to the top three films. The cost is $8. Studio 28 is located at 1350 28th St SW in Grand Rapids.

We'll be posting our short film online, entitled "Spish," next week.

The Science of "Neuromarketing"

2008-03-31T16:54:00.003-05:00

It's no joke.

Scientists have teemed with advertisers to measure brain waves to see how good an ad is.

It's called "nueromarketing."

Everyone's in the Media Business

2008-03-13T14:04:00.005-05:00

It's been an exciting week. From recording audio for a local brilliant furniture entrepreneur, to partnering with a singer marketing her own teaching CD, to emailing Dan Pink, the author of the world-changing book A Whole New Mind, to talking with a local creative firm about the changing industry, to this blog post from American Express, entitled "You're in the Media Business Now."

What does it mean that everyone is in the media business? John Battelle writes:

Today, I’ll assert, no matter what business you think you’re in – be it making widgets or providing a service, you’re now in the media business, plain and simple. Those that recognize this shift will succeed, those that ignore it will atrophy and eventually become irrelevant.

What everyone is talking about is the web, not just the web, but the evolution of the web and how it's changing communication. The furniture entrepreneur was talking about the enormous shifts in activity even since 2005. Battelle even goes far enough to say this:

The web provides a mediated experience between your business and your customer. If your offering on the web is satisfying your customer’s needs (even those your customers don’t know they had), it’s time to consider a major investment in the web media business. The Web already is - or will soon become - your most important customer satisfaction and service (and perhaps even sales) channel. You may be in the “making widgets business” now, but no matter what you do next, you’re going to be in the media business. All aboard!

Well said. All aboard.

Michigan: The Hollywood of the Midwest?

2008-03-13T08:13:00.004-05:00

Local Grand Rapids station WOOD TV8 did a small story on the film industry in West Michigan, and people lobbying for the state to give large tax incentives to bring Hollywood productions here. You can read and watch it here.

The Grand Rapids Press also covered the story, and conducted a small poll, where 83 percent of 153 readers are in favor of Michigan granting tax breaks to filmmakers.

Rethinking Your Online Video

2008-03-11T08:00:00.004-05:00

The online video research keeps on pouring in.

The NY Times has a new article entitled, "A D.I.Y. Approach to Making a Web Commercial," highlighting small businesses and video production companies that are partnering together to help small businesses communicate through online videos.

With online video, nearly every company has the chance to be heard--no longer is video confined to huge marketing campaigns and expensive ad budgets--it's about communicating through storytelling that's targeted to your audience.