Transvideo Blog
Favorite Videos 2000-2019
Transvideo’s Video Favorites
It’s hard to believe but Transvideo is now in its fifth decade of existence. Founded in 1981, we have been making videos since Jimmy Carter was in office, since VHS and BETA were the big new things, and before the Internet, and…well, you get the idea.
There have been major changes over the years – from the construction of our state-of-the-art studio in 1992 to the formation of our creative agency, Picturelab, to an ownership change in 2017 – through it all, we have continued to create excellent videos for our clients worldwide.
To celebrate, here are some of our favorite videos.
Blippy Explainer Video
Featured on TechCrunch, this video showed the power of an explainer video. It took a very controversial product and made it fun. The startup didn’t survive – it was a very risky idea, after all – but our explainer succeeded in alleviating a lot of the concerns people had about using it.
Checkpoints Explainer Video
We love animated explainers, and we love character animation most of all. Especially when the characters are round squishy little guys. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the product was pretty cool, too.
Quest for Credit
Yes, we actually did an animated short. More branded content than a commercial, this epic adventure for Mint explored the dangers of mismanaging your money. I wish I saw this my Freshman year in College!
Box-Crunchies
We love working with kids and we love working with tech companies. So this Box video featuring some really smart kids making a case for the Crunchies Award was a blast.
Google Maps Street View Launch Video
Yes, the Street View launch video! It’s hard to believe there was a time before Google Street View. But in 2007, it was a new thing and Google asked us to create a launch video to show how it all works. This video amassed 2 million views on YouTube in 2 days, and currently is at 13 million.
Mint: A Trillion Dollar Visualized
The entire world was going through some tough times at the end of the 2000s. Trillion dollars seemed like another number being thrown around at this time. But to visualize it is staggering. This branded content piece for Mint helps us to see what a trillion dollars, which was only one tenth of the bailout during the Great Recession of 2008, looks like.
My Cup of Tea featuring Varsha Saxena
We created some branded content pieces for Sloths Tea. One of our most enjoyable projects, we found normal people doing what makes them happy and made a micro-documentary out of them. Here’s one in the series of videos we created for this tea brand.
NORAD Santa Tracker 2008
For Christmas 2008, Google and NORAD teamed up to track Santa’s journey so people could follow along. We were there to document it all as shown in this fun highlights video.
Pebble iOS Notifications Launch
We love wearable tech. And though Pebble eventually shut down and the IP purchased by FitBit, we had a blast making this video in 2013.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – A Focus on Malnutrition in India
Transvideo worked on many pro-bono projects for non-profit organizations. We created this educational animated video for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to inform viewers about nutrition in third world countries. One of the most rewarding projects we’ve worked on to date.
As you can see, Transvideo has had a strong 40 year run so far as a premier video production company, and still going strong. If you would like to be a part of our on-going history, contact us at info@transvideo.com.
Why is video important for Sales and Marketing? Here are the numbers.
Long gone are the days of splicing film, but videos are still relatively expensive to make. It may often seem like an investment with little tangible rewards. Most companies don’t really know how to quantify the success of online video. An outbound video like a television commercial is relatively easy. An infomercial will result in calls while it airs. A Super Bowl ad will also see a spike in website hits and engagement on social media. Those results are easy to see.
But what about online video that sits on your website or on a video platform? When asked what metric they use to assess the success of their video, one company marketing person said the only metric they know of is the number of views on YouTube. So, more views equal success…?
That doesn’t make any sense since the video is supposed to increase engagement with your brand, not with the video itself.
So how do we know videos are successful?
Below is an informative infographic on the general usefulness of video (courtesy of Hyperfine Media). It doesn’t tell us how your video has helped your brand specifically, but it does tell us that videos are important in converting buyers from the top of the funnel to the bottom.
Key highlights:
Click-through rate leads to 200-300% when video is included in an email.
Buyers are 64% more likely to buy a product online after watching a video.
80% of viewers remember a video for 30 days.
Most popular form of online video content is comedy.
Videos increase brand association by 139% and purchase intent by 97%.
4 out of 5 users will click away if the video stalls while loading.
5% of viewers won’t watch a video past 1 minute. At 2 minutes, that number jumps to 60%.
Takeaways from this data:
If you’re in the business of selling something, make a video, and include it on your site and emails.
Keep your videos between 60-90 seconds total running time.
Make sure your video has a clear call to action so that viewers can act before they move onto something else, or forget about the video altogether. There are way too many distractions.
Comedy is a good way to get people’s attention.
Also, the infographic says, “Dr. James McQuivey estimates that one minute of video is equal to 1.8 million words.” I’m not sure who Dr. James McQuivey is and I’m not good at math, but sounds about right if a picture is worth a thousand words and there are 24+ frames per second.
Do I need a Professional Video Production Company for Small Shoots?
Even Small Shoots Need Professional Crews
This is a common scenario for us:
We get a call or email from a client who needs to shoot an executive or client in the next week or less. It’s a conference or meeting or a reaction to some current event they want to capture and share with the world. They thought they could do it themselves but decided, last minute, they want a professional video production company.
When we ask them why they decided to hire a professional, the answer is usually that they wanted to make sure it was done.
And that’s the reason why video companies like Transvideo has existed and thrived. Even in this digital age where a phone can shoot a feature film, there are technical and aesthetic reasons to hire people who have years of experience making videos.
Reason #1: Technical
In most cases, you only get one shot to get it right. The CEO isn’t going back up on stage to re-do his keynote speech because you had technical difficulties the first time around. Your client won’t be happy if he has to repeat the same lines over and over again on a testimonial video because your equipment isn’t up to par.
Knowing the technology and tools of the trade is a requirement.
Well, I know how to use my phone to shoot a video.
Sure, you can. Go right ahead. But that leads to Reason #2….
Reason #2: Aesthetics
Your video should look good. You want something on social media that’ll die in a week or less. Okay, go ahead, in that case use your phone. But if you’re shoot a video of a CEO, client or an influencer, you want the video to look good. Because when they look good, it makes your brand look good.
Hiring a professional company like Transvideo or our creative sister company, Picturelab, will ensure you are also receiving the look you want for your video. We are film and creative experts, in addition to doing just video production.
When we’re setting up a shot, we’re not just thinking about technically recording the subject, we’re also thinking like directors of a feature film — angles, color, mise-en-scène. Yes, even for a talking-head corporate video.
Not everyone might notice all the details we consider because we do it right. But audiences will usually notice the details if they are done wrong, and that will affect your brand.
So, even for small shoots, use a professional corporate video production company.
Award-winning eSignal Campaign
Interactive Data has been riding a wave of creative recognition with us for the past few months. Recently, the commercial campaign that we created for their eSignal product won a 2016 Pixie Award for Outstanding Motion Graphics & Animation. And now we’re proud to announce that this campaign has also won the 2016 Gold Communicator Award of Excellence in the Financial Services Commercial category.
eSignal is an online trading platform for use by professional day traders. We wanted to highlight the platform’s powerful tools that traders use to benefit their work and the financial interests of their clients.
These commercials manage to blend the need to make a highly specialized software feel warm and inviting to the general public without simplifying it’s professional strengths.
GeneWEAVE takes home the prize
Our heartfelt congratulations to the team at GeneWEAVE for winning the First Place trophy of the Dx Creative Communication Awards! They won for best tradeshow and another First Place for the animated video we produced for them.
Using design standards inspired by our Integrated Videos, the video was created to exist in harmony with its environment. The looped video begins and ends in a design that completes the logo element within the tradeshow booth.
With GeneWEAVE’s Smarticles technology, we expect them to make a big impact in the biomedical industry and to perhaps revolutionize the way we treat bacterial infections.
It was a pleasure working with them, and it looks like everyone’s hard work is getting recognized.
Links:
geneweave.com
transvideo.com
eSignal: Home of Successful Traders
The project we just completed is a commercial spot for eSignal, currently airing nationwide. eSignal is a platform designed for dedicated, professional day traders and we wanted to emphasize the sophistication that eSignal guarantees its users.
The 3D graphics bring eSignal to life, mirroring actual features within the product. This is some of our best work to date and we couldn’t be prouder of our team.
Produced by Transvideo Studios and its creative division, Picturelab
Pebble Smartwatch Video
Breaking news: Transvideo Studios produced the Pebble video posted today on their site, yielding over 50k views in its first day. Video
What We Do: A Manifesto
Transvideo Studios has been in business for more than 30 years. During this time, we have learned a lot from working with the largest companies in Silicon Valley, and beyond. As a result, here is what any client can expect when working with us:
- We are experts in how video works for companies and organizations, worldwide. We engage our clients and help them to discover precisely what their messaging should be through video.
- Our expertise extends beyond the production of the video. We provide insight into how best to deliver and make use of our product to improve its effectiveness.
- We are experts in emerging web technologies. We are up to date on the latest trends so we truly understand the environment. This gives us insight into how to differentiate products in a tight market.
- We learn from every project. We follow-up with our clients long after the video has been delivered to gauge its success.
- Our work is highly polished and tailored for the specific needs and style of our clients. Our clients know that a video we provide will not be done in the “Transvideo” style, but rather in the style of the company we work for. We avoid trendiness in favor of what actually works.
- We manage the tight deadlines and shifting nature of web tech without blinking an eye. We structure our projects to accommodate the way clients work. Our job is not to educate them or fit them into our model – we adapt to their needs.
- We provide a spectrum of creative products that others simply can’t provide at our price point.
- Our Silicon Valley California location is ideal as a content provider and thought leader in our market. It is incredibly convenient for local companies to come to us simply due to geography, and we’re growing internationally as well. We’ve produced videos for companies in over 40 countries and languages.
- Our longevity and past experience assure our clients that we are not a flash in the pan.
- The work we produce is both engaging and effective, thanks to the investment we make in deeply understanding our clients’ needs.