01 —Reminiscing

Let’s take a trip back in time to when ‘COVID’ was a made-up word you tried to get away with when playing your grandmother in Scrabble. “It’s a type of internet thing, Grandma, don’t worry about it.” Let’s take that time machine to literally any Barbershop film shoot prior to early 2020. How did it look? And perhaps more importantly, how did it feel?

In front of the camera, you’ll likely see a few talented actors, exercising their craft with utmost precision. Behind the camera could be a hive of anywhere from four to forty crew members, clients, producers, catering professionals, running around, trying to catch lightning in a bottle. We were carpooling to sets (minimal footprint is important to us), we were cramming in lunchrooms and lining up in front of food trucks, we were sharing muffins and bagels when one’s appetite couldn’t quite conquer the whole thing, we were congregating around a monitor to keep a keen eye on the details, we were giving each other hugs after an excellent take, after a good joke, after a lame joke.
We were a big family, welcoming anyone on set with warmth and love. We were a place where the excellence in front of the camera was fuelling the action behind, and where the camaraderie behind the camera was fuelling the talent in front.

02 —Adapting to a New Normal

The result, through a collaborative process with the client, was a series of TED Talk inspired videos – created with the same energy, intellect, and accessibility as the well-known educational videos. (Moderately known fact: ‘TED’, in this case, is not short for Theodore, but for ‘Technology, Entertainment, and Design’. So the next time someone calls them Theodore Talks, you can correct them with confidence).

As the company’s operations are extremely vast and complex, the videos began by imparting a basic foundation of knowledge on the company and the industry, before diving deeper into intricacies of their workings – whilst using real-world examples that viewers could relate to on a personal level. We not only shot the TED-like videos with several speakers from the company, but supplemented the talks with b-roll footage from inside their operation – providing concrete and vital visuals to the new employees.

“It’s not to replace the step-by-step curriculum you would need to do your job. It’s more about getting people a better understanding of how things work and how they personally fit into the company,” said Stevens.

“We want people to learn, be genuinely interested, and not feel overwhelmed. Then, they understand how they fit into the bigger picture.”

03 —Look on the Bright Side

In summary, engaging your employees in a thoughtful and interesting manner is certainly a better approach than sending them off into a compulsory siesta.
The response to the video has been decidedly positive. According to reports, the glimmer in the eyes of some employees suggest some may have been to Pamplona during an electrical storm, and the experience of watching these videos was not far off.