Corporate Video Has Changed

Hi All,

Following Tim’s post about the variation of work we do on a day to day basis in the heady world of Corporate Video, I thought I’d chip in my two-penneth about the issue of change.  Now change is a funny old thing and as British people we inherently don’t like it.  “Oh, no thank you, not near me, I’m quite happy how I am, etc” is a not unfamiliar concept to most of us Brits.  In business, therefore, we tend to get very uptight when major change crops up.  We rebel, resist, whinge, complain or whatever feels right whenever any kind of chance comes along, be it a new central computer system to control invoicing or a new coffee machine.  Now, there’s quite a lot of change going on with us at the moment - major investments in kit and people being the main theme.  All of the change we’re putting into place is to make better Corporate Video - ultimately that’s what we really care about.  We’re embracing change within our business at the moment because when, as a business, you are very much at the high-end of your market you have to ensure that you are always one step ahead in terms of innovation, service and equipment.

What I mean by this is that there are loads of things we do that we don’t necessarily shout about, that’s for sure.  For us, the various ‘ancillary’ services (as we call them) that we offer are all part and parcel of being the Midlands’ leading Corporate Video producers.  This can range from little things like writing bespoke music for everything we produce right through to backing up video projects with professional graphic design work and branding production to make a Corporate Video into a campaign.  It’s a popular thing at the moment, turning a video into a campaign, and that’s a nice thing for us.  It means that a video can be the centre-piece of a shift in culture, which is a huge part to play, and an exciting thing to be involved in.  If you’re interesting in all of these things we can do as well as making awesome Corporate Video, then give any of us a ring - we’re very friendly, you know…

So yeah, change and all that.  Corporate Video has Changed is our little mantra by which we live or die.  Take my word for it, video work for businesses doesn’t have to be terrible and cheesy any more, it can be modern, professional, slick and yet not hellishly expensive.  Don’t get my wrong, you get what you pay for, but it astounds me how much people think Corporate Video costs, when it doesn’t… the ROI is immense if you use it right.

Well, that’s enough of my little rant.  We’re doing a job for a lovely client of ours called Morrison Media Consultants with whom we work on offering Media Training - that’s training people how to be good at doing television, radio and other press interviews.  I’m currently sat looking out at Westminster Abbey.  Could do with a brew, though…

Hope all’s well with everyone.  I’ll post soon.  One last thing… Rest in Peace, Humph.

MILES

�

Corporate Video Has Changed

It’s the end of a mixed week in terms of filming. Besides my usual couple of days in the office, working on accounts and business strategy etc; I also had 2 days out filming. On Tuesday I was filming a competition winners film script at Groby College. As part of Affixxius’ recognition to where we came from (in other words, a short filmmaking background), we try to help local schools train children how to use filming equipment and how to put a film together. Miles and I were in charge and the day was a roaring success, all the students were superb and showed a genuine interest. We will be doing an editing masterclass with them in a couple of weeks time, to show them their final feature, which I’m sure they will enjoy.

However, from one extreme to the other, on Thursday I was filming at the Sunseeker boat yard in Poole. This was for the Finning Power Systems segment of the recruitment video we are producing. For anyone who doesn’t know Sunseeker, they produce million and multi-million pound yachts for the rich and famous and Dave, Johnny and I spent the day, filming around all these amazing boats (they also supply the boats for James Bond films, apparently). Needless to say we had a great time. Bob, who was the Finning representative we were filming, was absolutely superb and a really nice guy to boot, which made the whole filming a breeze, along with the great Sunseeker back drop. 

As you can read, our job can be from time to time quite glamorous, however, we do have our extremes as well, from a Leicestershire School to a multi-million pound boat empire………what a week!

TIM

Corporate Video Has Changed

We’ve got a new toy.  It’s a car.  A big car.  A really nice big car.

We’ve just taken delivery (thanks to Munaf and all the guys at East Mids Hire) of a brand new VW Touran as a new company vehicle.  It’s the newest weapon in the good fight to make Corporate Video into what it should be - an exciting, malleable medium with high ROI - rather than the utter tripe that has come to be associated with.  It’s a gorgeous beast that’s going to have our logo on the side soon.  If you spot our car out and about do flag us down, say hello, and offer the driver a cup of tea.  Milk with one sugar is a safe bet…

In other news, on Wednesday we did a really nice shoot for one of our most valued customers with whom we do a lot of work.  We were filming an installment of a video newsletter at a depot near Oxford.  It was a really nice shoot filled with nice people doing and saying nice things.  Above all though, I really feel that I should speak about the lunch with which we were provided.  It was, not to put to finer point on things, straight out of the top drawer.  It made the catering in Heaven look like someone had been given a tenner and told to pop to Aldi.  I don’t use the word ‘phenomenal’ very often, but now’s the time.  Any sandwich provider who has the guts and foresight to put herb bread, salami and mozzarella together deserves a VC, or at least the sandwich making equivalent.  If/when you ask us to come and make you a top-drawer Corporate Video, here’s a little hint.  Tea and good sandwiches are the way to a crew’s heart.  We’ll love you for it, honest…

We’re still on the lookout for two new members of the AP team - one technical dude or dudette and a new editor.  I’m really happy to chat to people about these positions.  We’re a pretty laid back, groovy kind of business that prides itself foremost on the quality of its work and service but also on having happy people work for us.  If you are interested, or know anyone who is interested, in our job opportunities, please don’t hesitate to give us a bell.  Number’s on the main site.

Er, other things…  Muchos congratulations to Jason Hathaway at Edward, Hands and Lewis Solictors in Loughborough as he’s going to be a dad before the end of the year.  Also congratulations to Celtic and Rangers for playing out an awesome game of football the other night.  As you can tell, I’m running out of things to say.  Above all, have a look at some videos and let us know what you think.  Corporate Video has Changed, as we keep saying, so check out the evidence.

Hope you are all well and business is booming.

MILES

�

Corporate Video Has Changed

Its no mystery to any small business, that a great way to build your company profile is by Networking. Here at Affixxius, I am a member of BNI (Leicester Tigers Chapter) and Miles is a member of Working Breakfast. We don’t get loads of business from our respective groups (but we get enough), however, we both enjoy the social aspect of it and the support network we get from the other businesses around the table. 

I’ve been a member of the Leicester Tigers chapter for 2 years (since I was 21), and I have always enjoyed it. You get out of it, what you put in to it, and since day 1, I have always tried to offer help and assistance where I can and was even Chapter Director for 6 months. 

Well this morning I attended my BNI as I do every Friday and it was the turn of Paul and Baz from Sign Here to do their 10 minute speech. We have used Sign Here on a number of occasions from signage round the business premises to props for productions we’ve done and their work has always been of the highest standard. However, this morning they brought in a board, that I couldn’t resist but have my photo taken with especially for this blog. Who says networking has to be boring!

Happy Networking!

TIM  

�

Corporate Video Has Changed

Hi All,

Sat here in the glorious Holiday Inn Express just outside Canterbury I thought I’d jot down what has been a nicely eventful day.  I left Oxford this morning where I’d spent the evening with my lovely girlfriend, Katie, and set off for Orpington, Greater London.  Thanks to our friends at The Talking Company, especially Mikaela who booked the appointment for us, I was able to have a chat with Allied Carpets.  We’re spending quite a lot of time at the moment introducing ourselves to bigger entities that befit the standard of work that we’re turning out.  It was a really good meeting and I got the chance to show them Heads Up (see my post on 9/4/08) and a couple of other nice bits that we’ve produced in the past.  We’ve got the chance to meet up with them again in May and they’d be a great company to work for, so fingers crossed there…

When I finished the appointment I trundled down to Canterbury and checked into my hotel and then drove on into the city itself.  Having never been here before I was shocked at how nice it was - it’s a very clean, modern looking city with a great history, and the Cathedral is amazing.  Although, it’s £7 just to walk around it!!  God must be loaded.  Here’s a picture I took on my new phone:

[singlepic=4,320,240,,]

It’s well worth a visit.  I’m staying down here because I’m off to visit Sea France tomorrow.  Although I hope we get the chance to make a corporate video for them, it will be interesting… Tim gets quite sea sick…

Anyway, have fun and I’ll post soon I’m sure.

MILES

�

Corporate Video Has Changed

I haven’t had much time to think about what I would put for my first ever blog, but then a fine idea presents itself at the end of the day, when Miles and I were at Gateway College. We were at Gateway presenting our ideas for their promotional DVD for theirfancy new college being built over in Hamilton. Miles and I assumed that the pitch was going to be in front of 3 or 4 of the senior management team, however, Gateway had planned something very different. They ended up bring in ALL of their senior management team, which consisted of about 9 people, plus about 10 students who were all interested. 

Therefore, Miles had to completely adjust what he was going to say, it couldn’t be too ‘businessy’, it had to be less formal and aimed at everybody in the room. Now, most people in this situation (such as myself), would completely panic, not only have you got to talk to a room full of people, but also, present a completely different presentation to the one that took 3 days planning! Like I said, this would phase most people, however, Miles takes a sip of coffee and delivers a presentation that even left me with very little to say (which is rare). 

This leads me to the title of my blog, thinking on your feet. I wish it was something you could train, but you can’t, if I could bottle up Miles’ ability, I would be a millionaire, however, I can’t.  Anyway, enough of this very unmanly praise to Miles, ultimately Affixxius is a team and I’m sure through my blogs you will discover many more talents all the lads have (that I don’t!!).

TIM

Corporate Video Has Changed

Hi all.  

Welcome to the all-new Affixxius Blog - the online home of our news, stories, new videos, photo galleries, behind the scenes information and loads more in the world of the East Midland’s leading Corporate Video Production company.  We’re extremely busy at the moment, which is nice, and with stuff going on there are bound to be stories to tell.  All the guys in the Production Team (Me, Tim, Dave and Jonny at the moment) will be posting on here whenever there’s something to tell you.  That could be everything from a new video that we’re really proud of right through to the scores in the lunchtime Pro-Evo challenge…

First thing I should say is a huge thank you to our good friends and fellow Tigers fans at Caged Fish for making this Blog possible for us.  Also worth giving a quick shout out to Chris Redshaw, who designed and produced the very cool Flash bit of our site.  Anyway, enough of the shameless plugging.

For anyone who’s new to Affixxius, we are a high-quality bespoke corporate video production company.  ‘Corporate Video’ can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, and anyone who’s ever seen Alan Partridge will know of the parody that has come to symbolise our industry (”I put a pound of mashed up Dundee Cake…”).  Luckily for businesses out there, corporate video doesn’t have to be slow, cheesy, uninteresting and twenty years out of date.  We have a tagline, slogan, whatever you want to call it, here at Affixxius - Corporate Video has Changed.  We stand firmly by this statement, and hopefully a brief look at some of our past work will show you that.

Although it makes us seem like out of work actors, we’re actually ‘between projects’ to an extent at the moment.  Still, saying that, we’ve just come to the end of two huge projects, one for Miller Developments and one for The Electricity Alliance, part of the National Grid.  The first one of those involved all sorts of things ranging from helicopter shoots to Jonny having to turn a field into a business park.  It’s going to be a cracking video - keep an eye out on here for the final version when our Miller have signed off the final, tweaked version.  The other project was a follow on from our very successful ‘Heads Up’ project produced last year.  These pieces are designed to brink some shock or interest factor to Health and Safety issues.  For those who haven’t seen the original ‘Heads Up’, here is it:

Click to play:  Heads Up

It’s a really nice piece that always goes down well.  The new one is a very different video, but equally interesting - watch this space for the new one.

Anyway, this post is long enough already!  Keep an eye on this blog - everyone’ll be chipping in whenever possible with interesting bits and pieces and I’ll post soon I’m sure.

MILES

�

Corporate Video Has Changed

Welcome to the new Affixxius blog, in here you will find all our latest news, links to new projects and general ramblings!!

Check Back soon