Video

Zendesk Helpers

I always love it when a company decides to use a different marketing approach to subtly promote who they are. I recently discovered that CRM software manufacturer Zendesk has started producing a series of documentary shorts that have nothing to do with Zendesk. I came across the videos on Vimeo while actually looking for something related to their product and then discovered the link to Zendesk Helpers a microsite which has the purpose of being helpful and encouraging, and a little bit of software promotion.

One of the things that I love about the site and the videos, is the high quality production value that is presented. Especially the videos. These are not shoot it on your iPhone and edit in iMovie (although I have seen some videos done that way that look really amazing). All of these have a fairly large production crew and it shows.

Beyond the production however, is the quality of the content itself. Each video left me feeling good about humanity, something we all need these days. As of February there were a total of 5 video stories available on the microsite. I’m hoping they are in the process of producing even more, because these are great.

We set out to look for helpfulness in the world and were amazed at the stories we found. Because being helpful might sound simple, but it’s actually badass.

Zen Desk Helpers
Advertisement

FutureDeluxe for Nespresso

Mcann / Hogarth recently commissioned FutureDeluxe to produce a CG animated commercial for Nespresso that is really wonderful. OK, what am I saying pretty much everything FutureDeluxe does is wonderful. The short clip takes the viewer on a journey that travels through a variety of spaces. Each highlighting the colors and variety of Nespresso machines, all of which are designed to create an atmosphere reflective of the machine itself. The short is made up of 37 films, 44 CG products, and 40 key visuals that live in 7 unique spaces.

One thing that really stands out to me about this advertisement is the fact that you hardly see any Nespresso branding. You occasionally see the logo on a shopping bag or on the Nespresso coffee pod but that is it, and it works. The brand is so well known they don’t need to smack you over the head by plastering the logo in every single shot. Not only that but the spaces themselves continue to elevate Nespresso to be seen as the luxury coffee item that it is.

If you want to geek out a bit, the process real below shows how this was put together from a fairly high level. Sketches, style frames, animatics, wireframe renderings plates, and all. Personally, I love looking at this stuff. I find it absolutely fascinating.

Rubber Bullets

Over the course of 2020, we have all been witness to protests that the news has captured and broadcast to us via TV, the web, and our phones. From “Black Lives Matter” to “End the Covid-19 Shutdown” and everything in between 2020 has been a year of worldwide unrest and protests.

One of the things that come with that, is police enforcement and crowd control using non-lethal weapons like rubber bullets. While rubber bullets are designed to be non-lethal, that doesn’t mean they don’t inflict serious harm on the person that gets shot with one. I’ve seen many social media posts showing the outcome of someone taking a rubber bullet to the face, or multiple bullets to the torso. The result is often devastating and debilitating, and it begs the question is there a need for them? I’m not taking sides here. I’m simply asking.

The video below demonstrates what rubber bullets are capable of. Especially when fired at close range. While the human body is more durable than an eggplant, this video brings home the truth about how much serious harm these non-lethal projectiles can inflict on a person.

Produced by Royale Film Co. and Dan Brown this video was inspired by the protestors in Austin Texas this summer. Protestors including a college student that suffered permanent brain damage when shot in the head with a rubber bullet.

Using a high-speed Phantom camera shooting at 2000 frames per second the video truly highlights what these “non-lethal” projectiles are capable of. And while the visuals are quite stunning and fascinating to watch, they also show what rubber bullets are capable of.

Google’s “Year in Search” for 2020

Just in case you didn’t know it, 2020 has been a pretty trying year on so many levels. So much has happened in the last 12 months that it is easy to forget some of what we have all been through. Each year Google puts out their “Year in Search” video which curates visuals associated with the most dominant trend in search, and this year the trend was “why?”.

Google captures 2020 in 3 minutes and reminds all of us that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that while this year has been rough, to say the least, there is a reason to keep going. Here’s to 2021 and a better year ahead.