Before the squeals and laughs; before the picnics and dribbled ice creams, there is the construction. REDfusion got to be a part of capturing the construction of this new adventure playground in Melbourne’s north-east. The details that went into this design and the passion of the staff involved in the planning and construction was great to witness.
See if you can spot the animal footprints embedded in the concrete for the children to discover. One of the best parts for us was having a closed playground to fly our cameras around, because we love playing in the playground as much as the kids do!
Victoria Park Playground Installation Cinematic Showcase
Not your typical Annual Report, we had the pleasure of spending time with a large cross-section of staff from the Inspiro Health team, all bringing forth positive stories in the midst of tough times.
We love any excuse to create beautiful cinematography. This takes careful placement of our talent (ideally in wide open spaces), lighting the scene to look bright and fresh with a subtle flare, and moving props and furniture around in the background of images, then trying to remember to put it back where we found it afterwards, like the set of flags we placed in the background of this interview – we’re pretty sure Inspiro decided they looked better there anyway.
It’s important to get the little things right; a little known ‘filmmaking’ rule of thumb is to balance the weight of your frames. In a long form documentary or in our case, large sets of interviews one after the next, it’s important to get an even balance of left and right shots. Otherwise, subconsciously, our audience (that’s you) starts to feel one side of the screen is heavier than the other.
This was a unique partnership story between Treasury Wine Estates, Toll Group and SCT Logistics. In this video we follow the journey wine produced in the Barossa Valley and Murray Region by Treasury takes to get to its destination overseas – spoiler alert, it ends up on ‘The Wine Train’ on the way to the docks.
Imagine a full golf course tour of all 18 fairways, with featured shots of each green, offering players a unique way of touring the course from the comfort of their lounge chair. No need to imagine, have a look at the course tour we produced for Cranbourne Golf Club. You can also enjoy soaking in the scenery from the spectacular aerial drone shots.
Each fairway falls together in a neat and succinct little one minute package. We created a consistent and repeatable format, taking our viewers from the tee, through each fairway, and featuring each green and challenges along the way. Cranbourne has some spectacular water traps and plenty of sand traps to keep any golfer entertained.
When it came to planning the graphics for this campaign, Cranbourne Golf Club was very keen to showcase some statistics for each fairway. Utilising our experience with creative graphics packages, we came up with a little HUD (Heads Up Display), underpinning each video with interesting stats on each hole. This offers players and visitors an extremely dynamic way to explore what the course has to offer, before ever setting foot on the course. The grounds are absolutely spectacular and so well-maintained that I’m sure anyone contemplating an in-person look, wouldn’t hesitate to book in their green time after watching this video series.
We love knowing we could walk into the Club’s bistro and see all 18 of these fairway tours on loop on the TVs.
Brief – “Sit customers on the bonnet of their car and let them speak freely about the service we provide and why they keep coming back.”
GMG were great to work with – they set us free to simply chat with their customers, on own own terms. Allowing their customers to speak freely, without feeling they needed to impress GMG, was clever! A relaxed atmosphere will always convey a genuine expression in these testimonial styled videos.
We created four video testimonials, along with a number of stills testimonials; all as just one component of the larger Social Media Content Calendar Plan we put together for GMG Auto. Listen to the amazing, short, snappy testimonials below, where Ben tells us how he travels from the other side of Melbourne just to get his car serviced; Sue shares how GMG kept her car on the road for years after what was supposed to be a simple, temporary fix; and two commercial clients, Carpet Shed and Cool Drive, both with fleets in need of constant servicing, sing GMG’s praises. Stories may, or may not, include some hot laps with the GMG crew!
Ben, from Bellfield
Sue, Blackburn North
Maddie – Carpet Shed
John Goodrham – CoolDrive
Along with these primary four video testimonials, we also photographed a number of other clients and interviewed them journalism style, to create this array of testimonial imagery for the GMG Auto Instagram Social Media Calendar Project.
What a slam dunk – talk about raving fans! Stewart had a basketball court installed by Dream Courts in the backyard for his sons and reports that the sound of basketballs hasn’t stopped since. Along with several other positive points brought up throughout this conversation, we’re so proud of the kids keeping up some relatively silent active play in the background. Not an easy challenge of ours to meet, but they did it with flare!
A fun bit of trivia from this interview was the shot of the ‘old basketball hoop’, which Stewart said, “was literally falling apart.” As we were leaving, with cameras all but packed away, we noticed the dilapidated hoop, lying deserted in the corner of the yard, waiting to be scrapped. We remembered Stewart’s words to us on camera and quickly brought the cameras back out, just to grab this shot. Doesn’t it just bring an amazing contrast to this story?
Want a video with exciting motion graphics? What about real life, colourful cinematic footage? How about interviews with your staff, or, alternatively, a professional voice-over artist to really drive the story forward. What about testimonials from professionals and/or consumers utilising your products or services? Well, Patties wanted it all. This video is a fantastic mix of all of the best film-making techniques we have at our disposal, so why not have it all? What a brilliant idea!
The variety of testimonials throughout this creative corporate video really stand out to us as a great strategy. Patties have kept their marketing messaging clear and concise through use of scripted copy for our voice-over talent. The structure of this film is something quite special and was achieved by also giving voice to chefs and kitchens, representative of those who make a crust whilst being end-users of Patties’ new finger food range, then adding some fun and candid responses from consumers to finish off the video.
The additional key messaging provided by Patties, in the final motion graphics slides, just ties the bow on this piece so nicely. Along with Patties Foods, REDfusion Studios recognises the importance of consistency. We love coming up with a formula to stick to, shaped by your branding. Structure is so important for a film’s story, and utilising good graphic design that has clean, simple and concise messaging is an important ingredient for the consistency we enjoy cooking up in films for all our clients.
This campaign was shot across two days. As the business model is based around the team working from home offices, it was important we showcase company directors, Julie and Alan, together with their friendly team, interacting with clients in mobile office destinations, such as cafés and client homes. This was before COVID, so they were ahead of the curve and set up in advance for the current climate.
Spending time with the team, who has a dynamic on-the-road office approach, made easy work of organising scenes with various clients. Shooting this campaign has provided a library of footage, ready for use in future projects.
Watch this unique business in operation, below. Viewers be warned: if you’re currently in the property market, you may just be compelled to give the team a call right away!
Julie and Alan also operate Buyers Home Base, a sister company with a slightly different strategy. The Business Overview was shot concurrently and is the second video featured here. Soon after we put these videos together, we also had the pleasure of filming the Property Home Base Launch Event.
When you have a naturally complex product or service, you need an elevator pitch. What’s more elevator pitch than a tight 60 second, bright and colourful, funky video with professional voice-over talent leading the way?
In the spirit of the elevator pitch, I’ll leave you to enjoy this fun little piece we enjoyed making a great deal!
The life-blood of anyone working in the film industry is most definitely coffee and we’re not just talking about that imperative heart-starter first thing in the morning!
When our base of operations was in Drouin, we wore a smooth path up the hill to 3818 Espresso Bar. ‘Liquid Happiness’ is an absolutely apt description for the delicious brew Connor and Bella regularly passed through the window to us, resplendent with a complimentary little bikky or chocolate perched on top of the lid. We’ll still visit to refuel when passing through from our new studio in Warragul; it’s too hard to let a good thing go! It’s also not beyond the realm of possibility that special coffee runs will become REDfusion modus operandi … let’s hope the vehicular fuel price doesn’t rise!
Our intended 15 minute shoot with the baristas and their shiny, happiness-producing espresso machine morphed into a full 45 minutes of fun, hilarity and inhaling indescribably delicious coffee aromas. We left with our hands wrapped firmly around our cups of caffeine boosts and memories of a great filming experience.
REDfusion Studios is zealous about more than just caffeine, and showcasing local businesses is top on our list of worthwhile activities. The short cinematic promo we produced for 3818 Espresso Bar beautifully captures the skill of expert artisans at work.
Our ‘Short Cinematic Promo’ service is designed especially for small to medium businesses and we love the opportunity to film people in their own work environments, demonstrating what makes their businesses or crafts unique.
You’ll savour every moment of our film, below; sadly, you’ll have to make do with imagining the delectable coffee aroma!
The Cardinia Shire Council has shared a draft of its first ever Community Infrastructure Plan, detailing how future community infrastructure is to be planned, designed, delivered, operated and maintained. Through ‘Creating Cardinia’, the participation of residents is encouraged in shaping the future of Cardinia Shire.
Cardinia Shire, on the south-eastern outskirts of Melbourne encompasses an area that hugs a section of Westernport Bay’s coastline through to the renowned Yarra Ranges in the north. An expanse of Bunyip State Park, lush forest areas of Emerald and Cockatoo, farms and rapidly expanding towns, together with a diverse range of industrial, service and cottage industries all call Cardinia ‘home’.
Simply put, Cardinia Shire is growing and changing at a rapid pace, presenting challenges and opportunities of how to best meet the copious needs of the community. Cardinia’s Draft Community Infrastructure Plan has been developed to guide how best to plan for and provide spaces for residents to gather and connect, e.g. arts and cultural venues, kindergartens, libraries, consulting rooms, halls and bookable areas.
REDfusion Studios spent a day filming in Pakenham, Emerald, Cockatoo, Koo Wee Rup and Lang Lang to create what could best be described as a highlights reel of this wonderful Shire. Chris and Sam filmed the interaction between residents and staff, and captured the live action of kids enjoying play, art, craft and library time in a number of well-appointed, state of the art facilities.
Billowing clouds artistically drifted on expanses of blue sky, making for perfect backdrops for James’ drone footage of beautiful vistas, residential development and existing fantastic Shire infrastructure. Cardinia has manicured parklands, enticing playgrounds, sporting facilities, child care and kindergarten centres, libraries, community hubs, halls and places for residents to gather, plus so much more!
Cardinia Shire Council is passionate about the future prosperity of its citizens and it is easy to understand why this region is experiencing such growth; we look forward to continuing to work with them as infrastructure goals are shaped and attained. Exciting days ahead!
Shade Smart required a video to showcase their brand new product, Triax 4 Post System, about to hit the market. The Triax 4 Post System is brilliant, allowing installers to construct large shelters in a matter of hours, instead of days; this is primarily due to their patent-pending invention requiring no welding. This revolutionary system’s debut was at SuperExpo2023 on the Gold Coast.
Shade Smart approached us for a one camera, simple shoot of the Triax System in action; instead, James and Wes rocked up with seven cameras and one analogue clock. This is a classic example of REDfusion being happy to do what the client asks but even happier to go above and beyond to produce videos with greater impact.
Timelapse with a single angle is standard but opening it up to multiple angles enables content that is much more engaging and detailed and allows for true storytelling methods to be implemented. In addition to multi-angle timelapse, we used two cinema cameras to capture additional standard footage intended for Shade Smart’s use in the future, however, this ended up being cut into our main timelapse piece, creating incredibly detailed sequences.
From our multi-camera footage, we created a series of media, including the single camera timelapse to observe the construction uninterrupted (the original brief) and the detailed cinema edit comprised of multi-angle timelapses plus the cinema cameras’ sequences. One of the other videos produced was novel – an additional timelapse created by a camera strategically positioned on the floor, with an analogue clock in the foreground, proving the construction time claim was legitimate.
We are honoured to play a part in promoting such a fantastic Australian designed and manufactured product.
Odyssey Group is a maritime logistics provider, operating out of Geelong and Port Hedland ports, and they wanted to document the sea trials of the first of their two new line boats built by Impact Boats. With a drone as our eyes in the sky, REDfusion was delighted to spend a day on the high seas, capturing the boat’s extraordinary performance. The voyage started at Patterson Lakes Marina, taking us across the bay to Geelong and back again.
James hunkered down in the boat’s bow, bracing himself in order to maintain absolute control of the drone, with the added advantage of somewhat mitigating the wintry chill. The Odyssey team was lovely to work with! The guys from Western Australia were not accustomed to Melbourne’s somewhat Antarctic temperatures but constantly put on brave, smiling faces (or were they just frozen in place?), showing the stern stuff they’re made of. Nautical pun intended.
Once safely out of the restricted area, the line boat roared to life and cut through the water, leaving a mass of foaming white in its wake. The drone, with its bird’s eye view, captured the boat’s every move and gave us a perspective few get to experience of an oftentimes breathtaking vista.
Filming from above presented its own set of challenges. To prevent the drone from plummeting into the watery depths, it was essential for it to not come in contact with the seaspray the boat generated. Keeping the horizon straight necessitates concentration and a nimble touch on the controls. Then there was the matter of battery life; with each minute of flight, the drone’s energy reserves dwindled, forcing James to keep a keen eye on the situation.
The day’s most daunting task was piloting the drone from the boat whilst it hung doughnuts around a tugboat that was actively spraying high pressure water. It made for absolutely spectacular footage though and was heaps of fun!!
We were surprised by dolphins performing their aquatic ballet in perfect synchronicity not too far from our starboard. With a sky etched in shades of blue, white, orange and pink, the dolphins become the stars of a beautiful masterpiece of nature.
At the close of this exhilarating adventure, we knew that not only had brilliant footage been captured but that we’d had a hand in writing the first chapter in the story of this boat, destined for Port Hedland in September.
It was a day of high hopes, filming challenges and a healthy dose of adrenaline!
Producing video of musicians, both in the recording studio and performing live, is always a great undertaking for REDfusion Studios. Capturing artists’ energy, passion and talent is a privilege and we hold them in high esteem for their commitment to their craft. We produced four videos for Andy Layfield; the main one was filmed in a recording studio with a few snippets at a live gig, with Andy providing commentary, with a further three clips produced for social media.
Andy’s story began in Melbourne at the age of 16 when he first picked up a guitar. A lifelong passion for music was sparked by the magic of expressing emotions through improvisation. He found inspiration in the works of Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young and other 60’s musicians; this influence is evident in Andy’s ability to weave unexpected twists and turns into his music, taking it beyond the traditional 12-bar blues format.
Andy says that songs are started with him noodling on his guitar, finding a groove; the emotion of the groove dictates the story. Andy’s lyrics are shaped by life experiences, people and blues in the modern world, and he connects with audiences on a deep level, taking them on a journey with him. Blues rhythms, soulful vocals, incredible riffs and harmonica, coupled with undertones of funk and rock make for a distinctly individual style.
Filming Andy Layfield laying down tracks in Soggy Dog Recording Studio was an incredible opportunity. Backed by a talented group of musicians, Andy brings his vision to life; creating a sound that is unique and exciting. Andy encourages his co-musicians to have creative input and to put their producer hats on, believing that the best sound is created with this collaborative approach.
In the studio, lead vocals and guitar lay the foundation of the recording, built upon with rhythm (drums, bass and keyboard), spot performances by back up vocals and saxophone, with additional guitar and harmonica adding layers of depth. Finally, the recording is expertly sound engineered and produced.
Andy Layfield ‘& the Sound’ are a compelling presence on stage with their very cool hats and stylish gear, and they have an absolute blast performing together. The four piece band – bass, drums, keyboard and guitar – adapt Andy’s recorded songs so they not only work in live gigs but are masterpieces in their own rights. Filming this band engaging their captivated audience with their undeniable passion and talent for the blues was such a hoot!
Wellington Shire in south-eastern Victoria, AKA Gippsland, encompasses 10,817 square kilometres of spectacular vistas and is just a stone’s throw (2.5 hours) from Melbourne. The Shire boasts a uniquely diverse region from the sands of 90 Mile Beach, northwards into the High Country.
What’s to be found in ‘The Middle of Everywhere’? Pretty much everything – pristine beaches of turquoise water and golden sand, lofty mountains dusted with snow in Winter, rushing rivers and gurgling creeks edged with soft green fern fronds and majestic towering gums, grapevines heavily laden with the promise of delights to come and fine dining experiences to satisfy the most exacting gourmet.
Filming a small portion of the picturesque ‘The Middle of Everywhere’ (what an absolutely perfect description) for the montage commercial was thoroughly enjoyable, as was working alongside the Shire folk (not Hobbits, sorry). The mere term ‘The Middle of Everywhere’ evokes a sense of wonder and curiosity.
We’re absolutely rapt with the montage and excited to have it shared far and wide.
Our collaboration with Wellington Shire continued and we had a grand ol’ time writing a script, casting, filming, directing and editing ‘Guess the Holiday’. Our two local actresses jumped right into their roles and encapsulated their characters’ personalities to a T.
What you may not realise watching the commercial is that the ‘office’ in which we filmed was, in reality, a conference room that we shanghaied and converted for our purposes into an office. Lighting issues posed a challenge but were vanquished by our professional gaffer team, along with a vast array of additional lighting equipment. To create a realistic film set involves a lot of assessing, planning, problem-solving and, oftentimes, last minute tweaking but it’s so rewarding when everything comes together.
We’re really proud of the ‘Guess the Holiday’ commercial produced by REDfusion – we hope you are inspired to experience ‘The Middle of Everywhere’.
Our double feature of ‘Guess the Holiday’ and the montage are below … get the popcorn ready!
In this image campaign we emphasised the strong and powerful imagery of workshop and muscle cars. When it came to determining content, it was decided to have a strong leaning towards an educational component, with an over-arching theme of ‘fun in the workshop’.
We also wanted to incorporate client feedback into the campaign, which we achieved by producing both video and photo testimonials for another component in this campaign. See the GMG Customer Testimonials we produced.
The educational content certainly triggers your brain, if you’re not on top of your car maintenance. READERS BEWARE: If you continue scrolling down the page, you might find yourself contacting Gav and his team to make a booking!
They say never work with kids or animals; but what do they know? Patties are known for their Party Pies, so we just had to film genuine reactions from kids; afterall, they are the main consumers of pies and sausage rolls. Once the shots we needed were in the can, and the cameras were packed away, like ravenous animals, our crew tucked into the delicious leftovers!
This is a lovely film, that includes: a tour through the Patties factory in Bairnsdale, Victoria; drone shots we captured in some nearby farmland, celebrating the connection to the land where Patties’ journey began; some fun little scenes we orchestrated, showing Patties’ products being consumed by ideal clientele, such as brunch in the living room, the kids at a birthday party and a Saturday gathering of mates watching the footy.
Interviews led by Denis Gerrard and Greg Wharton offering behind the scenes details, together with our professional voice-over artist enlightening us with historical factoids of how Patties came about, make this film another great all-rounder and an exciting watch for anyone.
Patties Foods was going through large growth at the time of filming this campaign and part of that was the new stake-hold they had just made in Australian Whole Foods. They celebrated this achievement by including a chapter in this film, dedicated to featuring the additional capabilities that joining forces offers them in the marketplace.
Produced in an extremely tight timeframe, these projects get locked into our editing calendar as a priority job. We prepare graphic assets, including beautiful photography, from Arena’s amazing property portfolio; results get released behind the scenes and a day later, we have a slick presentation ready to publish and announce to stockholders and investors.
This style of video is often referred to internally as ‘NOT-death-by-Powerpoint’. This is achieved with a creative mix of graphic elements, text placed strategically utilising graphic design principles, and a variety of subtle visual effects and negative space. Important corporate reports are turned into beautiful, ascetically pleasing presentations.
Construction of the new SCT Logistics freight train terminal in Bromelton was completed; the terminal connected and expanded SCT’s already extensive Australian network into Queensland, with increased accessibility to their trucking network. Now to record the maiden journey!
REDfusion accompanied SCT on the first Victoria to Queensland train journey to tell their story and share in the excitement of this incredible milestone in the Company’s history. This journey started at SCT’s Melbourne headquarters; the train was being loaded with cargo from many newly onboarded clients taking full advantage of the direct service now offered.
We recorded a variety of interviews with staff involved in the journey; starting with the first train driver, followed by staff in charge of the loading in Victoria and subsequent unloading in Queensland, along with many other key stakeholders throughout the journey.
Our initial plan for the filming was to position ourselves in the train’s staff cabin, but later determined the importance of capturing footage of the train departing Melbourne and arriving in Bromelton. Thanks to the advancement in jet-plane technology, we managed to overtake the train after filming its departure, to prepare our cameras on-site for the train’s 3am arrival. The logistics on-site were difficult, to say the least, but not insurmountable with some fast leg work employed! The unexpected site size of roughly 3km became all too apparent when I went to ‘run’ to the other end with our drone, while we left camera gear set up, ready for the train’s inaugural arrival.
What a privilege to be a part of a client’s great adventure and making history.
In the six months leading up to this Corporate Documentary Film, we also filmed a short series in more formal settings, explaining SCT’s business model in general and how it has all led towards the move towards Expansion into Queensland.
Kicking back in the Dojo for a day with the Team Taekwondo crew, with our camera kit down in Coburg, Melbourne.
What stood out to us was how disciplined the team of students was to continue their formation training in the background, as Murat worked through our interview questions, under relatively high pressure, we must say too!
A nice little addition to this piece was the inclusion of a testimonial from one of the “Team’s” students, and hearing about her increased confidence and accelerated development in life, as a result of her training.
