Archive for the San Diego Video Production Category

Solana Productions recently partnered with a Fortune 50 company on a very large corporate event video production. They faced a difficult problem — how to get all of their employees (500+) in the same room with the executive team. There wasn’t a space on their campus that would accommodate such a large crowd so they started looking at alternatives. These included moving to off-site locations which would have required the entire workforce to leave, and using a combination indoor/outdoor setup utilizing small tents.

We were providing all the corporate video production elements for the meeting — video, projection, lighting, audio and power. During a conference call with several managers, I listened while they discussed using two 40’x80′ tents side by side, creating an 80’x80′ space. As the conversation progressed, I began thinking about the visual experience for the audience. This space would have poles running down the center where the two tents joined. It would also leak at that joint if it happened to be a rainy day, and this has been a very wet winter in California.

I raised these issues during the call and discovered that with all the focus on the meeting’s content, the aesthetics of the two-tent option had not really been considered. And the vendor providing those tents had not explained what the attendee experience would be like. Once I described that the space they would be creating would have low ceilings and be obstructed with poles, the managers agreed to give me the go-ahead to pursue a better tent option.

Although we’re not tent experts by trade, we are in the business of finding solutions for our clients. And as a San Diego video production company that’s handled dozens of high-profile shoots over the years, we knew there had to be a better alternative that was also cost-effective. So we spent time investigating the options and came up with the idea of erecting one 50′ X 120′ tent that would provide a more pleasing interior look for all 500 employees and executives. The large structure we decided on presented some very difficult lighting and projection challenges but the end result was a much-improved audience experience. The tent created a fun, festive atmosphere, in spite of gusty winds, and nobody had to watch from an overflow room or suffer through obstructed views. Our solution was declared an overall success and truly helped our client drive home the idea of “bringing everyone into the tent.” It’s an option we highly recommend considering for your next large-scale, outdoor corporate event video production.

When I first heard that our Solana Productions video production crew would be traveling to Sumatra it sounded like just another another video adventure. This would be our 5th trip to Asia although this time it wouldn’t include emerald dealers, sumo wrestlers or gun toting Thai border guards.

I was happy to hear that the Asian rhino was smaller and more docile than the African version. We had a layover in Singapore and stocked up on beef jerky and power bars which became our food pyramid for the next couple of weeks.

The short flight to Padang offered a preview of the misty mountains we’d be driving through. The rhino had been captured and was in the process of being domesticated, or penned up in preparation for the drive down the length of the island.

It involved long days in a convoy winding along slow moving rivers, stopping to feed and bathe the rhino and eating in the Indonesian version of truck stops. This was usually a small building filled with large tables. There was a central fire with a large bowl of soup or stew from which everyone was served. This seemed OK until we saw the partially eaten bowls dumped back into the vat.

At every stop children flocked to the trucks and were alternately captivated by the rhino and watching video playback of themselves from our camera. Once a warm rainstorm interrupted prompting joyous dancing from the kids and smiles from adults huddled under ponchos.

Central Sumatra seemed stuck in an age of simple village life and the rare appearance of foreigners was an event. But our reason for being there was evidence of a more modern problem. Recent immigrants from elsewhere in Indonesia were burning the rain forest and planting rice. The diminishing habitat signaled  inevitable extinction for large mammals like the rhino.

At the tip of Sumatra our video production crew captured the loading of the rhino onto a ferry to cross the Sundra Strait to Jakarta. From there it was a 26 hour plane ride back to San Diego where our rhino met her future husband.

This was one of many attempts by organizations around the world to save the species by establishing breeding pairs. Unfortunately this one failed. The female, Barakas, died leaving about 100 left in the world. This San Diego video production was a round the world adventure that involved 25,000 miles of air travel.

Corporate training videos were produced for HP at their event, titled Print Renaissance, which utilized video production services provided by Solana Productions, Inc.
Events at the Omni Carlsbad Resort included meetings, dinners and displays of the exciting new technology on its way from HP. Through numerous “on the fly” interviews attendees from all over the world provided their insights and opinions about the company’s new initiative.

Uses for new products like the amazing Sprocket Photo Printer  were demonstrated with mockups of college dorm rooms, modern living spaces and security monitoring stations.

HP Sprocket

HP Inc. is an American technology company, created on November 1, 2015 as one of two successors of Hewlett-Packard, the other being Hewlett Packard Enterprise. It develops and provides hardware, such as personal computers and printers. It is the legal successor of the old Hewlett-Packard. The split was structured so that Hewlett-Packard changed its name to HP Inc. and spun off Hewlett Packard Enterprise as a new publicly traded company. HP Inc. retains Hewlett-Packard’s stock price history, as well as its ticker symbol of HPQ (whereas Hewlett Packard Enterprise uses a new ticker, HPE. HP is now focusing on consumers who improve their computers frequently and spend more money on games. They released the gamer-centric Omen line of laptops and desktops targeted at mid-range consumers with an Omen X line to debut later in 2016.

HP Inc. is the larger successor of Hewlett-Packard in terms of revenue. It recorded US$57.3 billion in revenue in 2014, compared with Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s US$53 billion. 50,000 employees will work at HP Inc., and Dion Weisler has been announced as CEO of the new company created as a result of the Hewlett-Packard Co. separation. Solana Productions, Inc. has been providing video production services for HP for over 10 years.

For more information about corporate training videos please contact Solana Productions!