Remote audio mixing made easy in this product overview for Protostream
Proto – from the Greek prōto, meaning “original, first, or relating to the precursor.”
For our bleeding edge client, Protostream, this simple prefix comes loaded with implications. What does it mean to be the first of anything, to the originator of something profound? For them, it means being the first to solve a growing problem in the world of any kind of event that requires audio. Moreover, it means doing so with a straightforward, streamlined approach.
As such, we felt it only fitting that we craft their product overview with a similar form following function approach. The product overview’s director, Jordan Nowlin, wanted to keep it simple: “The Protostream folks do an amazing job of demystifying a complex problem. So, why not make a video that follows their lead? It just made too much sense to not attack it like that!”
The Look, The Feel, The Graphics
As this project was a true script-to-screen endeavor, our first task was aligning our vision with Protostream’s. During our project kick-off, Jordan & Protostream’s founders, Aram & Alex, agonized over the spot’s aesthetic.
“We all agreed that we wanted to ‘keep the main thing the main thing,’ which, in this case, is showcasing what Protostream offers to its customers,” says Jordan, “but we also wanted everything to be purposeful, and hashing those particulars out in a kick-off is always invaluable.”
Ultimately, we decided that having one of the protos of Protostream on-camera doing the explaining would be the best path to a) building an emotional connection with the audience, but more importantly b) showcasing the platform’s capabilities in the most succinct way possible. As for aesthetics, DoP Haley Fusia & Jordan really wanted to play with Protostream’s fun peach-to-pink color gradient as a backwash for Alex on set. However, after a few camera tests with the spot’s gaffer, the ever-trusted Collin Ingram, we actually pivoted and landed on keeping Alex in a white liminal space and letting the on-brand graphics POP on the color gradient.
With all that hammered out, we dove into a quick week’s worth of scriptwriting, and then…it was show time!
On Set With Protostream
Shot on location at LensHead Studios, this product overview was a blast to produce! While the setups weren’t overly complicated (again: simplicity!), we did have to keep an eye out to make sure all the visual effects we planned for went off without a hitch. Enter: Seth Johnson, ECG’s resident Director of Animation, and in this case VFX Supervisor. With his aid, we were able to breeze through the shoot and capture exactly what we needed in almost no time flat.
The Sound of Something Special
So, Protostream deals with audio, right? Well, you know that we had to show up and show out with the soundscape for this video then! Our Sound Engineer, Matthew, had a blast creating the “audio chaos” that defines the opening of the product overview. Created from a melange of audio snippets from past projects, impromptu VO sessions from staffers in our Audio 2 suite, and random background chatter, he crafted the kind of cacophony that Protostream battles every day. It was the perfect accent to a spot-on product overview!