Hi there,
It’s Neil writing this week.
If there’s one good thing about a pandemic (and we all know there isn’t much), it’s that businesses have embraced and normalised the concept of working from home.
Well, I’d like to normalise one more activity that was born out of covid-times…phoning it in. You saw it on BBC news, then other TV shows, then documentaries, then absolutely-bloody-everywhere. It was socially distanced, lockdown-friendly and cost-effective. It made sense.
The thing I’d like to normalise, however, is that phoning it in doesn’t have to be the inferior sibling of a real crew. To me, it’s just another creative option. Even though film crews can now venture out into the world and point a camera in people’s faces, I still think creative approaches with phone or webcam contributors can be a really bloody good option.
Why? I hear you not ask.
Well, despite the convenience during a pandemic. I think it brings a fascinating tone that can be powerful. It’s intimate, chatty, relaxed and familiar. It lets stories come through without the gloss and upright posture of an actual film set. It lets people speak without using their “phone voice” if you know what I mean
Here are some examples
Microsoft Hololens
I’ve shared this before, but it’s so beautiful it’s getting one last dance. Telling a story purely through a phone call and vividly immersive animation