We weren’t flying by the seat of our pants but there were definitely times over the last few weeks when we worried about running out of gas, on-time arrival, and missed connections. All puns intended…our work for Mineta San Jose International Airport was, at times, challenging (because of the very effects-driven creative treatment), crazy (because of the deadline), and fun (when you work with fun people, you have fun).
The objective: Craft a video to be shown to International Airline execs that would illustrate the $1 billion travel market opportunity that SJC represents. As Silicon Valley’s Airport, SJC is surrounded by a “who’s who” of technology companies with employees, customers, and offices all over the world. The diverse population that lives in the cities of the South Bay also has families and friends that live on the other side of the globe, creating additional travel opportunities especially considering it’s also the gateway to Northern California with its attractions, landmarks, and natural wonders. To be shown in Abu Dhabi at World Routes 2012, the video needed to capture the attention of a trade show audience and keep the attendee engaged enough to get the message.
Working with Jim Barnes of Barnestorming Advertising, our job was to bring Jim’s copy to life. The first rule…no voice over. Tell the Airport story through images and text with a good dose of special effects. Enter Mike Baxter from Makai Design. While Director of Photography, Tam O’Connor Fraser and our client traveled across the Valley, capturing high definition video of high tech companies and Silicon Valley cultural and ethnic diversity (definitely on display at San Jose’s Santana Row), Mike went to work on storyboards and special effects concepts. Behind-the-scenes, Regan Eymann and Susan O’Connor Fraser were on the hunt for stunning stock footage beyond what was already in the Tam Communications library. Thanks to the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Convention & Visitors Bureaus for their assistance.
The back and forth between live action and effects, getting the right images in the right order in the right aspect ratio, took awhile. Getting the right text treatment to make sure it was readable and stood out against other visuals required a bit of trial and error but we got there. The end result is a 3-minute video that is true collaboration between three creative agencies—each of us bringing open minds and sharing an obsession to make the video great and make our airport client ecstatic. Judging by the applause, we accomplished our objective.