How is the Future of Video Production Like Tesla?

My goal is to get the audience to understand that more sustainable production isn’t just a feel good add-on... it can actually be a fully better approach to production.?

I may not agree with everything Elon Musk does … But I give the guy credit where it’s due. He cracked the code on getting the world to finally embrace electric cars. And he did it by proving there do not need to be trade-offs in the process.

Okay, so how is this article about a better approach to video production?

Next week, I’m speaking at the AICP (Association of Independent Commercial Producers) conference in New York. Our company, Hometeam, is a proud member of Green the Bid supporting a more sustainable approach to production. I’m speaking on their Sustainability in Production panel (June 7, 2022).

My goal is to get the audience to understand that more sustainable production isn’t just a feel good add-on... it can actually be a fully better approach to production.?

Back to Tesla. For decades, the auto industry was hesitant to create an electric car that would be taken seriously. That’s being generous. They were pretty much dead set against it .

Automakers ensured this because they didn’t give customers much to get excited about. Any efficient electric or hybrid cars introduced were slower, had less range, were much more expensive, and were definitely much uglier than their fossil-fuel burning competitors. They didn’t stand a chance. Until Tesla came along…

Tesla offers cars that are not only electric, they are also faster than a supercar, have longer range than a fuel tank, are cost-competitive (especially with tax incentives), and are pretty dang sexy. Oh… and they also have innovative and useful new features that auto-update to your car. Kewl!

Tesla didn’t create a better electric car. Tesla created a better car… that’s also proudly electric.

Tesla is not asking you to make any trade-offs. You’re actually getting a fully better experience. They proved that efficiency can be sexy and have completely remade the auto industry in the process.

So back to our company Hometeam. When we’re talking about sustainable production, I think unfortunately that’s always going to be considered a nice-to-have for clients until we prove there are no trade-offs. And I’m here to argue there aren’t…

Hometeam shoots globally (in over 150 countries) with hyperlocal crews (over 700 and counting). We work locally on a global scale without needing to travel crews across the map. What does this model enable?

Without needing to travel crews by plane, we basically remove one of the biggest contributors to carbon in our industry. That’s a big deal. But for the sake of this argument, feel free to call this a nice-to-have.?

What we also enable is more cost-efficiencies in your budget. Pass through costs for airfare, baggage fees, hotels, per diem, travel days for crew are better spent on production value. As we like to say, more of your budget ends up in front of the lens.

We offer time-efficiencies to compress your timeline. Without traveling a crew, you can do production faster, anywhere you need to. We’ve done that for NBC (56 shoots in 10 weeks), HBO (17 shoots in 3 cities on a single day), for Starbucks (59 shoots in 28 countries on a single day) and many more.

Lower carbon: Check. Cost efficiencies: Check. Time efficiencies: Check.?

But here’s where it gets exciting. We’re not asking for any trade-offs in return. In fact, we’re promising a fully better production experience and higher-quality content. How?

We’ve done the hard work and curated a network of the best and brightest filmmakers in every market. These are filmmakers who meet or exceed the quality you’d expect from NYC or LA-based talent. Rest assured you’re working with the best. And we’ve cultivated these personal relationships with our filmmakers based on more than just talent. Professionalism, storytelling ability, reliability, a “yes and” attitude, all results in a better quality experience for crew, cast, and client alike.

Want creative control and consistent high-quality content? Our tech-enabled approach allows clients and producers to attend the shoot remotely. They can watch a live feed directly from the camera and communicate with the crew and on-camera talent as if they’re sitting in video village steps away… even if they’re sitting at home half a world away.

Other benefits? By working with local teams you tap into local know-how. Local filmmakers know the best local support crews. They know unique local locations like the back of their hand. Budgets feed into supporting local economies. Local filmmakers work in the native language and cultural customs and help tap into deeper layers of authenticity.

And best of all... A global network of filmmakers unlocks a whole new global layer of storytelling possibilities. You can tell larger-scale stories that happen across multiple cities, numerous states, on every continent if you want. You can pick a subject and show the world what that looks like in many different cultures. All on the same day if you’d like.?

We’ve built a nearly limitless model and it’s for your imagination to decide what to do with it.

So… how are we going to make the film production industry more sustainable?

Unfortunately, we can’t just expect clients to make the choice based on altruism alone. But that’s totally fine. At Hometeam, we’re not asking for any trade-offs.

Do you want a more cost-efficient production? Of course you do. Do you want a compressed timeline? Time is of the essence. Do you want to work with the world’s best filmmakers in cool new locations? Heck yeah. Do you want to unlock new storytelling opportunities? Your audience would love that!

If I were to tell you that all those things are possible AND you can call your production sustainable would you consider taking a “greener” approach to production?

Absolutely you would. There’s no reason to say no.

Hometeam isn’t just striving to make a more sustainable approach to production. We’re creating a better approach to production… that’s also proudly sustainable.

In any industry - film production, automotive, housing, manufacturing, energy - only once it’s proven that there’s a more sustainable approach that requires no trade-offs in return will that new approach be widely adopted.?

Hometeam is offering that way forward in production and we believe the future will be more sustainable as a result.

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Will you be attending AICP Week in NYC? If so, DM me and let’s connect in person. [email protected]