Lights, Camera, Alan!

We've got a fresh face at Top B, in the form of Film Production Manager, Alan! We sat down and had a natter about the film industry, staying ahead of trends, and why he's the perfect fit for our team. Oh, and we wrote it up so you can have the inside scoop too! ??

Introduce yourself

Oh hey, I’m the new Film Production Manager at Top Banana. After sixteen years working within creative, and managing film projects, I have the ideas and experience needed to enhance both the content we make and the process we follow to make it. There should be some exciting projects ahead, so watch this space!

Did you have a "lightbulb" moment where you knew filmmaking was your calling, or was it a series of fortunate events that led you here?

No calling. It was more like a soft whisper from a corner of the office I was working in. I went to see what it was and then BAMM! I was given a camera and told to film things. Thankfully, since then, I have managed to complete more serious training and create better films as a result.

What about Top B made you go, "Yep, this is where I want to be"?

The name, the people, and the clients.

Tell us about some of the most creative projects you've been a part of in your film career. Any memorable moments you can share?

I once had a team paint an entire studio teal colour for a shoot. It took two days to do it because the studio was so big and then three days to turn it back to the original white. The set, with everything coloured teal, created a world that represented the insides of new software being launched and was extremely eye catching. The whole shoot was very abstract and creative, but it made a boring subject (software) extremely engaging for the staff and got us away from the usual, five minutes of screen records.

What do you think sets Top B apart in the industry, and how do you see yourself contributing to our projects?

Top B have the biggest clients, they go all around the word creating stand out events that are exceptional both in terms of scale and creativity. The consistency in delivery and eye for detail sets the teams here apart. For me, if I can’t make a film against such an exceptional backdrop and in such wonderful locations that the events are in then, I’m in the wrong job.

Any key upcoming trends that you’re excited about?

User generated content was a big thing and now it’s all about AI. Whatever the next big thing is, it will land, and everyone will use it. What’s more important for me though is not trends, because they come and go, and it’s really hard to stay ahead of them. For me, it’s story. If you tell a good story, it doesn’t matter what gimmicks you use to tell it, people will watch.

When you're working on a new film project with a team, what's the secret sauce for making a film stand out?

Get someone else to do it. What I mean by this is to use the experts in the room. The best films are team efforts. One person shouldn’t do everything. Pull in the experts and set them free to deliver what they are experts in.

How important is innovation and staying ahead of the game in today's film industry?

4K changed how we shoot. You can get two shots from one so for low budget filming only one camera is needed not two. AI means we won’t need to film some b-roll at all. It can be created through AI instead. So, technology is important, and innovation can make the film makers life easier. However, it can’t replace the idea. Tools help deliver the idea and don’t replace the idea itself.

And how can Top B contribute to this evolving landscape?

Being aware of the new tools available and thinking of ways to use them to enhance the story is the best way to do things. I am big believer in ideas versus executions. Execution is the kit you use, the place you shoot and the people you shoot with. It’s the gimmicks and little tricks employed in video creation. An idea is much higher level than that. It’s about the message being told that works for your audience. The idea dictates the kit required, the place you film in and people you use. It’s the most important thing. So, having good ideas is step one and knowing the best tools to deliver it follows on from that.

How do you think your skills and experiences can contribute to advancing Top B's reputation in the industry?

As boring as it sounds, process. With film, the process never changes, and the right preparation will result in the right film. It looks correct, it does what we want, and it embodies the ideas and messages we want it to. Ignore the process and one or all these things are lost. If you don’t follow the correct production process from the start then the risk of making a bad film gets higher and higher and, with the internet, bad films don’t go away.

Fancy a chat with our guy Alan, check us out and give us a shout!