Think. Solve. Create.

Robots are terrifying. Some see R2D2, I see Terminator and HAL… likely working together as they plot against me and the generations ahead. The future is definitely here, with a rate of acceleration speeding up every day. And recently, I got to meet it face-to-face.

When it came to automation, I didn’t know the first thing. Or really what that word even meant, in this context. We stepped onto the floors of these facilities, where the gears of the future were turning forward in front of us. Staring up at these machines, this project, I’ll admit was daunting. The challenge in front of me… well first it was to make it out of there alive… and then to help tell a story truly outside my wheelhouse. 

Initially we collaborated with JR Automation on a smaller scale. Some recruitment videos and a sizzle reel project, about two years back. This past spring, they approached us again about a bigger video series to couple with the launch of their new website. With purpose for specific markets and messages. To bolster the brand and showcase their scale and capabilities, as well as the people behind it.

When we begin to find a story, we start with a conversation. We had a couple discovery sessions with their team. Like many other projects, the path was not clear right away. Working closely with DropDrop creative producer Michael Medici, we recognized that so many elements & details of what they did, were ever-evolving, so we had to be flexible. More than ever, the story we begin to tell, might not be the story we need a few months later. 

How do you know the unknowns, without the right questions? Especially if it comes to an industry I’m still catching up on. When we realized our questions weren’t moving the ball forward, we decided to do a bit more listening. Slowly as their marketing team opened up more, that started to inform us on a direction for the project. We talked philosophically. What drives them to do what they do. What resonates with their human spirit. The experience of creating something from scratch and seeing it in the real world. Soon, my right-brained mentality was finally connecting with their left-brained sophistication… the more we listened, the more our direction became clear. The human element behind this technology.

Flexibility was key. Ensuring proper time for all revisions needed, we thought would be important here. Especially with respecting confidentiality. This is an industry that will often literally be making products that are secret. One of my favorite shots even, it turns out. I had it all lined up with the perfect phrase and note in the piece… then during post-production while I was in the middle of the edit, we got the word… gotta get rid of it. 

Adapt. Keep going. 

I’m not an engineer. So right brained. But sometimes it’s fun walking into the unknown like this. Creating a space for others to open up & tell their story. Let them take over in a way, and not be too rigid in my ideas of what it should be. Taking time in our conversations really gave me flexibility and opened my mind a little more as well. To find the common ground of these left/right brain perspectives where new & exciting things can happen. 

Artificial intelligence may someday still overpower us, but with a bit of collaboration and creativity… us humans might actually be alright.

Definitely grateful for this collaboration with the good people at JR & our DropDrop team. Think. Solve. Create.