[ We get it—creative pros don’t always want to reveal the resources they use to make their campaigns stand out.
We recently interviewed a top post-house about how the new Instant Footage Research Device has improved their workflow. However, on the eve of publication, they contacted us concerning the topics covered in the interview.
After several exchanges between their legal team and our own, we can now present the interview in a form agreed upon by counsel at both [redact]APPLE[/redact] and Filmsupply. – Ed.]
Hi, [redact]ALEXANDER[/redact]. We’re all big admirers of your work at [redact]POST[/redact].
Thanks! Oh, and [redact]ALEXANDER[/redact] is my father’s name. You can call me [redact]ALEX[/redact]. [Laughs.]
We were excited to learn that you’re a fan of the Instant Footage Research Device.
Oh, definitely. That thing is a gamechanger.
Love to hear that. So, how has the IFRD impacted the way your team works?
The impact has been—let’s go with substantial. [Laughs.] Here’s the best example I can give you. Like everyone else in the industry, we’re wrapping up holiday work right now. And like everyone else—I mean I hope like everyone else [laughs]—we got a later start than we would’ve liked.
It happens.
Indeed it does. Our late start wasn’t the end of the world, but it—well, no, it was pretty bad. [Laughs.] The mood was tense, definitely. Until Santa came early. We were still trying to figure out how to get back on track when the IFRD was dropped off at HQ a month ago. Now, I have a question for you. Do you know how confused we were when we opened that package?
No, but I get it.
That thing sat on my desk for a whole day before I plugged it in. Honestly, I was so busy, I didn’t even stop to think that it might actually be, you know, legit. [Laughs.] I was, like, oh, cool, a fun thing from Filmsupply, anyway, BACK TO WORK. And then one of our brighter interns, she’d seen something about it on Instagram, and she said, “[redact]ALEX[/redact]—you know what that thing does, right? There’s a reason they called it the Instant Footage Research Device.”
She sounds like someone you should bring on full time.
[Laughs.] You may be right. So, long story short—I pushed the big F button. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. And then someone actually picked up on your end. His name was Gail. ‘Gail,’ I said. ‘I need a Christmas miracle, man.’ [Laughs.]
I explained our situation. I described the footage we needed. And, no offense, I expected nothing. What I got instead was an inbox full of the cinematic footage I needed. More than I needed. And I got it the next day.
We had allocated weeks for the heavy lifting on this project. We started way behind. And I kid you not, we beat our deadline by a week. Because of The Device, as we now lovingly call it. So, yeah. Gamechanger. Wish we’d had it sooner.
This makes me think of your “Fanning the Flames” campaign from last year. Just because of the number of shots and the specific demands of the campaign. Seems like the IFRD would’ve been handy on that one.
Yeah, no doubt. It would have helped immensely. On that one, obviously the big need for us was footage of flames. We needed fire, lots of it, but we didn’t have the means to stage a dozen big controlled burns like you see in blockbuster films. So, Filmsupply’s cinematic offering was a no-brainer.
So, Filmsupply helped. But how could the IFRD have helped?
Because of the hours it saves! Do you know how much more time we have now to do our actual jobs? Like, staying present and staying creative. Making things instead of doing the boring stuff like searching for footage—or emailing. Seriously, it feels like the IFRD has cut my email time in half.
Anyway, for “Fanning the Flames,” it would have been—pick up the receiver. Press the button. Hi, it’s [redact]ALEX[/redact] from [redact]POST[/redact]. I need fire. I need all the fire. [Laughs.]
Awesome. Look, [redact]ALEX[/redact], before we say goodbye—I don’t want to rub any salt in any wounds here, but—you know we’ve offered complimentary footage research for years, right?
[Laughs.] Okay, sure, yes. That’s fair. I could have emailed. [Laughs.] But, man, that still would’ve taken forever. Now I just press a single button. A big button on a device that I keep on my desk! Come on.
To learn more about the IFRD and order your own, visit filmsupply.com/device.
