“Think Globally — Act Locally”
We have all heard that expression ad nauseam; living it is another matter! For any of us that have not been “thinking globally,” the Internet has forced a change in our thought processes. With our next customer as likely to find us from the other side of the world as they may find another vendor across the street, we are truly at the dawn of an era of great opportunity.
The challenge, of course, will be in meeting this greater and more immediate demand for goods and services. Channel Three Productions now receives daily inquiries for producing media communications from organizations throughout the world. Since Dallas-Fort Worth continues to be a major hub for conferences, corporate events and product launches, there is a growing need for communications firms such as ourselves. At the same time that the Internet is opening up opportunities, it has also made it possible to electronically transact business with faster results. Since we can e-mail graphics and streaming video clips, we can achieve immediate feedback from all of our clients. And as more and more advertising and education is delivered directly in an electronic format, we will all have to become accustomed to doing business this way. “Acting Locally” is hardly a new concept for Channel Three Productions; however, we have made a real emphasis in the past year on projects that serve the local community.
What’s New Video Projects
“CELEBRATING THE CENTURY WITH THE DSO” WINS TELLY!
To commemorate the Centennial of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Channel Three was given the honor of producing a celebratory and educational piece covering the 100-year history of the DSO. The video was introduced at the annual Saks Fifth Avenue Fashion Show and is now a permanent exhibit at the Morton Meyerson Concert Hall as well as a traveling exhibit to Dallas schools and libraries. While the present day story of the Orchestra was easily demonstrated by impressive concert footage, the bulk of the program was created from historical photos and vintage recordings, which needed to be as dynamic as the live concerts. Apparently this challenge was successfully met, as the program garnered Channel Three our 11th Telly Award! This perfectly capped the year-long Centennial celebration and is yet another achievement for the internationally-acclaimed Orchestra.
CHANNEL THREE TO PRODUCE CENTENNIAL VIDEO FOR DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY
On the heels of our Telly Award-winning Centennial video for Dallas Symphony Orchestra, we have begun pre-production on a Centennial video for the Dallas Public Library. The Library was instrumental in providing historical photos for the DSO project and we hope we can provide them with an award-winning video of their own. Channel Three has previously produced a video for the Plano Public Library but will take a fresh approach for Dallas’ video.
CHANNEL THREE ROLLS OUT 16 VIDEOS FOR TEXAS DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION!
In 1999 Channel Three Productions was awarded a two-year contract with TxDOT to produce a series of electrical training videos for State of Texas inspectors and contractors on the proper installation and inspection of electrical systems. From stepping on a metal ground box lid to pressing a pedestrian push-button at a crosswalk, we are all exposed to potentially deadly levels of electricity everyday. This series of videos emphasizes safety by detailing the various components of a properly installed electrical system. Pictured here from “The Principles of Proper Grounding” are stills from video shot all over Texas as well as 3D animations that reveal an electrical system inside the poles, the wires overhead and even underground. TxDOT has taken real initiative by providing this training in order to prevent the loss of property and more importantly, the loss of life. Channel Three is proud to be working with TxDOT in this endeavor.
“MOBILITY INITIATIVES FOR THE 21st CENTURY”
Channel Three was also awarded a contract in 1999 for producing a video presentation to the Texas Legislature on behalf of the Transportation Division of the N. Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). This video profiled the multi-prong approach to transportation challenges, including new highway and toll road construction, high-occupancy vehicle lanes, mass transit and light-rail, as well as telecommuting and alternative fuel sources. As anyone who has faced traffic congestion or watched the prices rising at the pump can attest, this is a challenging priority for us all.
“THE ROAD TO LEADERSHIP” FOR FRITO-LAY
Amid all the transportation videos, Channel Three explored another type of “road” with a recent recruiting and motivational video for Frito-Lay. While we have worked with various Frito-Lay departments on approximately 50 videos over the past 15 years focusing on different aspects of their business, this recent video allowed us to apply all of our company knowledge toward creating a video that promoted Frito-Lay’s leadership program. Completely scripted and conceived by Channel Three, we created a 3D animated road that the viewer traveled down, stopping at road signs that represented various stages of the program.
MED-EL VIDEOS THAT ARE GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH!
Another important client base for Channel Three Productions has been in the health care industry. Recently, we completed several projects that we hope can make a difference in the quality of people’s lives. For MED-EL, Inc. a company based in Austria with corporate offices in Durham, NC, we produced a video entitled, “How A Cochlear Implant Works.” The story was told primarily by several patients and their families who had the MED-EL devices planted in their ear and were able to hear for the first time. This video also featured a 3D animated segment that took the viewer inside the human ear and showed how a cochlear implant transmits audio signals to the brain.
MORE HEART-HEALTHY VIDEOS AND CD-ROMS FOR CHASE MEDICAL
Chase Medical (US Surgical) has developed several important cardiac surgery instruments over the years, and Channel Three has helped to educate both patients and doctors on these potentially life-saving products and procedures. For the video and CD-ROM we recently produced on the EPretract product, we captured open-heart surgery footage from a special probe camera that recorded to 90:00 minute tapes in our BetaCam SP deck. We had to get it right the first time, because obviously we couldn’t ask the doctor to do additional takes!
SOUTHEASTWARD HO FOR SERIES OF BELL SOUTH PRODUCT VIDEOS!
Over the past couple of years, Channel Three Productions has made numerous trips to Atlanta, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Mobile to shoot a series of at least a dozen product videos for Bell South. Even though Bell South has successfully contracted with the many established producers in the Miami and Atlanta area, they choose to contract with Channel Three Productions. While we work with many telecommunications clients that are right next to our offices in Richardson’s Telecom Coordior, such as Alacatel, Nortel, Fujitsu and InterVoice, our telecommunications expertise is now allowing us to work on projects across the country.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ? MARY KAY PRESIDENT TURNS INTO SUPER BEE!
The audience at a Mary Kay Cosmetics convention in Phoenix this year was treated to something out of the ordinary. A video produced by Channel Three Productions opened the convention, showing Mary Kay President, Tom Whatley, putting the ultimate spin on the “Bee Analogy” by spinning into a tornado cloud in his office and transforming into a “Super Dream Bee-liever”, a giant bumble bee. Tom then flies out his window and all the way to Phoenix, finally appearing live and in costume. The video was so successful in setting a powerful and entertaining tone it was later expanded into a stand-alone video to be used at various high-level company events. The Special Effects used on this production included creating a 3D model of the Tom/Bee character, combined with live action shots of Tom in a bee costume suspended by special rigging at the Channel Three Ultimatte Blue-Screen Stage.
