The project, co-produced in tandem with Spice Creative Inc, included both a promotional video tour of the building and city, and a in-depth 17 minute documentary film celebrating the Crest’s 50th Anniversary! Being family-owned and operated for over 5 decades now, the Hotel has a moving story that has been told through interviews and narration in the video. The Spice Creative team created a beautifully designed and in-depth 100-page History and Cookbook launch to the public mid-October 2011.

Following the October 10th 2011 celebration date, the Crest Hotel CEO had this to say regarding the 50th Anniversary film:

“It’s first class. Outstanding Job. I had tears in my eyes watching – It was very well spiced together with the commentary … the way you fit it together. Well done, thank you.”
- Steve Smith, The Crest Hotel

Crest Hotel Promotional Video Tour

Crest Hotel 50th Anniversary Film

Visit Spice Creative – Marketing with KICK!

View the Crest History & Cookbook at the Crest Hotel website: www.cresthotel.bc.ca

For the City of Langford’s annual parade, to highlight the Westhills development, a miniature ‘house’ was put on the back of a trailer and towed down Goldstream Ave.  This was all part of developer Keycorp Consulting and the City of Langford’s ambitious plan to turn the thriving community into an urban masterpiece.

Aclara Promotions was asked to team with the marketing team that will see Westhills’ latest phase launched to success.  As part of the parade, two large LCD screens were placed on either side of the house.  Aclara Promotions created the video that was broadcast out to the community.

The Westhills development is situated along gorgeous Langford Lake not far from the city centre and is destined to become one of Canada’s top green communities.  With wooded trails winding between ultra-green family homes, the development seeks to enhance nature, not to build over it.

“Working with Aclara Promotions has been amazing” said Christy Smith, Top Banana at Spice Creative. “The video was produced under challenging circumstances with very little lead time.  The final product has incredible WOW factor, and many stakeholders, including the developers, future homeowners, and community at large are thoroughly impressed with the outcome…”

Having recently developed a top quality promotional video about the eco-giant Dockside Green, Westhills seemed like a perfect fit.  “It matches our strong commitment to support green development,” said Christopher Ruffell of Aclara Promotions, “and we were thrilled with the quality of this video.  It’s fantastic to be able to support Langford’s bid on the international stage of urban design.  We’re excited to work on Westhills in Langford again!”

Aclara Promotions is a video production house located in Victoria, BC.  With a team of seasoned professionals that include a writing department, lighting, camera and even an in-house voice actor, Aclara Promotions creates high quality video.  “They handled the project professionally,” said Rohan Rupf , the Marketing Director at Keycorp Consulting, “we’re definitely looking to work with Aclara Promotions on future video projects.”

The Westhills video can currently be seen at the Westhills showhome, open daily 1-4PM at the Westhills development, or online on Westhill’s YouTube Channel.

Related Links:
Westhills Development
Spice Creative
Keycorp Consulting
City of Langford
Aclara Promotions
StoryArc Communications

The video is a perfect blend of everything a top promotional video should have.  Cutting between Greg Martel and the testimonials of two satisfied clients, the video shows some stunning clips of new developments around Victoria.  The experience is rounded out with interactive graphics and the voice of Aclara Promotions’ own house narrator.

“It was great to receive different cuts of the video after such a short time,” noted Lia Robbins, the media liaison at Harbour View Mortgages, “the whole process was very speedy.”  Working around the clock, Aclara Promotions’ staff had a unique opportunity not only to work with Greg and his team, but also with social media experts Sunstar Creative, who helped re-brand the company and develop the website.

“We aimed to set the bar high with this video,” said Aclara Promotions principal, Christopher Ruffell, “It’s a classic example of what can be done not just for financial providers, but for organizatons of all stripes.”  Overall, the professional experience and business relationships that were developed made the Greg Martel video a raging success.  “We would definitely recommend Aclara Promotions,” said Lia Robbins. Terri Davies added “Video on the home page is perfect for conveying this message, and Aclara Promotions is the obvious choice for professional video production.”

About Aclara Promotions
The heart and soul of Aclara Promotions is found in our dedication to quality. Because our mission is to exceed our client’s expectations, we first seek to exceed our own. Every stage in our process, from writing to photography to editing, is completed with pride.

About SunStar Creative
Sunstar Creative Inc. believes in bridging the gap between brilliant businesses and effective online marketing. We incorporate state-of-the-art web development, online marketing, graphic design, and social media to create a remarkable online presence for each of our clients. Our specialty is the production of Inbound Marketing Platforms for small and medium sized businesses around the world.

To gain more information about Greg and to watch his video, visit his website: www.gregmartel.com

“The crowd fell silent,” said lead singer Brandon Fry, reliving the night with a smile that beamed across his whole face.  “Then they erupted in applause!”

No doubt about it, the video and CD release party for Cole Grifter’s latest album was a huge success.  The house was packed and the mood ecstatic.  Before they went on, the band teased the audience with the new music video.  At first, people were quiet, watching intently.  But before the first chorus everyone was cheering.

After watching the video, director Colin Minihan said of it, “a well directed, well cut music video from an up and coming director to watch out for.” Colin Minihan won the 2009 MuchMusic Award and has directed videos for Papa Roach, State of Shock, Social Code and many others.

“I think the big shock came because no one expected the video to look as good as it did,” said first time music video Director Christopher Ruffell, “we had almost no budget and the bulk of the crew came from the band itself.”  With a keen eye for the shot and a finger on the pulse of the latest technology, Ruffell has proved great video doesn’t have to blow the budget.  “We could have spent fifty grand with someone else and it wouldn’t have turned out as nice.” noted Guitarist Michael Worth.

Karl Schoepp, the Director of Photography (DP), held nothing back, “I think I speak for everyone.  We were all blown away at how good the video turned out.”  Juno-award winning producer Mark Makoway, formerly of the Canadian rock band Moist, cut to the chase, “very impressive.”

The Song

Ruffell chose the grittiest song by Cole Grifter for his music video debut.  The story revolves around a woman’s beginning addiction to drugs and her projected future of devastating effects.  Ruffell has shot footage for various documentary projects on the issue of homelessness, life on the streets and addiction. “In Victoria, it’s something everyone’s seen.  We wanted to be that stark reminder that these people are real.”

In Habit, Ruffell saw an opportunity to challenge his own comfort level.  ‘Dark’ was a literal theme throughout the production, including the entire video being shot at night. “I most often work with the daylight in video, just enhancing the shots with additional day-light balanced lights.  However, given the chance to shake it up with a dark story, I just had to break that mold.”

The Crew

The bulk of the crew consisted of a few volunteers—some trusted independent film makers and the band themselves.  Guitarist Paul Michael Worth, assisting in production and always active in the film community, was a life saver on more than one occasion.  When the lead actor pulled out at the last minute, panic ensued.   Worth made some quick calls and found a replacement.  With only hours to spare, Sharman Ellis-Toddington pulled through and saved the day!

Having only a few hands could sometimes be challenging.  “There were many times I wish we had more crew,” lamented Schoepp after moving heavy generators and gear into remote and forested locations at night.  Drummer Alex Campbell offered his own spin, “it can be hard to appreciate the amount of work that goes into creating film–not many people understand the degree of persistence and talent required to create a quality video.” Bassist Aidan Logans finished with “It was a huge effort, but working with talented people makes it almost painless.”

Shooting in the Dark

Shooting low budget projects at night can be a challenge and flawed imagery is often the result. Camera limitations can lead to artifacting where the dark areas show a lot of gain.  Also, most camera’s inability to see as well as the human eye can sometimes mean the camera operator won’t even know what he’s looking at!   With only a few lights, Ruffell avoided these problems with the use of  incredibly fast Nikon prime lenses.

When asked to describe the experience of shooting at night, DP Karl Schoepp gushed, “it was Great! I didn’t have to fight with any daylight, so I was able to be a lot more creative with the lighting. It was difficult to have enough light for many of the scenes however, because of the size of the shots and the limited power of the lights we had with us. Thanks again to the Nikkor 50mm F1.4 lens! I don’t think many of the shots would have been exposed without these fast lenses.”

Lighting & Decoration

“The original plan was to have the band in a forest with clear house-hold large bulbs floating eerily around them,” reminisced Ruffell.  “Schoepp suggested running the lights off a control board so we could switch them on and off during the shoot.”

“I lit rock concerts before I got into film,” explained Schoepp.  “Many concerts are lit this way, so I thought I’d try it out.”

Ruffell, who also operated the camera on the Habit shoot, went on to describe how the unique light flares were created, “I placed the camera with the 50mm lens right up against one of the hanging lights.What you see is nice out-of-focus areas/bokeh, but created with pure light! I can’t recall of every having seen anything like it.”  Schoepp described the other types of flares in the lens “I thought it would be a nice touch to point the lights at the lens like JJ Abrams did in Star Trek.  I wasn’t expecting the lens flares to be so big! On the GH-1 monitor, we didn’t really see the flares much at all. In post, our minds were absolutely blown by how good the flares looked.” Both Director and DP noted that all lens flares are entirely one-hundred percent in camera, and are not in computer generated!

Creating the Look

Ruffell wanted to keep the colouring process simple.  “Compared to most stylized videos I’ve worked on, this really had the least amount of post production.  The blues were upped in the beach-fire scene to enhance the moonlight, but the orange flicker from the fire was real.”

The concept and implementation were standard, but not complex.  “The original footage served us very well,” said Ruffell. He nodded as he continued, “As has been echoed repeatedly, given the budget, it turned out better than we expected. We’re all proud of what we’ve created.”

Aclara Promotions is a video production company located in Victoria, BC. It specialises in promotional and educational videos for organizations of all types. Please contact Aclara Promotions to discuss how they can help create a video for you.
aclarapromotions.com

‘…oh I don’t know.  It get’s the word out, right?’

It’s a pretty good answer.  Yes, it get’s the word out.  People buy what they know.  The simple truth is: video is profitable.

But before you can make that profit, you have to dig a little deeper.  Finding that inner why is important because it’s going to shape your campaign.  When you know why you do something, it often changes how you do it.

Here are some of the reasons why video works:

1. It all starts with Emotion - Click here to read the 5-points article…

Many have donated their time and money to help those in Haiti.  Few have contributed as passionately as photographer Veronique Da Silva.  On January 13^th, her Facebook post read “Haiti on my mind.”  By January 29^th, she had raised over $10,000 to help those whose lives have been destroyed by the earthquake.

Her method was simple: to give what she had.  She teamed up with fellow photographer Michael Tourigny and began a marathon photo shoot that would span a week.  Next, she organized a stunning fundraiser gala to bring the community together.

Veronique asked Christopher Ruffell of Aclara Promotions if he was willing to help.  The answer was a no brainer.  Of course!

The idea was to produce a victoria video production of the event with the hope that it might inspire others to start up fundraisers of their own.  Christopher started by going to the photo shoot where long hours were spent filming the participants.  He next brought his camera to the evening event where guests from around Victoria opened their hearts (and wallets) for Haiti.

“Simply amazing!” wrote Veronique of the fundraiser, “…the (event) was a sure winner!”  Veronique’s personal crusade to help those in need brought together some of Victoria’s most enigmatic and talented people.  Burlesque, improv, musicians and DJ’s kept the night alive.  Hours of organizing volunteers and labouring through photo shoots left her exhausted.  After two marathon weeks, Veronique was left with one final task…

…to count the money.

Related Links
Canadian Red Cross
Véronique Da Silva Photography
Michael Tourigny Studios
Miss Rosie Bitts

But some businesses escape. They cut through the vines and dodge the tigers. That’s because they do something many talk about but few realize. It’s called video marketing

Companies too often make the mistake of producing videos on the fly. They’ll do it with a webcam or find some novice film maker who doesn’t know anything about business. The videos look cheap and don’t hit the right points.

Your customer is a lot more savvy than that.

‘Quality’ is the key word in video marketing. With a great team that knows about business and how to make excellent video, you’ll receive a quality product that resonates with your customer.
This is your moment to shine, so do it with class. After all, you only get one first impression.
Below are five quality check-points that you must do to raise your company from the jungle to civilization.

Creative Brief – Click Here to read the rest of the article

“A Taste of Britain came alive through the video presentation by Aclara Promotions,” said Reverend Al Tysick of Our Place, referring to the production company that made the film, “what a gift of kindness and generosity.”  To help add depth to the film, the Aclara Promotions team was given a full tour of the facility, which included very clean showering areas, a games room, nursing stations and a host of other services.  They were also able to film one of the permanent housing units, and to catch the large kitchen in action.  “Our Place Society has really dispelled the myth that street life has to end in tragedy,” said Christopher Ruffell, principal of Aclara promotions, “Our Place is a living model for empowerment and hope.”

‘Hope & Belonging at Victoria’s Our Place Society’ can be viewed at Aclara Promotions – Click Here to View

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Our Place is a non-profit society formed by the alliance of the Open Door and The Upper Room in 2006. It offers a sense of belonging to Greater Victoria’s most vulnerable citizens. Our Place provides a home, nourishment and hope through living, sharing, learning and worshipping together.

Aclara Promotions is a promotional video production company offering distinctive cinema-style production value to local organizations and businesses. Contact Aclara Promotions to discuss how they can help create a video for you.

This documentary tells the story of a unique development in Victoria, BC. While other developments meet the minimum standards of sustainability, Dockside uses this as a first principle. It follows a ‘triple bottom line’ approach, where equal weight is given to ecology, economics, and society. Occupying water front property near Victoria’s downtown core, it has become the pride to the city, and receives visitors from around the world.

Future projects include an extended version of the documentary, where a broader approach will place Dockside into the context of Victoria’s evolving relationship with sustainabilit.

Natural Growth: The Story of Dockside Green was produced/shot by Christopher Ruffell and written/directed by Jordan Harbour. An Aclara Promotions Production.

To Read more, visit the Natural Growth page on Aclara Promotions…

Related Links:
Natural Growth Press Release
Deborah Curran & Company Website
The City of Victoria Website
Mayor Dean Fortin’s Website
Dockside Green’s Website
Dockside’s Architect’s Busby Perkins + Wil Website
Farmer Construction’s Website
Selkirk’s Architect Fran D’Ambrosio’s Website

VICTORIA, BC – Aclara Promotions is elated to share a new documentary, ‘Natural Growth: The Story of Dockside Green’.  It premiered at the EcoDoc film showing in Victoria, BC on October 7th, 2009.  The theme of this event was ecology, and topics ranged from First Nations issues to ground water depletion.  Aclara Promotions looked into sustainable development, using the Dockside Green building development as a model.  Out of 15 entries, Natural Growth was chosen to receive ‘The People’s Choice Award’.

The documentary touched on hot topics associated with sustainability.  Dockside Green’s multi-use building development was envisioned using ‘the triple bottom line’ as a primary principle.  This principle champions the idea that society, ecology and economy must be given equal weight when considering any development strategy.  Dockside most notably treats its own sewage, creates power from wind turbines, and offers affordable housing.  “It is an inspirational development,” says Aclara Promotions writer/director, Jordan Harbour, “If this video can help spread sustainable values to the public, I will be thrilled.”

Experts from multiple fields were called upon to take part in the documentary.  The final edit saw appearances from Deborrah Curran (a leader in smart growth law), Frank D’Ambrosio (Victoria’s premier architect), and Dean Fortin (the Mayor of the City of Victoria).  Christopher Ruffell, the film’s producer, was thrilled with the passion shown by those interviewed.  “We’re excited to have such a range of excellent participants who could speak to the unique qualities of Dockside Green”.

‘Natural Growth: The Story of Dockside Green’ can be viewed online in HD at Aclara Promotions – Click Here

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About Aclara Promotions
Based in Victoria, Aclara Promotions is a promotional video production company offering distinctive cinema-style production value to local organizations and businesses.

Related Links:
Natural Growth Press Release
Deborah Curran & Company Website
The City of Victoria Website
Mayor Dean Fortin’s Website
Dockside Green’s Website
Dockside’s Architect’s Busby Perkins + Wil Website
Farmer Construction’s Website
Selkirk’s Architect Fran D’Ambrosio’s Website