The Importance of Persistence

DUAL almost never happened.

Last June, DUAL Founders and twin brothers Sam and Ben Brodsky were involved in a car accident that left Ben with a traumatic brain injury. There were no guarantees that Ben was ever going to be able to walk again let alone pick up a camera. In the days leading up to the accident, the brothers were finally feeling ready to scale up their business after six years of building. A new studio space was in the cards, as well as new hires, and a new brand. Now with Ben potentially down and out, Sam faced an impossible dilemma: How do you run a video production business without the support and skills of your other half? How do you move forward after potentially losing everything?

The answer was simple. Persistence, perseverance, and grit. As Ben started his long road to recovery, Sam forged ahead and doubled down on the business. He reached out for help, hired out more contractors to carry out the workload, and believed. There were many sleepless nights, tears, and moments that felt like giving up was the best option. But within the next year, Ben recovered and started to work again, the goals of expanding and rebranding were accomplished; and DUAL STUDIOS opened it’s doors.

Filmmaking is simply a continuous cycle of problem solving. Rarely does it go according to plan and it always takes a little more than anticipated. This is true for any worthwhile endeavor in life. Failures, setbacks, and obstacles are for certain and out of our control. The only thing we can really control is our attitude. When faced with a seemingly unsolvable problem when you’re tired, broken down, and ready to quit, there are really only two options; give up or give it your all. When you give up, you already know the outcome, but when you give it your all, you don’t know the outcome until you take that step. Don’t let the fear of the unknown turn into the misery of regret.

Take the step.

HOW TO THROW A LAUNCH PARTY

After months of developing our brand and building out our studio we knew the time was finally coming when we would have to pop the hood and let everyone see what DUAL has been cooking up. We pushed the date back a couple times but eventually realized we needed to swallow our pride, forget about our perfectionism, and put a date on the calendar. May 13. Phew! First decision made. Now unleash the laundry list of logistic nightmares that go into throwing a launch party!

What time should people come by? What snacks should we offer? Does anyone still drink white claws? Do we need to rent a porta potty? Who should we invite? Everyone? Seriously? Should we have DJs? F*ck yeah we should! Food truck? Probably? Which one? I don’t know! Where do you buy those big scissors for ribbon cutting? This tornado of questions engulfed all of DUAL for weeks and we quickly realized film school had not prepared us for party planning, and no you can’t simply solve every problem with gaff tape and a catered lunch. The one thing we do have is creative friends, so we enlisted some of our favorite people to help out and make the night unforgettable.

The morning of May 13 we scrambled to put on the finishing touches just in time before the stampede of 350 people descended upon the studio where they were met with an absolute feast for the senses. The studio space was transformed into multiple mind-bending installations complete with an upside down film set, a VHS TV wall with psychedelic visuals, DJs with an absurd light show, a complete golf simulator, a 3D hanging shapes sculpture, full bar, and an impeccable spread of tasty eats. We even made sure to have an FPV drone capture the celebratory moments after the ribbon was cut.

As the night rolled on and friends and family trickled in and out it finally began to feel real. After a year that had so many challenges, highs, lows, and surprises; we were able to take a step back and appreciate the work we had done. But in a slightly bittersweet way, we realized this was only the beginning. Although party planning is hard work, the real work starts now.

DUAL STUDIOS is OPEN.

WHY FPV Drone is AMAZING for your brand

FPV drone is a name not many now today, but tomorrow it will be a standard of the video production world. Today brands have an amazing opportunity to be the first in their market to utilize FPV. It is not often that businesses find themselves at such an opportune time to leverage a novel technology to boost their brand recognition. DUAL is proud to offer FPV as a service in multiple fashions.

What is FPV? FPV stands for first-person view. FPV drones are tiny and are able to film spaces in ways previously thought impossible, allowing the viewer to literally experience the footage from the perspective of the drone. They can fly through tight hard-to-get-to spaces at immense speeds and are capable of acrobatic flips and spins creating incredible images. The resulting footage never ceases to take our clients’ breath away.

There are multiple ways businesses can leverage FPV to boost their brand image. One of the most popular methods is one take fly throughs. Fly throughs are drone flight tours of facilities done in one continuous shot. These drone flights can vary drastically in terms of coordination. Some of these flights are incredibly scripted with sound design and numerous people, all delivering specific actions as the drone flys over their particular set. Other fly throughs are more in the moment and are meant to show off a space in a very general sense. Regardless of the degree of planning, fly throughs are a great way to show off a space new or old, especially one with interesting architecture or purpose. DUAL is happy to deliver fly throughs of all magnitudes.

FPV is also an amazing means of capturing b-roll footage for any type of video from commercial, music video, brand content, documentary, and narrative filmmaking. Because the technology is still so new, viewers are not used to seeing this type of footage, so it demands their attention. It’s an easy way to spice up any video, giving it the feel of a higher end production. Live events and concerts especially are a fantastic way to use FPV drones to capture the enormity of the crowd and the stage. DUAL has had the pleasure to fly at such legendary venues as Red Rocks and the Armory for artists like DeadMau5 and Slander.

Now is the moment to take advantage of FPV. Although the technology feels new and exciting today, it will be commonplace in the coming years. But customers will NOT forget who gave them their first taste of mind-blowing FPV footage. Position yourself as an innovator today and explore how FPV can elevate your brand literally.

Top 5 types of video

1. Company Story

   - Sometimes referred to as mission videos, company story videos help build trust between your staff and your customers. They are centered on the human aspect of your company and explain what your overreaching goals are. Many times these videos are comprised of testimonial interviews with staff and B-Roll that depicts what your company does.

2. Explainer

   - Explainer videos educate your clients on how to properly use one of your products. Often they are text and graphic heavy, and use a brand ambassador who narrates and explains the process. These videos are imperative to any company that provides a product that takes set up or has a learning curve.

3. Client Testimonial

   - Another way to build trust with your customer base is to film client testimonial videos. These vides are interviews with your clients where they describe their experience using your product or interacting with your company. These videos can also use supplemental B-Roll that illustrates what the interview is describing. It is extremely important to properly light your interview to show your client in flattering light. Client testimonials that are poorly shot can fall flat and have the opposite effect that is desired by the company. It is also imperative to prep your interview questions and talking points carefully so your subject feels comfortable and is more likely to deliver your desired responses.

4. Branded Content

   - Today’s marketing world is ruled by social media. Branded Content is a blanket term that refers to commercial video content that is aimed at the social media space. These are typically shorter form pieces and can be delivered in a variety of formats and aspect ratios - most notably vertical video that is meant to be viewed on mobile devices. Usually these videos are shorter form, and often use humor to convey their message. It’s important to lean into the “wow factor” when creating branded content, as it is becoming increasingly more and more challenging to get and retain customer attention with the amount of branded content out there.

5. Ambassador & User Generated Content

   - Branded content that comes from outside the company itself is usually referred to ambassador or user generated content. Ambassadors are influencers or well-known people in a certain space, that are hired by a company to create branded content. Often these people have a high following in the social media space. It is important to choose ambassadors that are trusted in the industry or space that your company occupies. User Generated Content is branded content that comes from customers. Again, these videos are usually found on social media, and can be shared by the company on their own pages. User generated content builds trust because it is proof that your product or company is working well for people that are not incentivized to express that opinion.