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COVER PAGE |
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IBT |
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RUBBER |
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ISG |
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MATERIAL HANDLING |
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FLUID POWER |
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ENGINEERING |
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IBT MEDIA |
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SAFETY |
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IMT |
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LUBE |
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LEAN SIX SIGMA |
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On The Road Again
When SKF became interested in producing a video about their Chicago Rawhide product line and their company, they had a full range of alternative suppliers to choose from.
Being based in Chicago, Illinois, they are surrounded by fully-qualified video production houses who routinely respond to requests for proposals of a very similar nature. Yet, despite the availability of a full range of possible production companies, they chose IBT Media.
"IBT Media was very appealing for a number of reasons," Per Jacobsson of SKF observes. "They were close to one of our key locations, the Seneca, Kansas factory. However, IBT Media's superior qualifications went far beyond the question of geography.
"Because of their connection to IBT - an SKF distributor - they were highly familiar with our products. They know what we make, how the products are used and why. They also understand that SKF's emphasis on quality is outstanding.
"IBT Media also offered a well-developed library of existing factory footage. This enabled us to use selected clips, saving us time and money.
"But despite these strong qualifications, the key reason we chose IBT was their new high definition production capabilities. IBT's commitment to the latest technology was an important plus to us - in terms of the of the options it offered in the actual shooting, the quality of the final product and the long term future use of the final show and all of its components."
IBT fielded a three-person crew. Jacobsson was accompanied by Theo Gabay. Gabay came all the way from Gothenberg, Sweden to represent SKF's main worldwide advertising agency, HB&M - Harris, Baio & McCullough.
The travellers assembled in Kansas City for pre-production planning a month before the actual shoot. Then, when shooting began they spent a long day traveling to Seneca, Kansas, shot video, returned home, and headed for Chicago the same day via IBT's Beechjet corporate aircraft.
"Time is always money," Craig Campbell of IBT Media notes. "But time is especially money when it comes to video production. With our advance planning, our tight schedule, our ability to move quickly because of the airplane and special equipment, we completed a complex series of set ups and shots very quickly."
In addition to the high definition television equipment and the complete lighting kit, IBT Media also added a jib arm rig to the equipment package. This enabled them to place their camera in places where they could get unique motion angles and perspectives of the manufacturing process.
Shooting in an industrial environment can present problems. The plant is not set up to make photography easy, so concerns about lighting, cleanliness, background, reflections, vibrations physical access and clearance and even noise can add complications.
"IBT Media - with their people, their experience and their equipment had it covered," Theo Gabay explains. "We were able to move quickly and confidently through both of the manufacturing plants - and we got a chance to photograph what we wanted and we came home with what we needed. This made the editing of the material go as smoothly as one could hope for."
After all the location video footage was in the can, the job still had some important steps to complete. One involved studio videography of SKF product.
"Some products are more easily photographed than others," Campbell reports. "The things we needed to shoot for this project stretched us a little. Part of the reason was the high sheen on the chromium-steel surfaces. Part of the reason was the halo effect we got using 'green screen' technique. And part of the reason was the superior resolution we get with high definition."
But, all of the studio problems were solved rapidly and that footage was also ready for editing into the final product.
Less easily accomplished was the assembling of an animation symbolizing the flow of electronic data around the world.
This intricate composite of glowing waves with packets of data passing through them, encircling and re-circling the world lasts about eight seconds on screen. It took IBT Media editor John Naughton close to thirty hours to perfect. But, the effect is stunning.
Final elements of post-production involved selecting the perfect musical accompaniment - and casting just the right voice for the narration.
Both of these were pretty straightforward. IBT Media was able to draw upon an extensive library of musical compositions to choose an underscore that added just the right tones and rhythms to help tell the story.
Jim Birdsall, a long-time Kansas City actor/announcer/narrator was selected for the voice tracks. Birdsall's schedule provided some minor challenges. He is a busy guy. One of his ongoing commitments is to supply the voice over for NFL® Films a company that produces miles and miles of professional football epics, including game highlights, season highlights and special editions that showcase different aspects of the beauty, complexity and physicality of America's favorite sport.
As a result of being in demand, Birdsall is well-paid. SKF had no doubts of the value that his talent would bring to the overall feel and impact of the completed work.
The schedule for the production was aggressive, and IBT Media delivered, hitting every benchmark. There was one, however, that provided some stretching. SKF required a version of the finished product - without narration - for a trade show in Shanghai, China, prior to the final edit. IBT Media delivered on that, too.
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To learn about what IBT Media can do for you, contact us today!
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