T2 + Back Alley Blog » Back Alley Films

Meet The 3 Latest Additions to the T2 + Back Alley Films Team!

Linda Buchner — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:37:48 +0000

”JZ” – Jane Zander – Editor

Knowing that the :30 spot is still alive and well, we’ve added Jane – “JZ” – (back in KC after a six-year stint at Cutters – Chicago) to our editorial team. Her work experience includes campaigns for Tide, Dell, Hanes, Secret, and KFC.

“Step one in working with agency creatives is finding common ground. At the end of the day, we are all just people. I enjoy the human connection as much as I do the editing process.

Matt Antrim – VP/Original Program Development

After 14 years in reality television as a casting director in Los Angeles, we think he’s seen it all – so adding him to the staff at T2 is a no-brainer!

“My friends call me the dog whisperer! I have the coolest dog you’ll ever meet.” (Easy now – Charlie, T2′s mascot, was here first!)

Having worked on shows like “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader”, “Joe Millionaire”, “It’ Me Or The Dog”, and “Thintervention” (just to name a few), Matt is ready to be on the pitching side of the table for T2 and our clients.

Adam Buritsch – Animator

Adam has a background in traditional hand-drawn animation ~ he has motion in his blood! He brings an eclectic and historical knowledge of animation to T2, a drive to push boundaries, and an endless supply of optimism. Now, what could be wrong with that!

“I never let an inspiration slip past! From Eastern European folk dancing to Blues harmonica and everything in between – I use a little bit of everything when I’m brainstorming.”

eCamp – KC style

Teri Rogers — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:36:01 +0000

Back in May, I blogged about eCamp (We all hate that name, but it seems to have stuck) , a grass roots organization that I’m a part of – made up of folks from all over the country and from within our industry — who get together for two days twice a year. Last spring the eCamp group met in San Francisco and the previous fall, we met in Boston. It was my turn to host this fall, so it became my pleasure to have 15 colleagues here for two days of full agenda items – followed by some serious partying at the end of each day. That’s a key part of the agenda- and we are all a bit competitive about that part. In all honesty, I have to say that Beyond Pix in San Francisco had us beat on the entertainment agenda items. Hard to believe, I know.

I believe strongly in collaboration – both internally and externally (though that can sometimes be challenging in a competitive market). Inside T2 +Back Alley Films, our groups and skill sets are integrating more and more in every job we do.

The Kauffman Grand Opening work this past September was a perfect example of that – with four internal groups – interactive & Experiential combined with motion graphics and animation, editorial and Smoke finishing, and Back Alley for the production and shooting with the Weiss camera – working together to make it happen. No single group could have achieved what we did on that project without the creative input and skill sets of the other groups.

This is essentially why eCamp started; a group of people in the production and post production industry got together and decided that we could only benefit from sharing what we know. We each come from a different market, but the same industry and so, without feeling the need to be competitive, we are able to talk frankly about what has worked for us and what hasn’t — the challenges we face, and our best operational practices. This has been particularly helpful these past few years – as our industry was struggling with the recession and technology advances that were significantly changing the nature of our business. It has been interesting to see how each business is evolving to meet the needs of the changing world we are all experiencing. It was also interesting to note that most of us had called on other companies within the group this past year – to collaborate on a project or two.

A definite perk.

I was thrilled to introduce my colleagues to a local genius right here in KC – who was our guest speaker. Stefan Mumaw is the author of several books about the creative process – but he focused on his latest, Chasing the Monster Idea, which explored the difference between good ideas and great ideas, and how to deploy the great ones. Several in the group plan to book Stefan to speak in their own markets. Finally, we ended our time together by a work showcase – where each company got 10 minutes to show their best work. It’s always my favorite part.

Thanks to the eCampers for a great weekend. And those of you who couldn’t make it this time, we missed you. Next time – in Columbus, Ohio. See you all there!

Screen Magazine + Runza

T2 + Back Alley Team — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 22:25:59 +0000

Have you seen the new Runza spots? Click here to see one of them… Runza Breakfast

The T2 + Back Alley team was thrilled to be a part of the production of the campaign. And recently, they were written up in Screen Magazine where you can watch them all! Here’s a little bit about how those spots came together…

If you’re not familiar with Runza, they are a regional restaurant group with a rabid cult following. They have no intention to compete in hundreds of markets across the country, nor to extend their hours into breakfast or late-night like the national chains. So, when it came to making these spots, they thought the best way to stand out would be to poke fun at the competition and talk about how they’re different. And that’s exactly the approach they took with Swanson Russell, their Nebraska based agency, and us, their trusty production partner.

First order of business: find the perfect Runza Spokesman – someone who could be self-deprecating, but remain compelling to viewers while not being annoying. Back Alley Films’ very own Creative Director, Pete Meyer, turned to Chicago, a market well known for its strong improv talent, and cast Tim Ryder, part of the famed Second City ensemble.

“The scripts were pretty funny to begin with but we would have been fools not to utilize Tim’s improv skills to improve the spots,” said Meyer. “Once we knew we had the scripted versions in the can, we let him improvise on longer takes. Working in this looser structure made the shoot days and the editorial process a lot more fun for everyone.”

Once the spots were shot, Meyer donned his editor’s cap to cut them together while our Creative Director, Travis Schlitter, directed our design/animation team to create the motion graphics. “We really enjoyed developing the visual style for Tim’s stream of consciousness,” said Schlitter. “The loose pen and ink illustrations bring interest and energy to the spots with the right balance as to not overpower his performance.”

Together, along with the Swanson Russell team and, of course, Runza, we created a 5-spot campaign we are quite proud to show you.

Runza will run the spots in their regional markets, rolling them out in a series throughout the fall.

Credits for Brand Spots:
Pete Meyer – Director – Back Alley Films
Andy Romero – Director of Photography
Head of Production – Ethan Downing – Back Alley Films
Postproduction Executive Producer – Nicole Melton – T2
Director/DP (Food Spots) – Russ Hadley
Pete Meyer – Editor – T2
Alex Kane – Assistant Editor – T2
Animation & Motion Design – Travis Schlitter & The T2 Design Team
Smoke Finishing – Jen Paine – T2
Music – Matthew Thornton
Mix/Sound Design – Jim Schrader – Sky Recording
Copywriter – Charlie Stephan – Swanson Russell
Art Director – Greg Bousquet – Swanson Russell
Chief Creative Officer– Brian Boesche – Swanson Russell
Runza Marketing Creative Manager – Vizma Shaeffer

Fringe Film Festival

T2 + Back Alley Team — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:53:40 +0000

Looking to fill your artistic quota in Kansas City this week? Look no further than the Kansas City Fringe Festival, an annual summer festival featuring the works of local, regional, and national artists. The Festival features art forms such as theatre, performance art, dance, visual art, spoken word, puppetry, fashion—and of course, what really gets us excited is the film.

This year, there are a few opportunities to get your film geek on at Fringe—a couple individual projects will be airing throughout the week, and larger organizations will feature multiple film showings.

The Art Institutes International of Kansas City is showcasing several short films created by students in the Digital Filmmaking & Video Production program. The photography, film, and mixed media pieces will be screened daily at The Wine Gallery (1911 McGee), absolutely free (with your Fringe Festival button of course) for the rest of the Festival—go see what these budding filmmakers are creating!

And the Independent Filmmaker’s Coalition of Kansas City has three more night showings of its own “Best of IFC Short Films,” featuring the best films produced by members in the past several years. At least twenty different IFC members will be showing their films, so you’re bound to get an eclectic, exciting variety throughout the evening. The films are showing Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening at Fringe Central (1730 Broadway), and admission is $10 with your Fringe button.

So get your artsy on and check out these film screenings! We at t2 love supporting local filmmakers and artists of all kinds, so go on, check out all there is to offer this week at the Fringe website. And if you’re truly inspired by what you see, attend the weekly IFC meeting at the Westport Coffee House, every Wednesday at 7:30 pm. Maybe you’ll see your own name up on the screen next year!

T2′s industry peer group: Next stop – KC

Teri Rogers — Fri, 27 May 2011 19:30:31 +0000

I’m a big believer in serendipity — and that’s how I became a part of eCamp, an amazing trade group of industry leaders. I ran into one of the founders of eCamp in Las Vegas where we were promoting our documentary, “The Next American Dream”. He asked me to join and, not being a big “joiner,” I hesitated. But I said I’d give it a try, and when eCamp held their next meeting in Boston, I joined them. I was amazed at how much I learned from others in my industry — and how much I referenced what I learned when I got back home. It’s a great concept, and one of my colleagues in Dallas wrote about it. It’s a fun read and includes some pictures from our last meeting in San Francisco.

And believe it or not, they are all excited to come to Kansas City next September when T2+Back Alley Films will host the group. Boston, San Francisco…Kansas City? Why not?

Augmented Reality Brings Touch and Feel to Online Shopping

T2 + Back Alley Team — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:32:07 +0000

Online shopping has entirely changed the way that consumers seek out the goods they want. And augmented reality (AR) is bringing touch and feel to the online shopping experience. According to eMarketer during 2010, ecommerce reached $165.4 billion dollars last year. This is 14.8% growth over last year!

But even though online shopping has enabled us to skip the lines, poor dressing room lighting, get what we want at better prices and avoid pushy sales people – there’s often still an inherent desire to actually touch and feel the products we’re interested in buying. Augmented reality and other experiences are changing the way people shop – and making the online shopping experience infinitely more personal.

72% of consumers find ratings and reviews on retail sites very important in the shopping process and another 50% will spend a half hour or more reading reviews about the product they are interested in. Despite this reliance online product information – many still wait to purchase the product in person. Research has shown the consumers are four times more likely to buy a product once they’ve held it in their hands.

What if technology allowed to you virtually “touch and feel” the product you desire from the comfort of your home?

Electronics giant Olympus wanted to see what consumers’ reactions would be if they did just this when rolling out their new SLR hybrid camera. People shopping for cameras typically want to touch the camera, feel its shape, size, how it feels in their hands, where the different controls are located, etc., and, naturally, that has usually required a trip to a brick and mortar store. Knowing this is an important element of the buying experience, Olympus wanted to provide consumers a hands-on opportunity with their new product – without having to head to a retail store.

Olympus’s ad agency, Mullen encouraged the brand to use Total Immersion’s augmented reality (AR) tool, D’Fusion@Home. Since this was a unique product rollout – Olympus and Mullen built a site specifically for this campaign. Consumers went to the site to look at camera specs and go on a product tour. If interested in more in-depth information, consumers were prompted to load the D’Fusion@Home AR plug-in and print out a paper marker. When printed and folded the marker produced a scale-size representation of the camera. The coolest part? Once AR reproduction appeared on the consumer’s screen, key features (shutter button, flash switch, video record etc.) were highlighted with bulls-eye targets that consumers could click to see how they function. Consumers could also set the ‘product’ on a tripod and snap a few digital pictures which they could also share via Facebook. Experience, experimentation, sharing – this campaign pretty much had all the bases covered.

Check out this demo video Olympus provided:

A Demonstation of Olympus Pen Augmented Reality from edward boches on Vimeo.

Combining online shopping with a virtual ‘touch and feel’ opportunity proved to be quite successful for Olympus. More than 22,000 consumers watched the product tour and 51,000 interacted with the product via augmented reality. Although online shopping may make our lives easier, this case study reinforces the fact that products become more memorable when we have a ‘hands on’ interaction at some level.

Much like we mentioned in our recent post about the Picasso exhibit, one of the great things about augmented reality is that it allows more opportunities for consumers to interact and connect with products (whether it’s art, music or consumer goods) regardless of geographic limitations.

The Dark Side of Chocolate

Teri Rogers — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:39:57 +0000

Chocolate. Everyone loves it. But is there a dark side? This documentary film produced by Danish journalist Miki Mistrati explores the dark side of chocolate. Is it produced with child and labor trafficked children? And, if so, will it change how we feel about it? And more importantly, will it impact how we consume this tasty treat?

The Dark Side of Chocolate / Schmutzige Schokolade from We Know Music on Vimeo.

At T2 + Back Alley Films our love for documentaries and the people who produce them is endless. The Dark Side of Chocolate is no exception. It’s a compelling piece, expertly executed and, most importantly, inspires thought and conversation.

Advertising. It Works.

Teri Rogers — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:48:53 +0000

Advertising works. Doubt that? A recent article by Steven Heller in Daily Magazine inspired me to think about advertising – and how important it is to success. For those of you not familiar with Heller, he’s kind of a big deal. He’s the author, co-author and editor of more than 100 books on design and was an art director for the New York Times for more than 33 years. And the right kind of advertising can even manage to take someone (or some thing) from nobody status to somebody status – and pretty quickly

Heller’s piece explored the 1954 George Cukor film “It Should Happen to You” starring Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon. The film’s main character was Gladys Glover (played by Holliday). Much like the Kim Kardashians and Paris Hiltons and Perez Hiltons of today, Gladys was a nobody who wanted to be somebody. And she was determined to get it, come hell or high water. And, the fact that she was loaded and not afraid to spend money didn’t hurt her in her quest for fame.

To accomplish her goal of ‘being somebody’ Gladys rented an empty billboard in NYC’s Times Square. A manufacturing company who wanted the space was surprised when she turned out to be a tough negotiator. Six billboards later – billboards bearing nothing but her name – Gladys had what she wanted. Attention. And just like the ‘somebodys’ of today, she milked it for all it was worth.

Heller calls it the beginning of the ‘me’ generation. That may well be the case. But I think it’s also a pretty good example of the old adage: Advertising works. It can even make a nobody a somebody. And it never ceases to amaze me how many businesses forget this simple adage. Just because you build it, doesn’t mean they will come. Advertising – of some form or another, is just about always an important component of any successful strategy.

Hello Emmy. You’re Pretty.

Nicole Melton — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 03:50:50 +0000

Sometimes you work really hard on something and know you’ve done a great job and it ends there. No accolades. No tickertape parades down Main Street, sometimes not even a “Thanks, that was really awesome.” It happens.

Other times, you work your tail off and put your heart, soul, blood sweat and tears into a project and it consumes you. Instead of weeks, it takes months. Instead of months, it takes years. It becomes you. You eat, sleep and breathe the work and at times it seems as though it might never end. And it’s wonderful. And horrible. Yet more wonderful than anything else.

That’s what happened to the T2 + Back Alley Films team and “The Next American Dream” documentary, which made its debut earlier this year on KCPT-TV, the Kansas City, Missouri PBS affiliate. In fact, back in February of this year, my very first blog post ever was about this project and how documentaries fuel my creative passion in an insane way.

This film was a co-production of T2 + Back Alley Films and documentarians, Aimee Larrabee and John Altman of Inland Sea Productions. More than 8.9 million viewers nationwide have viewed the film on PBS and since it was made available by the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) to its members last November. And the rest of the story ….

We. Won. An. Emmy.

Wow! What an indescribable feeling and something that all of us who worked on the documentary regularly pull out and revel in, all over again.

For those of you who’ve not seen “The Next American Dream,” the documentary focuses on Kansas City’s efforts to revitalize its downtown and explore the renewed demand for walkable urbanism in American Cities following the cultural shift to drivable suburban living personified following WWII. Big words for people moving out of cities and flocking to suburbs during one part in American history, and then the renewed interest in returning to urban areas and living in cities again.

The project couldn’t have happened without our fearless leader Teri Rogers, T2 + Back Alley Films’ CEO and the film’s executive producer, and her commitment to the undertaking and dedication to making it happen. In a recent press interview, she described the opportunity as “a unique and incredible opportunity, given Kansas City’s accelerated timeline to revitalize, to not only explore something that is currently a national topic, but to document and record the whole process – from start to finish – right in our own backyard. And what an honor for our city.”

Also along on our seven-year journey was the Kansas City Area Development Council. KCADC used it as a powerful marketing tool to upgrade our city’s image. The film has since been used as a teaching tool for architects, urban planners and city leaders across the nation. And without KCPT, our film’s national presenting station, it wouldn’t have aired in major cities like L.A., Chicago, Miami and Boston.

Me, I’m still dancing to the song: We Won An Emmmmy, We Won an Emmmmy.

I never tire of it. Nor do any of the very talented people who were a part of the making of “The Next American Dream.” And even though it’s great to do really awesome work that may or may not get any recognition, it’s super duper beyond the light fantastic to win an Emmy. Woo hooooooo.

And so, we share our joy with you. In this blog post. And we thank you for reading it – and allowing us, just for a moment or two, to smile and dance and revel in not only a job well done, but something that we manage to nab some pretty amazing recognition for. And man, does it feel great.

If you’ve not yet had the chance to see “The Next American Dream,” we hope that sometime you will. We promise you’ll enjoy it.

Tired of Being Tech Support For Your Parents?

T2 + Back Alley Team — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:32:02 +0000

It’s the holidays. The holiday season really means just one thing. You go home, hang with your parents, eat their food, lounge around, watch football or old movies, eat some more, take a nap, go out with friends you don’t see often enough, drink more than you should, recover, eat some more, then go home.

Unfortunately, parents often have a different idea. At least that’s what we find. It’s been our observation that all too often the ‘rents seem to think that when we show up it’s time to haul out their list of technology-related problems. That includes all the things that won’t work right on their computers, synching Gmail on the new BlackBerry, reprogramming the DVR player, uploading new antivirus software, getting Netflix to stream to the TV … well, you get our drift. It’s apparently our lot in life, since we HAVE computers and phones and a myriad of other gadgets (usually perpetually clutched in our sweaty hands), and USE them regularly, well, it just goes with the territory that we must become de facto tech departments for our parents.

This year, Google has made it easy for us ….

Tech Support for Parents

You love it. We know you do. And if you want to use the real deal, here’s the Teach Parents Tech link. We love it, too. Happy Holidays and Good Luck!