Information is important. Hard data that shows a positive impact is necessary. However, the black and white text is sometimes not enough to convince people to contribute to a cause. In order to get someone’s attention, especially in the fast-paced world we live in, you need to connect with them on a human and emotional level. A simple story can create that much needed bond. Recently, I attended...

Last week I attended the CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) District 1 Conference and had the opportunity to hear a variety of interesting speakers.  I thought I would share highlights from three of the sessions I participated in. Engaging Alumni through Career Services Colleen DelVecchio from Smith College emphasized that if alumni are unemployed, under-employed or unhappily...

  I recently attended an event hosted by Women in Development of Greater Boston entitled, "The First Six Months Are Over. Now What? How to Be Resilient and Nimble in Strategy Development." The panel of speakers included: ·      Susan L. Richardson, Director of Alumni Relations, Boston University ·      Seth Rosenzweig, Vice President, Development, Combined Jewish Philanthropies ·     ...

  Almost exactly four years ago, I was archiving video footage and reviewing projects we had worked on. Watching some of the video, I was reminded of how much fun we have with our clients - there were quite a few shots of folks laughing and joking around (between takes, of course). On a whim, I decided to make a "Smiles Montage" that included some of our favorite expressions of happiness...

 Hello everyone! My name is Emma and I am the newest member of the team here at Reflection Films! Seeing as this is my first blog post, I wanted to take the opportunity to post a picture for "Throwback Thursday" (aka #tbt). Today, I am taking you back a few months to warmer weather. I took this photo on one of my first days working for Reflection Films. On this particularly beautiful day, we were...

Over the recent holiday break, we volunteered on a different kind of video project. It was one that really resonated with us, particularly as parents. One of my sister’s friends, Heather, is 34 years old and has Stage 4 cancer. She has a daughter who is only 4-years old and doesn’t fully understand what is happening with her mom. So Heather wanted us to record a few stories and her explanation...

It's not uncommon for our blog to depart a bit from video and marketing-related topics, but this one diverges perhaps even further afield than usual. Still, I feel inspired to share two encounters that I had recently: one with a friend and one with a colleague. STORY #1: UNEXPECTEDLY GETTING TO KNOW A FRIEND EVEN BETTER We had some friends of ours over for dinner recently, and they asked what...

Last week I attended the Massachusetts Conference for Women and was very lucky to hear a speech given by John Jacobs, the co-founder of Life Is Good.  He related the story of his family and how he and his brother started the business.  Interspersed within his talk were plenty of jokes, some great family photos, and some flying Frisbees for the audience.  You could tell from the beginning that his speech...

We recently completed a video project for Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL). The project was an interesting one because the folks at BELL wanted to get across what BELL does, but keep it short and punchy. So it wasn't a mini-portrait or short documentary-style piece that many of our clients want, but it also wasn't a typical commercial. Instead, it was a hybrid. Rachel was the producer...

The importance of b-roll is a subject that we've addressed before, but it bears repeating. First, a quick definition of what b-roll is.  Once upon a time, video was edited non-digitally, using tape decks. There were often two decks: one that was labeled the "A" deck and the second the "B" deck. All the main shots, like interviews, were edited from the A deck; all the secondary, supporting footage...