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4p HDPuts a New Spin on
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b y K e v i n S m i t h
The oldest video cliché in the book is the “talking
head.” Audiences pretty much expect it. But
viewers are numb to its impact, due to overuse
and “sameness” in execution. Though when
crafted in fresh ways, the “talking head” can be
an effective and compelling means of storytelling.
We recently faced a challenge presented by a
project that required several different interviews.
How do we pull more emotion out of the interview?
How do we get beyond the talking head
so that the audience identifies with the person
on the screen and his or her words?
Washington Mutual asked us to create an
opening video and a number of bumpers for an
annual meeting attended by 3,500 managers. Our
creative treatment required several on-camera
interviews of ordinary people. We wanted to
reach inside their personalities, draw out their
definition of “value,” and make the audience feel
their pleasure and pain. We wanted the managers
to sit knee-to-knee with these everyday folks.
We chose 24p high definition as the solu-